Another boat trip, thought Marcus, as he slumped into a window seat.
‘Come on, this is a great way to see the town. There’s so much history,’ his mother said. Marcus looked at her pointedly as he placed the headphones into his ears and turned on music – loud.
One more summer and he would be old enough to go on his own holidays with his friends – sun, sand and the rest – instead of being dragged round on dull sightseeing trips of British towns.
The tour guide began droning on about some historical building as they moved down the river. Marcus couldn’t hear the detail over his music.
Gradually he realised the guide had stopped speaking and was staring out the side of the boat, looking pale and shocked. So was everyone else. Marcus glanced over and saw the police divers hauling the naked, dead body out of the water, a red slit across her throat.
Finally he had an interesting story to tell about his holiday when he got back to school.
Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story, in around 150 words based on the weekly photo prompt. For more information visit HERE.
To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
This story is so up to date and has powerful imagery. I wish I had written it.
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Thanks Michael.
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Great job! This made me think of the TV show Bones! Have you seen it?
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I haven’t seen that one Joy, one to look out for. Thanks for commenting.
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Good one Iain, there’s always going to be something interesting to report back on…
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Thanks Michael, I do remember when you got back to school and everyone had different stories from their holidays. Never one like this though, thankfully!
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As Mike says … powerful imagery here. Great write.
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Many thanks.
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that would make any young boy’s holiday the most exciting in the bragging circle. You captured the essence of a bored young man coming home like a war hero to tell his tale.
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Thanks, he’ll certainly be telling his friends about it!
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Yeah, nothing screams a good holiday than having a dead body story to tell your friends. This story is very cool.
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Thanks Joy, not sure I would want to go on a holiday with you…! 🙂
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😂😂😂😂
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It is certainly more interesting than your average boat trip!
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Thanks Angie 🙂
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Great story, Iain! Sad that it took something so gruesome to peek his interest in the boat tour. This sounds so much like teens and how they act.
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Thanks PJ – with more words I would have included him taking out his smartphone and getting gruesome pictures to show his friends…!
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LOL! That would certainly be something a teen would do!
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Nicely written Iain – the teens viewpoint is very strong. This is my son when I drag him on another boat trip round Bristol harbour – fortunately, never seen a body though. Walked past a trail of bloody footprints one day, but that’s another tale! Very good as always 🙂
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Sounds like an interesting starting point for a story! Thanks Lynn.
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My pleasure 🙂
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You always nail these, Iain. This would be a perfect opening to an episode of Law & Order: UK. Or Taggart. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Nancy, I hadn’t thought of that but it is exactly like the start of a Taggart episode 🙂
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Nice topical story told told with your usual elan, Lain. Liked the timeliness or shall we say timelessness of the tale.
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Many thanks Neel
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Challenge accepted. Look at the InLinkz page.
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Excellent James, will take a look.
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Where do you find all these different “challenges?”
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Just following other blogs and also using the WordPress reader and searching for writing challenges. I stick to 3 or 4 that I do regularly, and others occasionally if I can find the time. All good fun and a good excuse to keep coming up with writing ideas.
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Perhaps he’ll become a forensic scientist. Great story!
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Ha, perhaps, if that’s what inspires enthusiasm in him! Thanks Graham.
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What a “What I did on my summer vacation story!” He’ll be the “in” kid in the class for a while at least. Interesting story with great twist at end.
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Thanks Lorraine!
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That would indeed be a very shocking scene to see. But I suppose a bored teenager might think more of what his friends would think of his story, then the terribleness of a murder. Great write Ian!
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That’s exactly it Mandi!
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He was relieved of his boredom, but at a price of someones death and the heartache of probably family and friends. He will have plenty to talk about when he gets home and may be a bit more interested in taking another trip…not looking for something so tragic, but perhaps open to the possibility of seeing something unusual again. Wonderful story .
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Hopefully as he grows older he will learn something from it and not just be concerned with his own holiday experience! Thanks for reading.
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Such a typical teenager! At least he now has an interesting story for his friends, even if it is a rather gruesome one. Great story, Iain. 🙂
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Many thanks 🙂
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Teens are so damn hard to please! I find sun, sand and the rest of it all a bore – but such a gruesome sight would be intriguing for morbid curiosity.
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Well, that certainly added a bit of spice to an otherwise dull holiday! Lol. Much as I love historical sites, I know that most teenagers find them all a great big yawn. Very well written, Iain. 🙂
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Thanks Millie – when he gets older he might appreciate the history more!
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I will take a dull holiday over this disco very please.
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🙂
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Well, that’s certainly an interesting POV!
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