Up at seven on the dot. Hop into the shower, towel dry, throw on my uniform.
Pop a slice of bread in the toaster, spoon on some jam (no clean knives again!), browse the morning headlines.
Bag packed, ready to leave at eight on the button.
Door opens, out I go, along the corridor and into my usual seat. Textbook out – algebra again today.
Mrs. Davis walks past, hands me my pill.
The voices stir, interrupting me. That constant buzzing. I can feel that anger rising.
Don’t listen to them. Stick to my routine and it will all be okay. Smile.
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.
My first novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is available now
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Book Depository
Amazon.in / Amazon.au / Amazon.ca
Iain Kelly 
103 responses to “ESTABLISHED PROCEDURE”
Great voice, Iain. The careful and systematic routine
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Neil
LikeLike
Reading these lines – I feel, I am also living the same routine – as it is so vivid.
I agree with Neil, it sure is a careful and systematic routine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kislaya. I hope you can break from your routine sometime 🙂
LikeLike
That is very important…for happy survival!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Iain,
The pill intrigues me. Could this be Ritalin or some other drug to keep the student in line? The regimen sets the tone. Very well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Rochelle
LikeLike
And consistency with the mystery, the teacher slips the pill to him. That seems to fit the Era of decades ago, when ” Medicate” every child for no reason, began.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Without that pill, what might happen?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Best not to find out perhaps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this! Great voice and so thought provoking (and interesting how many stories this week feature the unhinged)!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Susan. Something about that building must be suggesting it to us!
LikeLike
You’ve portrayed a grim scene of enforced conformity. To make it even more chilling, your narrator seems to believe that this is a good thing.
If he is suffering from a mental illness, this may be true, but it’s still a terrifying vision.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Penny, I’m glad you saw the terror in it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent window into the eternal life of “managed care.” I like how you show this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you J Hardy
LikeLike
It made me sympathize with him, and what the pill keeps at bay – whether good or bad. But if it is mental illness sometimes routine is the only thing that helps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely, but that in itself can be a prison. Thanks Gisselle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sinister tale Iain. For me, it works in a lot of ways: as dystopia, as madness, or just as someone struggling with conformity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps a combination of all 3. Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Grim stuff, Iain, well portrayed
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you CE
LikeLike
Intriguing, there is a sense of knowing what you are conveying but a sense of mystery too. And the answer to the mystery is ?? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I leave that for you to decide – I have my own theories 😉
LikeLike
LOL!
Who knows maybe this guy’s story could be continued in a book?? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It feels as though he’s teetering precariously on the edge of control… it’s not looking good
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is not indeed. Thanks Sandra
LikeLike
I guess it would take but a small change to the routine to send him wildly off course. Nice one Iain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And then I would dread to see what happened. Thanks Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, the voices and buzzing kept at bay by medication but still trying to make their presence felt. Chilling in its reality Iain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Di
LikeLiked by 1 person
You twisted that humdrum beginning brilliantly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Liz
LikeLike
I think the pill keeps the voices at bay and the routine helps him to focus. Interesting and intriguing story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Brenda
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, this is good. Disturbing and good! 🙂 Blessings to you, Iain. I enjoy reading your writing, thanks. ~Debbie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Debbie, so kind 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was spooky on another level, Iain. More so because it is so real…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Dale
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only thing that helps are pills and routines… wonder how the algebra helps (again)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something to keep the mind occupied perhaps – although it wouldn’t be my first choice!
LikeLike
Sad, sad tale. This poor guy, sounds like paranoid schizophrenia—the pills are just barely keeping him calm. What an awful way to live.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had something like that in mind. It’s not much of a life.
LikeLike
There’s that edge in the narration. Not sure even the pill is enough. If it wears off…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you caught that edge.
LikeLike
Algebra’s perfect because it’s balance. The whole point of an algebraic equation is to make the two sides balance. I imagine it would help more than medication in this over-medicated society of ours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An interesting thought, thanks for reading
LikeLiked by 1 person
a pill a day can surely make his day. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
At least get him through each day 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something wrong with him? Why become angry when offered a pill? Is he in some institution?
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was my idea, yes.
LikeLike
I see you noticed the word “asylum” in the photo’s filename! A rigid routine can be essential for many people with certain mental health issues. I could really feel this person’s tenuous grip on sanity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, yes asylum was where I saw them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great inner voice, Lain. The reader is left wondering whether he’s in a psych unit or school. Great pacing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Dawn, I agree, it could be either
LikeLiked by 1 person
A regular Monday morning…
Great inner voice, Iain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do the pills help, or fuel the anger?
LikeLiked by 1 person
A good question, are they helping or only making the long term situation worse?
LikeLike
You set this up so nicely. Very systematic. Then you show us why. Brilliant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Alicia
LikeLike
Voiced aren’t funny. A victim’s routine well illustrated here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Patrick
LikeLike
Oooo this is fabulous. Stick to the plan. Stay the course. Routine.
Ignore the voices. Well done
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Laurie – sometimes those voices are hard to ignore!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like the build up – from an ordinary bloke, morning routine, til the he gets his pill. The strong sense of routine rings so true to living in a institution- implied not stated. Good writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, glad you saw the implication.
LikeLike
I am worried for the pupil and the school, tensions building in this story,
LikeLiked by 1 person
It feels like they may be close to a snap of some kind, I agree.
LikeLike
What is this person going through? Is the pill making him hear the voices or is the pill meant to silence them? This is really intriguing and you need to write more on this, its twisting me out; i’m off to do some trigonometry
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope the trigonometry helps! 🙂
LikeLike
This building has the feel of a college building, which is where I thought you were heading,at first, thoough the uniform suggested a military school…then, I thought, more of an “alternative” school, or disciplinary institution where they send kids –the Algebra class makes me think he’s in high school or college–who have behavior issues or mental health challenges.
As the story progresses, it deteriorates, that is, your image, as a reader, of how well his life will turn out, deteriorates, until you realize that he is not here by choice (unless voluntary commitment is truly a choice), and that he is is probably locked in his room until the doors are opened, and is probably a bit brainwashed with positivity. Good stuff, Iain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have picked up on most of the hints in the story 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think most persistent illnesses feel like prison, but a mental illness must be even more so since it seems to rob you of all control. The routine, and the pill, barely manage a minimum of control, and it makes the story terrifying and hopeless. Excellent writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Greatly vivid. Very intriguing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lisa
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like that you’ve crafted this story with just enough detail to leave the reader to draw their own conclusions, good or bad. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sascha, always appreciated 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great interpretation of the photo prompt, lain. The pill sets a tone of ‘why’ which I love. Sounds a little OCD. Great story 👍😊
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great build up of tension in this.Powerful ending – taking all that’s gone before to another level entirely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Margaret
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can sympathize. If I had to go back and take algebra again, I’d probably get mad too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, same here! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if the place is saving his life or robbing him of his life. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between. Very thought provoking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’re right, they certainly mean well, but are they actually doing more harm in trying to help?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the change of atmosphere in this Iain. A nice jaunty start to the daily routine but then we find out the dark truth about the routine and the battle behind it. Very well told.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, much appreciated
LikeLike
👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like the start of a great story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Shirley.
LikeLike
This indeed sounds the start of a great story. Superb scene setting, kelly
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Neel
LikeLike
The pill intrigues me as well. I read this three times but I am still confused. He seems very together until the pill and then he seems to be losing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Dawn. I think the togetherness before the pill is very shaky and he is always close to ‘losing it.’
LikeLike
Perhaps, it is simply that I was expecting something else and you caught me off guard, which is a good thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, dear, I feel a bad time is on the horizon. Everything will fall apart if he misses one of those little special pills or if his routine is somehow messed up. You’ve somehow managed to establish a dystopian, state controlled feel to this in very few words. Would make a great opening for something longer and I can see it fitting into sci-fi too. Great writing Iain
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lynn, I hadn’t thought of it in a dystopian way, but I can see your thinking and it could absolutely work that way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure Iain
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like others I wonder what happens without the pill. everything is so ordered I wonder if that’s imposed on him or if he’s extremely OCD.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think a mixture of both, imposed and resented but grudgingly accepted that it is needed.
LikeLike