Green for Go.
The hustle and bustle. The crowded market.
The anxiety.
Tell yourself they’ve all been vaccinated. Tell yourself the numbers are small.
Faces unmasked. Breathing. Germs. Raw meat. Sweating. Palpitations. Get out.
An open street and space. Relax, everything is normal.
The green signal flashes. Step out onto the road.
The driver doesn’t see their red light.
Blaring horn, loud engine. Make it to the other side.
Get back home. Close the door. Safe space. No danger.
A drink. Water. A couple more Valium.
How many is that today? Can’t remember.
Peaceful slumber. Drift away.
Red. Stop.
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.
For the month of April I am taking part in the A-Z blogging challenge, and am posting about my State Trilogy novels each day, including plots, themes, characters and the writing and publishing process. So if you’ve read the books, or haven’t but might be interested in them, I hope it will be of interest to some of you. All the posts published so far can be found HERE.
Iain Kelly 
Great use of the colours, Iain
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Thanks Neil, was the first thing that jumped out at me.
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“Get back home .. safe space .. no danger ..” exactly my thoughts after the hustle bustle
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We’ll see how much hustle and bustle there is once we get out of lockdown – I won’t be rushing to any crowded places, that’s for sure!
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A fast, furious and colourful tale. Well done, Iain.
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Thanks Mason
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Real time anxiety.
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Anxious times for so many reasons at the moment.
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Getting back to normal will take some getting used to!
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I’m actually quite relaxed about it, but I have been out and working through it all. For others it will be quite a struggle I’m sure.
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Just as we are coming out of lockdown, I get locked in a medical ward. No Valium for me, but I would like some…🙂
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Take care Michael, hope you get well.
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Dear Iain,
The anxiety in this well-structured piece is palpable. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle
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Some days are like that.
And then you find your friends were not taking precautions, like quarantining after exposure when dancing to a live band in an enclosed space. And they’re standing right in front of you, eyes wide, mouth open, waving their arms for emphasis.
Yellow light….
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Yep, everyone has to use their best judgement, but I’ve found quite a few people I’ve previously thought sensible do not share my judgement around issues of a pandemic! Thanks Liz
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I’m breathless after reading this! Know how you feel.
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Thanks Liz, hopefully it will all settle down as we gradually come out of lockdown, but I won’t be rushing to a market place anytime soon!
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Whew! You conveyed such frenetic anxiety, entirely too relatable for so many these days! Well done!
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Thank you, much appreciated.
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Life these days is deadly business and you capture the glory/horror of it well, Iain.
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Thank you. Let’s hope it gets better at some point.
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You’re welcome.
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I think we’re all going to have PTSD for a while even when this is all over.
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Yep, I’m not sure we will ever fully get over it.
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It’s going to be a while before I feel comfortable in those kinds of spaces. I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home and have other minimal exposures. This was a wonderful use of the prompt.
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Thank you Alana – stay safe!
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Great story! That’s exactly how I feel almost every time I leave the house! I substitute chocolate for Valium. 🙂
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Chocolate tastes much better, and probably safer! 🙂
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You perfectly describe that dazed feeling so many of us have. I hear you on the behaviour of people we think we know…
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Thanks so much
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Sounds like . . . dare I say it? . . . the new normal in our anxiety-ridden age. And you capture it perfectly. We may just have to all turn into zombies to survive. If that’s survival. Curious to know if the ending is a clue that he/she’s overdosed on valium and is DOA, as it were.
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Thanks Dora, you were right about the ending, not sure too many picked up on it, but I wanted to hint that there was a definite STOP at the end.
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Those colors really do pop, don’t they? I enjoyed your very realistic take on the prompt.
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Thanks Linda
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I liked the use of colour, go-stop. Describes the world’s new norma.
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Thanks so much
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The mental side effects of not only heavy restrictions, but the easing of them as well.
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Yes, a lot of re-adjusting required.
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Described things perfectly!
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Thank you
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I don’t think it’s going to be as simple as telling everyone they CAN go out. As a ‘shielder’ I remember my first trip to the supermarket in many months as an unpleasant stressful experience. I was in no hurry to do it again. You captured that uneasiness.
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Yes, I think the government and business will be keen to get us back out, and may be surprised that many will be cautious and choose not to rush back. Thanks Sandra.
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What a fabulous piece, Iain. So atmospheric. It describes beautifully the notion of panic and disorientation I experienced when I first saw the prompt. Glad I decided not to go down that route. You’ve done it so well.
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Very kind Jenne, thank you so much.
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Unfortunately, this is way too many people’s reality nowadays. I hope the person in the story hasn’t taken too many Valium. If so, I’m afraid there is also too much of that. Well written.
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‘Too much’ is a good way to describe the modern world, there is too much of everything, and that’s never a good thing.
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Yikes! Scardy cats lead desperate lives!
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A lot of scary things out there! 😉
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Agreed. Reacting in numbing fear just isn’t the better way to greet it if you want a happy life. 😉
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Well crafted story, Iain. Overdosing on Valium wouldn’t be a bad way to go, but what a waste of life! (Your ending was completely clear, btw.) Anxiety disorders can horrid (personal experience), but there are treatments for many people. Hypnotherapy worked wonders for me, for example.
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Thanks Penny, glad the ending came across. Hope you won’t be too anxious when things start to open up again!
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Somehow that piece seems so real 🤔. I don’t think I ever want to get out of the house.
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I hope it will pass!
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You built the tension so well here, Lain. Loved it! I was right there with him. It does feel oh so very weird to go out and about these days. Just going to the market is a bit like going on a vacation abroad. It’s interesting to see all the “different” products on the shelves that the stores have never carried before.
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It’s funny what becomes a treat now – taking the car to the garage was a recent highlight for me!
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Wow. I certainly understand this feeling of anxiety and stress. The colours really fit nicely into your tale as do the choppy sentences.
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Thanks Laurie 🙂
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i think it’s getting to the point where most folks are already experiencing pandemic fatigue. it’s really hard to maintain a positive attitude nowadays.
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Very hard indeed, we need a bit more hope for the future.
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Very creative! And, I related to the feelings of anxiety as I’m sure a lot of people will when lockdown is completely over. I will be avoiding crowds as much as possible in the future even.
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I wasn’t a big fan of crowds before the pandemic, so I’ll be steering clear as much as possible! Thanks Brenda
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I loved the hectic pace of this piece and his sense of anxiety.
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Thanks Russell
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So well done. I felt the panic. We both went with pandemic…sorta.
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Sorta. Thanks Sascha.
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Love the staccato style, Iain, it helps build the anxiety to fever pitch.
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Thank you CE
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Thats intense and probably not too far from the truth, everyone is under staters orders in GB right now. Its going to be a massive clusterfuck (probably) see you in lock down next christmas…
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It is quite amazing how many seem oblivious to what happened before and seem keen to repeat it…
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A beautifully crafted story Iain, clever use of colours, I felt empathy for the narrator.
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Thanks so much.
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Clever use of the colours and dare I say the anxiety that comes with our new normal.
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Thank you
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Certainly not a relaxing experience!
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Might be a long time before we can fully relax in a crowd.
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