IAIN KELLY

BEACHCOMBING

Returning to the porch of his ramshackle beach hut, he looked at the shelves filled with his collection of driftwood, shells, coral and flotsam and jetsam.

In the two remaining spaces he placed the latest additions from his morning walk along the sand. The severed foot sat nicely in the smaller space, and he managed to bend the arm at the elbow joint to place it at an aesthetically pleasing angle in the larger space.

He sat back contented on his deckchair as the sun rose higher in the sky. Another day in paradise, and finally some proper peace and quiet.


claire-fuller-8
© Claire Fuller

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

95 responses to “BEACHCOMBING”

  1. neilmacdon Avatar

    Wow. The severed foot hit me like an express train. I wasn’t expecting that in paradise!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Some people have different ideas of paradise – and what needs to be done to keep it a paradise… Thanks Neil.

      Like

  2. rochellewisoff Avatar

    Dear Iain,

    Eeeeew. That’ a creepy collection he has going on. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cringe. I think I’ll do both. 😉

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I think he may have spent too long in paradise away from the real world! Thanks Rochelle 🙂

      Like

  3. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    Holy shit! I read once and was like, ‘Wait that can’t be right!’ :O Creepy dude’s paradise. Kind of freaked out about my beach vacation next week! Great writing Iain

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Oh no, sorry to freak you out, I’m sure no one like this will be on your vacation! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. jac forsyth Avatar

    Haha, haha. I love this so much.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Jac 🙂

      Like

  5. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Interesting that we should go down the same path, all be it in differing ways.

    Like

  6. J Hardy Carroll Avatar

    A lifestyle to be envied

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      In some respects, yes 🙂

      Like

  7. Sandra Avatar

    I like a psychopath with an artistic bent. Well done.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Sandra 🙂

      Like

  8. Claire Fuller Avatar

    Ooh gruesome! But then there are lots of odd things that get washed up on a beach.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      🙂 Thanks for the comment and the photo prompt Claire.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. gravadee Avatar

    I wasn’t expecting this turn. It made me shiver a bit

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Hopefully that’s a sign that my writing was okay. Thanks for commenting.

      Like

  10. Snow's Fissures and Fractures Avatar

    Well, that’s one way to keep your personal paradise personal. 😀 Creepy in a quiet way, I like that.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Quieter is always creepier 😉 Thanks for the comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. shehannemoore Avatar

    LMAO. I mean maybe that’s not the expected reaction but I can truly get where this guy is coming from….. Well done Iain

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks, it does seem to have appealed to a few people’s darker sense of humour! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    2. shehannemoore Avatar

      Oh I love black humour Iain. And I also love peace and quiet…..

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Iain Kelly Avatar

        Slightly scary comment… 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  12. yarnspinnerr Avatar

    This sure provokes diverse emotions. Very true to the prompt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks, a lot of commenters seem to have some sympathy for him 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. ceayr Avatar

    Love this, Iain.
    And I relate to the guy big time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It seems a lot of us do… Thanks for the compliment.

      Like

  14. Clare Hempstead Avatar

    Ugh, gruesome! So glad the elbow could be bent to be aesthetically pleasing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      These things have to be just right 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Sightsnbytes Avatar

    nice but creepy story

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks 🙂

      Like

  16. Lynn Love Avatar

    What I’m wondering is if he’s just found the dismembered remains – or if he caused them! Either way, wonderfully dark and wryly funny in the blackest of ways. Nicely done Iain

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I will leave it up to you to decide, either way works – I know which one I prefer! Thanks Lynn 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Lynn Love Avatar

        My pleasure 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  17. aliciajamtaas Avatar

    I’m with Lynn. I think it could go either way. Thanks let letting us wonder.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      You’re welcome 🙂

      Like

      1. aliciajamtaas Avatar

        Yee gads! Thanks FOR letting us wonder.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Indira Avatar

    Gives me a shiver’ elbow joint…aesthetically pleasing angle… ‘Creepy fellow but one is entitled to his paradise.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks for comment, seems to be creepy for most people 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Indira Avatar

        Very well written piece.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. my frilly freudian slip Avatar

    Now that really makes it a “curio cabinet” — I like the bending the arm so it would fit. Sociopath paradise indeed.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks 🙂

      Like

  20. nonsmokingladybug Avatar

    Naive, little me wants to think it was just a severed foot from an old doll, but old wise me knows differently. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Interesting take, but yeah, a little innocent! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. nonsmokingladybug Avatar

        I tried. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  21. TraceyDelaplainMD.com Avatar

    Sinister, I like it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Tracey 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  22. creatingahome Avatar

    Whether he killed the person or not, his a really disturbed fellow.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      He has issues, he’s working through them 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  23. draliman Avatar

    Fine additions to any slightly disturbed individual’s collection!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      A must have! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Michael Wynn Avatar

    Nice touch bending the elbow and great illustration of how everyone’s idea of paradise is different. Even if this one is a little macabre.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Just a little… thanks Michael

      Like

  25. Louise Taylor Avatar

    Some uncomfortable juxtaposing here; I like it very much!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Louise 🙂

      Like

  26. Edith M. Field Avatar

    Such a great piece of writing, Iain. I love the contrast between the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the story and the startling image of the latest items in his display.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Edith, much appreciated

      Like

  27. Dale Avatar
    Dale

    Soooo… from driftwood to severed members, eh? Well now, one can’t always understand an artist’s vision… 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Maybe you need to be there to truly appreciate it, not sure it’s worth the risk though! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dale Avatar
        Dale

        Yes…maybe….

        Liked by 1 person

  28. mjlstories Avatar

    Adds a whole new dimension to giving someone the elbow…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      LOL very good 🙂

      Like

  29. helenmidgley Avatar

    Peacefully chilling 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Helen 🙂

      Like

  30. Life Lessons of a Dog Lover Avatar
    Life Lessons of a Dog Lover

    I agree with all the rave reviews This as a great story.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks, not sure I’ve had rave reviews before 🙂

      Like

  31. Symanntha Renn Avatar

    Nice! Very well written.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Many thanks.

      Like

  32. Sarah Potter Writes Avatar

    I suppose if you’ve lived in Paradise on your own and out of choice for long enough, even someone saying “hello” to you might jar quite badly 😉
    Thanks, Iain, for a most entertaining bit of black comedy.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      If they would just leave him alone… Thanks Sarah 🙂

      Like

  33. Rachel Bjerke Avatar

    “…finally some proper peace and quiet.” hmm, I wonder how loud that neighbor was.. I guess now we’ll never know! Great story, I loved the subtlety.

    -Rachel

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Rachel – I suspect the neighbor probably wasn’t doing that much wrong… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar

    The esthetics of body-parts says a lot, and so does the “peace”… what is that flashing blue light?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      If they would just leave him all alone he won’t harm anyone else… 🙂

      Like

  35. gahlearner Avatar
    gahlearner

    Eeewwwwhahaha. I love it, it’s so fun creepy. I’m glad you didn’t have him break any fingers or toes to fit on the shelves. Great writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks, glad it got both reactions from you. No need for anymore rearranging on the shelves…unless his peace is disturbed again! 🙂

      Like

  36. plaridel Avatar

    finally, the foot and the arm got the respect they deserved. i could imagine the owner grinning from ear to ear. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  37. The Reclining Gentleman Avatar

    This made me laugh too! I enjoyed the care he took getting the angle of the arm just right. It might be gruesome to keep it on a shelf but it still needs to be done right :o)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It’s all in the small details 🙂 Thanks for reading and kind comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Sascha Darlington Avatar

    Ha! I read the comments. I am obviously not the only one knocked off balance by the “severed foot”. Good job!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  39. lingeringvisions by Dawn Avatar

    Wow, he is a little gruesome. lol
    I can’t help but wonder if the foot and the elbow came from the same source :/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      That’s a thought… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  40. shwetadave09 Avatar

    His idea of paradise rocked me….super fiction 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Many thanks 🙂

      Like

  41. Inside the Mind of Isadora Avatar

    It sounds like he finally has the peace and quiet he was seeking.
    I like how sinister it is. I enjoyed this one a lot, Lain.
    Isadora 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Many thanks 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Emily Livingstone Avatar

    Yikes! Great contrast. I love that he has this peaceful sense of aesthetic satisfaction after apparently having been up to some very violent deed. Interesting!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Emily, the calm after the storm! Much appreciated 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  43. Dahlia Avatar

    Wow – a shocker! I really liked the casual matter of fact way of narration.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Dahlia 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  44. R. James Turley Avatar

    Thanks for the follow.

    Like

  45. Anand Bose Avatar
    Anand Bose

    Very bizarre but so subtly and quietly placed. You have mastered the craft of fiction well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you for a lovely compliment 🙂

      Like

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