‘We’ll always have Paris.’
Yeah, right. Now look at those memories: faded, crumpled and tossed in the dumpster.
She was just like all the rest of those broads, dames and dolls.
As soon as she had stepped on that plane she had forgotten about me.
Back to her old life, her passionless marriage of convenience.
Well, I wasn’t about to forget Paris.
I’m a passionate romantic. It meant something to me and my heart doesn’t forget that easily.
That’s why I got on the next plane.
That’s why I confronted her.
That’s why I’m folding her body into the dumpster.
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.
My new novel, ‘State of War’ is now available to pre-order on Amazon in eBook format, paperback coming soon. Have a look at the trailer below:
I like the nostalgia of the discarded memories combined with the brutally discarded body
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Thanks Neil
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Never know who is going to turn a bit crazy. Has he done it before? Intriguing.
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I get the feeling he may very well have! Thanks
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It’s a very good point you make Iain. One must be careful of the connections we make. Some may come back to get us when we’re not expecting!
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Spooky!
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Thanks Reena
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Hell has no fury like a passionate chap, I pity his next conquest 🙂
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Thanks Mike
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Bogie would never to that to Ingrid!
I’m so disillusioned…
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He met his match with Bacall.
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You know, some guys just don’t take rejection. She needed to refine her insight before dumping him.
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Thanks Sandra
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Whoops! That escalated rather quickly.
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You don’t want to annoy Bogie!
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And there was me thinking I was reading a sweetly romantic story! 🙂
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Well, it was, in a way…
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He was the romantic type. But, he still went ahead with this cold-blooded murder.
People and their scary moods. Some become painful memories who are tossed away…
Very well expressed.
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Death can be very romantic 😉
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Hmm, “That could be the end of a beautiful friendship” 🙂
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Well, there’s a guy who doesn’t deal well with rejection! Scary. Say no, and end up dead and folded into a trash bin. Chilling.
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Just be careful who you choose to have an affair with – some kind of moral to the story! Thanks Linda
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Dear Iain,
Whoever said “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” never met this guy. The voice was retro and fun.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well, we can’t be sexist about who is entitled to being scorned 😉
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Well, “Bogie” was best known as gangster before he found Paris, so I wouldn’t doubt he’d hunt her down… I used the same line as my title, but without any other references to the movie.
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Yes, he can’t keep up a touchy-feely pretence for too long, better to be the hard man.
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No! Straight into the darkness, Iain. Good little story!
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Holy moses. I guess the photographer is rubbing off on you in more ways than one!
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It feels like a time to just be blunt about things!
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Love the twist ending! Great story!
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Thank you 🙂
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As a fan of Casablanca, I got it. Too funny an ending! Rick just dumped Ilsa — for REAL! This should have been the “alternate ending” to the movie. Well, if it were made to day, anyway.
Five out of five “here’s looking at you, kid”s.
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Yeah, none of this ‘Rick started to have feelings again’ nonsense.
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Men can be as brutal in love as in war, what say! Loved the story Kelly.
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Thank you Neel
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Like Rochelle, I really enjoyed the voice in your story. And, heck, bluntness counts for a lot when you only have 100-words.
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Got to wrap these stories up quick 😉
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Great story! The voice is very strong and the character comes across clearly in so few words.
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Thank you, nice to see you back 🙂
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Excellent writing, Iain. I loved your foreshadowing in line two! Holiday romances are playing with fire, aren’t they?
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I hope most of them don’t end up like this! Thanks Penny.
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That’s very romantic. He’s no Rick Blaine. “I didn’t really mean ‘get on the plane.'”
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He was just testing her. She failed.
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Holy…………. the casual reference to dumpster in the beginning turns sinister at the end. You did a great job of cruising along so smoothly, then turning around with a left hook.
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Thank you 🙂
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good grief! to paraphrase an old saying, hell hath no fury for a man scorned.
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Thanks!
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Quite the romantic. Not. Unless he thinks that it is romantic to do away with she who dares not choose him!
Not the end I’d want for Rick and Ilsa!
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That’s why they never made the sequel…
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Haha!
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Yeeks! Not a man to dump lightly. Nice one!
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He dumped her very lightly…into that dumpster.
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And that’s why she dumped him – she could see he had this in him all along! Nice mix of strong voice and extreme violence – I like the parallel folding and throwing in a dumpster, too. Nice symmetry
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Thanks Lynn, glad you liked it 🙂
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What happened in Paris should have stayed in Paris! A taut little thriller here, Ian, and a nice little study in victim blaming – in his eyes, she got what she deserved. Very scary!
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Thanks Thom, much appreciated 🙂
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Well, that escalated quickly. Great take on the prompt.
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Thank you Shweta
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Oh no! I started to worry when he took the next flight. She didn’t run far enough. It gave me chills, great job!! Hope you and yours are staying well, Iain!
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Thanks Brenda, all safe here. I’m back at (a very quiet) work after 3 weeks of lockdown. Hope you are well too.
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That’s passion for sure, but it isn’t love. Brutal. As always I liked the way you crafted the story.
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Thanks Fatima – a very twisted view of love for sure.
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Well he just wasn’t prepared to let it lie. Revenge is best served in Paris with a light vinaigrette.
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Ha, how civilised 🙂
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Whoa . . . this ist sounding like one of C.E.’s tales. That what we get for using one of his photos.
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I did take my inspiration from some of his finest work 😉
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Like the journey from annoyance with the woman to the matter-of-factness of the dumpster. A dark story.
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Oh dear! Did you kill them all?
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All that deserved it.
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Oh, my God! LOL and all that. I was having lovely memories of “Casablanca”, thinking that it might be a fun alternate ending, and then WHAM. Great job!
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It is an alternate ending, just without the fun 🙂
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Well, Iain, I thought this was just lovely… till the last line. Good one!
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Perfect, exactly as intended 🙂
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Well that escalated rapidly. He is probably the kind of lover who keeps a head count.
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Love can do strange things to people.
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