Archie strolled back from the shop, newspaper under his arm. Another fine Mediterranean morning.
In the campervan, Agnes was still in bed. Archie settled down in his seat to read the headlines.
Iran had retaliated against America with missile fire. A commercial aeroplane had gone down.
He turned the page.
Bush fires in Australia. Not enough rain. Floods in Indonesia. Too much rain.
He couldn’t face it. ‘Darling, I was thinking. Should we extend the holiday for a few more days?’
‘Yes, dear,’ came the muffled response. ‘The real world will be waiting for us when we’re ready.’
Well, maybe, Archie thought.
Written for Friday Fictioneers 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.
A Happy New Year to you all, I trust everyone had a good festive season and all the best for 2020!
FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW
A JUSTIFIED STATE: U.S.A. – AMAZON.COM UNITED KINGDOM AUSTRALIA CANADA INDIA
STATE OF DENIAL: U.S.A. – AMAZON.COM UNITED KINGDOM AUSTRALIA CANADA INDIA
Yep, I can relate. Too much misery in the media. Stay out of range.
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Unfortunately you can only ignore it for so long.
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Too true!
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I don’t think I’m sure what the real world is any more. And that was the quickest explanation of an aircraft disaster I’ve seen in a long time. Topical, Iain. Sadly.
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Sadly so Sandra, and I fear more to come.
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Truly sad state of affairs in the real world.
How long can we extend our vacation? Got to face the inconvenient truth…
Have a great 2020!
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Thanks Anita – I’m afraid you’re right, it has to be faced, and hopefully countered before it is too late.
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I’m with Archie. The real world is not so fun these days.
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It doesn’t have a lot going for it, certainly not much joy or relaxation…
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I don’t think I want to return to the real world…
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If only it could be avoided…
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Depressingly realistic, Iain, even without a mention of Brexit.
I don’t read a newspaper or watch the news, I was unaware of two of the four calamities you mention.
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Or the Impeachment. Plenty of fun times ahead. I wish I could switch off the news, but somehow it feels wrong to plead ignorance as a defence…
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This is so prominent for the times that we are leaving in…
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If only we could just go on holiday and forget it, but how can we just ignore all that is happening?
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it’s just a shame our world leaders won’t come together and do something about it… Too many personalities that won’t get on for what ever political reasons.
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Yes, enjoy your holiday while it lasts there might not be many more.
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Nope, best to make sure you spend your time doing what you enjoy. Who knows when it will end!
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Oy. (Hangs her head)
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Yep.
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Dear Iain,
As one of the characters in FOTR said, “Let the outside world break their own heads.” Archie’s thoughts mirror those of many of us across the globe. Well done. Make room for my camper.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I fear there aren’t enough campers for everyone who wants to escape. I’ll save you a space!
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To die in a campervan. That’s a circle of hell Dante hadn’t thought of
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If he was alive today, I’m sure he could add an extra one.
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The vacation world seem much better. The real world has too many issues.
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If only we could get rid of some of those issues. Thanks Michele, hope you are well.
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If only it were that easy. Scares me to think of how true this is.
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If only Janet. It’s not been a great start to the new year, I hope your year has been more positive 🙂
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That’s why I don’t read the news. In America, we’ve given up on reality in favor of reality TV. That is, of course, our government. This whole Iran mess is just to distract us from the impeachment.
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Let’s hope he doesn’t have to find any other distractions – not to mention it’s election year…
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They just need to get him out before he does anymore damage.
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Yes, that last line did make me smile. Very thought-provoking.
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Thank you Eugenia, hope you had a good new year.
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I love the last line.
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Thank you. Let’s hope it doesn’t end this way!
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Such a good story, Iain. Too bad it’s based on reality 😦
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Yep, I would much rather it was more fiction…
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Maybe seems the right response right now… but staying put might be the right solution right now.
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Doing nothing and ignoring what’s going on is rarely the best solution to be honest.
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And a Happy New Year to you, despite all the bad news flooding us.
It’s so much easier to close eyes and ears, isn’t it? But I feel it is our duty to stay informed, to know when it’s time… to do what exactly, I’m not sure. Can it go on like this much longer?
Very good story.
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Thank you. I agree, as much as it would be nice to shut out the noise, it is important people don’t give up.
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I keep campaigning, but that campervan seems mighty alluring…Nice write, Iain
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Doesn’t it? Keep going Penny, there must be brighter days ahead.
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I’m with Archie… I think I’d want to delay returning to reality as long as I can.
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But you have to go back to it sometime *sigh* Thanks Dale, hope you had a good new year.
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Sigh… I know so.
Thank you, Iain, no complaints on my end! Hope yours was fab!
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Yep, will the “real world” still be there when they decide to rejoin it? If they ever decide to rejoin it…
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It’s like a race to see who will destroy the world first.
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I’ve started reading the paper from the inside out. There’s usually something positive buried within!
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Always go to the Sports pages first for me! 🙂
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Extending the vacation is always a good choice!
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I agree, the longer I can spend away from work, the better!
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Perhaps he’d better give up buying newspapers!
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That might be just the thing. Thanks Liz
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Always nice to go on holiday and escape reality for a while!
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I could do with one now, and I’ve just had one 🙂
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Once you’re home it feels like you’ve never been away doesn’t it!
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The news these days is dreadful, indeed. The entire world needs a restful holiday.
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Maybe we could arrange for the whole world to just have a few days off, I like that idea 🙂
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Unfortunately, the happenings in the real world are unrelentingly tragic. Every other day I declare, I’m not reading the news today. But, it doesn’t stick. I enjoyed this one, and especially the last line. No one is ready for what’s happening in the real world.
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And it seems the news keeps coming thicker and faster these days, stumbling from one disaster to the next. Thanks Brenda
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under the circumstances, an extended vacation is a great idea if they can afford it. 🙂
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Yep, keep the world at bay for as long as possible.
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Lovely. I totally relate to this. I struggled to go back to work this week
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I got an extra week. Already dreading Monday…
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Very timely topic, Iain. What a viscious cycle we live in. So many of our world “leaders” (I use that word lightly) are crazy stupid. We might as well be camping when they blow up the world. At least we’d have a few moments of peace before the end.
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You have managed to find a silver lining there. More and more it is just a cycle of horror with no end in sight.
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Maybe indeed, who knows what’s going to happen next? Maybe Oasis will get back together…
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It’s bad enough already, give us a break!
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Perfect!
Only as you extend it gets that much harder to slip back into the real world!
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Very true – as I contemplate going back to work next week!
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An accurate story Ian, I can identify with wanting to make current events ‘go away’ at least for a while.I feel powerless in the face of it all.
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I think a lot of people feel the same, and have done for some time.
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It does feel like that some days. Hope Archie isn’t planning anything too sinister, though that last line would seem to indicate he is.
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Thanks Siobhan. Fortunately Archie and Agnes don’t exist in a world of such sinister thoughts – they’re just a normal couple trying to cope with the world like the rest of us!
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I know how they both feel!
Just finished your second book, btw. I gave it four stars but it takes a LOT to get five from me, so four is high praise.
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I spotted your review Dawn. Thank you so much for reading it and ficing it a review, really does mean a lot. I’m very happy with a 4 star review! Maybe the final book in the trilogy will crack that 5 star review 😉 Hopefully be ready before the summer, 2/3 of the way through the first draft just now.
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I don’t know that you will ever get a five star from me. The dystopian type story is really not my cup of tea. I must say, however, you made it very easy for me to see this future as a realistic one. You stayed away from gimmicky devices and made it more about the characters. I DO want to know what happens to Danny and Gabriella, and even Phillips, is he a good guy or a bad guy? Looking forward to the final part of the trilogy.
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Great to hear that Dawn, that was always my intention to make it about the characters, with the world as the backdrop.
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Really good writing Iain.
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I’m with Archie. You can’t stick your head in the sand forever, but sometimes you have to leave the world to its own devices for a while to rest your blood pressure. Good characterization.
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Thanks Eugenia – without that break I think we would all be driven mad.
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If only the world could take a holiday from strife, then maybe nature could nurse ‘us’ back to health
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Thanks Mike
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