Angie came running in with her prisoner trapped inside the jar.
‘Look what I got, Mum.’ Mum was too busy scrubbing dust out of the clothes.
‘Look what I caught, Dad.’ Dad was too busy in the barn, shoeing the horse.
Angie sat on the stoop.
‘Not one of them is interested.’ She watched the insect frantically buzzing in the jar. It was a shame to keep it cooped up. She unscrewed the lid and watched it fly away.
That evening they watched helplessly as the droning black cloud swarmed over their crops.
He came back with his friends, Angie thought.

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 stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
99 responses to “PLAGUE”
The plague of locusts! Say goodbye to this year’s tomatoes! I remember reading that locusts were ordinary grasshoppers who mutate when they reach a certain population density. Sort of a chilling thought.
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Chilling, as is the images you see of the super swarms of them. Pretty sure the image isn’t of a locust so I kept it vague. My insect knowledge is not brilliant!
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Etymology, not entomology, eh?
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They tend to work in teams. Nice story 🙂
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Thanks Jane 🙂
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Very very nice work Iain.
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Thanks Shehanne, hope all is good with you 🙂
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ocht aye apart fae these eedjit publishers getting in yir face. Seriously I have loved all your recent posts so PULEASE keep up the excellent work Iain. Your talent for the wee bit paper and what you capture there is immense.
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Thank you, you are too kind and so supportive. Still working my way through attempting a novel as well as keeping up these short pieces. Don’t let those publishers get you down 🙂 x
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Dinnae you worry. BTO I am going to have the last laugh when this book comes out and it will be their fault for skipping through and skipping the edits. Keep up with that novel and the short pieces. They are always excellent. You have great skill there . Truly
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That is weird and perfect at the same time. The brilliance of words. 🙂
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Thank you, lovely comment 🙂
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🙂
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That was awesome! 🙂
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I’ll settle for awesome, thank you! 🙂
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Eesh… destruction ahead!
Nice take!
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Afraid so, thanks Dale
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Dear Iain,
Too bad she didn’t keep the bug in the jar, but something tells me his friends would’ve come to chomp the crops in any event. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. There’s no stopping them I’m afraid.
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Didn’t Egypt have this problem once?
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It didn’t end well there either.
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I’m not sure they could have done anything even if they had taken any notice of the scouting party. Doomed… they were all doomed… 😦
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Afraid so, no stopping them 😦
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You make a striking contrast between Angie’s loneliness and isolation and the insect with its cloud of friends. The act of retribution was startling. Perhaps the parents should have paid a little more attention to what Angie was showing them … A great story, Iain.
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Thanks Edith, I’m glad you saw that. I’m not sure the parents could have done anything but maybe they should learn to have more time for their child as well as their chores.
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You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us! Sigh. Can’t we all just get along? Lol… fun story Iain.
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Thanks, it would be nice if everyone could just get along.
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That’s a hard lesson learned – for everyone. Kids – never fall for the cute bugs, they’re deadly. Parents – listen to your kids! Really well told, great pacing and a wonderfully complete tale
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Thank you Lynn, very kind.
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My pleasure 🙂
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I wonder if the parents could’ve avoided the destruction, if they had paid attention to the child. Too late now, I guess…
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Probably not but they could still listen to her more. Thanks for reading.
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Indeed.
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While doing archaeology in Eastern Washington, we had a plague of grasshoppers. Working was a nightmare, walking through tall grass “icky” because hoppers jumped all over us. No open coffee cups outside the dining hall – hoppers would fill it up with their tiny bodies. The little buggers even ate the screening out of the canvas tent in which I was living. Thanks for reminding me. 😉 A great take on the prompt.
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Sorry for the memories! Sounds horrible. Thanks Alicia 🙂
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I was in my twenties. Really, it was a grand adventure. If it happened now I might get cranky!
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Just another wonderful piece. It wasn’t Angie’s fault, they would have eaten the crop anyway.
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Exactly, hopefully she will see that, or her parents will explain it to her.
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Such a sad story, not for the insects, but for the way the parents ignored her. And she was so innocently sweet with her conclusion. Well done.
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Thank you.
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Hopefully it won’t take another disaster for the parents to listen to their child. She deserves to be listened too, even without impending doom on the way.
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They will have more time to listen to her now anyway! Thanks for reading.
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Her parents are going to have plenty of time on their hands now.🙂
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Afraid so, thanks Michael
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Oh no! The warning had been there but they failed to see. At least they were only after the crops and not the people. I saw a thing on the history channel once where there was such a prevalence of grasshoppers of a certain type that they ate everything and everyone outside. Then they all died off. Reminds me of that lol.
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Footage of swarms is incredible, and the destruction they can bring is too. Wouldn’t want to be around if they decided to go for people as well!!
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too bad her mom and dad didn’t pay attention to her. maybe next time if there’s a next time.
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Let’s hope so. Many thanks for commenting.
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Very nice! Great structure and so tightly rendered.
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Thanks Carl, much appreciated.
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Oh, Angie, what have you done…
It’s like seeing one ant in the kitchen and leaving it be because it’s just one ant. Then the next day there’s a whole supply line set up.
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Hell hath no fury like a locust trapped, or something like that. Thank you.
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Hope the bugs have taught a lesson. Beautifully written, Lain.
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Thanks Neel
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I didn’t see that coming – nor did they until it was too late! Nice one Iain
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Thanks Keith
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Great job! Loved it!
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Thanks Rosemary!
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Great story Ian.
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Eww that made me shudder! ‘The droning black cloud’ evokes a very clear image!
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Thanks Clare, appreciated as always.
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Ooooooo ouch. Poor Angie. I hope she doesnt feel guilty over that. Those parents should have paid her some attention huh?
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Just a little bit. Hopefully they will explain it’s not her fault!
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Very nice work! 🙂
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Thanks Sascha 🙂
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I’m glad she set it free, as I’m pretty sure the whole swarm would have come anyway. How horrible that must be, to see your crops and everything else be destroyed under that unstoppable onslaught!
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It must be a terrible feeling of helplessness, all that hard work destroyed. Thanks Joy.
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And over so quickly — and all that work to rebuild, too. As plagues go, it’s an especially nasty one.
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Excellent story!
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Thanks Therese
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That’ll learn ’em…
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Thanks Martin
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A plague of locusts be upon those parents who don’t listen to their children! …Albeit, the parents in your story were doing some work, but this puts in mind an item in the News this morning, that at one school in the UK, the staff are so sick of parents glued to their electronics and ignoring their children that they have put up a notice on the gates saying “Greet your children with a smile and not a mobile!” No doubt, those same parents tell their children off for not listening to them, but who have they learned this from in the first place? …As you probably gather, I feel very strongly about this. See how you got me going with your clever story.
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Haha thanks Sarah. I hope a plague of locusts isn’t the solution for parents who are too glued to their mobiles. Hopefully the sign will be enough of a warning. Definitely a growing problem in society, not just for kids. I find at work a lot of people are distracted when they should be listening too.
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A stitch in time…Very nicely warned Iain. I can see this happening everywhere – people ignoring their children, really feel sorry for them, they look so lost and helpless.
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Hopefully not ignored everywhere, they are the future after all. Thanks.
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Yes of course – I think I went a bit overboard with the everywhere 😀
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🙂
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Too. Many. Friends! Must hide!
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🙂 Thanks Alice
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We were sitting outside a seaside bar in Tenerife once when a cloud approached from the west. The locals covered their drinks, so we did the same as millions of locusts flew past us to consume the crops inland. They are unstoppable.
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Wow, must have been an amazing sight to be in the middle of. Did you still finish your drinks? 🙂
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Ooo, great spin! I hate that some days I, too, get caught up in adulting and ask them to wait or show me something later. Makes for a lot of little missed moments, in the end.
Great story!
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I’m the same, especially having to go out to work and missing what they’ve been up to. Difficult not to be distracted by other things sometimes.
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Uh oh. When I find a spider in the house, I take it outside. Your story has me rethinking the wisdom in that.
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I have the same bad feeling about spiders, what if there are loads of them trying to get in!?
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And obviously there is not a jar big enough for the black cloud ha ha:) I like the wording of the “droning” black cloud. In this day and age drone has such a negative connotation even more than in the past. Have a great weekend. Peace
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Thanks,if only there were jars that big.
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I love this. Children are so often forgotten when the adults are busy. The grasshopper is showing them. They couldn’t have done anything, but explained it all to the girl.
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Thank you. It’s also true that the parents could learn a lot from the kids if they paid more attention to them. Much appreciated.
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Oh dear! Didn’t see that coming 😦 Ungrateful beast, should have spared them for sparing his life 🙂 Very nice!!!
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No conscience those bugs! Thank you 🙂
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Good take Iain. The parents should have paid attention but it was coming anyway, I suspect.
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Thanks Michael.
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Oh they should have paid attention… locusts are a menace
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Thy certainly can be.
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Nicely written Iain. It seems our imaginations went on different journeys to the same destination!
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All roads lead to plague when it comes to insects!
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Scary stuff!
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