At last a sign that someone was looking for me.
I managed to wave my red jacket in the air before I was pulled to the ground.
Was it enough for the search plane to see me? It continued flying and disappeared beyond the horizon.
Three weeks I’ve been held now, without explanation. The ropes excoriated.
We walked on and came to the shore of a lake. On the far bank the seaplane was moored.
My heart leapt. Salvation.
I saw my captor greet the pilot. Newfound hope died. They exchanged money.
My new owner beckoned me on board.
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 novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is available now
Look out for news of the sequel coming in the next few weeks!
Iain Kelly 
79 responses to “OUTPOST”
I can still hope that with a single bound she’ll be free
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There’s always that chance
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And?
So many questions, well done!
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Thank you
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Another fine mess…
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Thanks CE
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Dear Iain,
The MC’s distress is tangible. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle 🙂
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Great twist at the end of this. Well done.
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Thank you
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For a moment there I thought it would be a happy ending! Well played.
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No happy ending this week! Thanks Colline
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Oh no! Great tension in so few words. Well done, Iain.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you Susan
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Well-written with a great twist at the end, Iain. Slavery of all kinds has to be stopped. It’s heartbreaking. —- Suzanne
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Thank you Suzanne
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Hopes dashed again! Great take on the prompt!
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This time at least. Thank you, much appreciated
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So good, Iain. We could definitely feel the captor’s distress, hope and despair.
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Thank you Dale
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Nicely done Iain.
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Thank you Di
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You’re welcome
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Yikes!! Great twist, Iain!!
-Rachel 🙂
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Thank you so much Rachel
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Well, at least he is still alive, and so is hope. Nice one Iain.
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True. Thank you
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Great story, Iain and with an unexpected twist at the end. Poor man. Hopefully, salvation will find him soon.
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Thank you
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Oh, wow, that is a troubling scenario. Great writing.
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Thank you so much
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Grim, Im thinking the sex trade, well written Iain
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Could be. Thanks
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Nice process of slowly revealing the severity of his plight, giving him hope and then mercilessly taking it away. I did stumble on the tense in the sentence beginning with I’ve. I found it disorienting to reference the present in the midst of a sea of past tense. Otherwise powerful and grim.
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I take your point, but it works fine for me. Glad you liked it.
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The time for action is just as the plane lands — as long as it doesn’t land in another remote location!
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Always planning ahead 😉
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That’s the ultimate heartbreaker. A lot of hopes have been crushed in a lot of ways. That has to be one of the worst.
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It’s certainly not great… Thanks for reading.
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Let’s hope the journey onwards presents her/him with an opportunity to escape, else, all seems lost.
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Let’s hope so. Thanks for reading.
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it doesn’t look good. she’s now viewed as property to be sold or kept at the owner’s pleasure.
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A valuable commodity, unfortunately.
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Not quite what he expected!
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Nope, not the rescue they wanted!
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Hopes raised and dashed before being consigned to what may or may not be an even worse fate.
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Thanks Sandra
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Hopes dashed. A sorry story indeed.
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Perhaps there is a later chance of escape.. Thanks Keith
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Maybe a mermaid could help!
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Oops – that was supposed to be a reply to your comment on my story!
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To have your hopes rise and then be dashed – worse than no hope at all, perhaps.
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Perhaps indeed. Thank you
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Nothing kills the human spirit faster than hopelessness. Really well-written.
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Thank you Linda
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A fantastic twist. I felt horrified with her at the end.
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Thank you Brenda
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It must be horrifying to be bought and sold as a slave. How on earth would one respond?
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It’s hard to put yourself in that position. Thanks Penny
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Feel like I’m there alongside the prisoner – skilful writing to keep us on the edge of our seats. Well done.
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Thank you so much
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Love the waving of the red coat. Such hope! Then, BOOM handed off to yet another captor. Nicely built tension, Iain.
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Thank you Alicia
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Out of frying pan into fire. Misery and trouble continued.
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Thanks Abhijit
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Oh no! Deeper into darkness. I fear she wont be seen again. Great take on the piece
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Thanks Laurie. Not looking good for her.
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Finished with a nice cliffhanger – hope or despair. A kidnapped victim is never a happy one.
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Another very real situation, with so much human trafficking, so the feelings evoked are also real. Faultless writing.
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Thank you 🙂
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Great suspense & cliffhanger.
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Thank you
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Oh my…careful what you wish for!
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Yep, she may have been better off where she was…
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Goodness gosh – you certainly can write a clever story! HECK NO! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE! Almost saved and then hope dashed in one second with the exchange of money. Really well done!
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Thank you Nan
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Hope dashed at the last minute… how terrible. Suspenseful and vividly written.
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Thank you
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