Story Pic No. 11-15

I take a lot of walks in my spare time. Thankfully, I live in a beautiful neighborhood of a fascinating city (Seattle), which I love to explore; so, whether it's to stretch my legs, gather my thoughts or simply just to get some fresh air, I spend a lot of time walking. I started writing these ‘Story Pic’ flash fiction pieces when—after some self-reflection—I realized that most of my new ideas for current WIPs manifested while I was on one of my walks. So, like any good American, I turned something natural that I did to relax into work. Below are the fruits of my endeavor, each story inspired by something that I came across while exploring and took a picture of (as one might infer from the series title). The stories were originally released weekly on my social media—where they are still available (@willowsfield)—spanning over four months of my rambling thoughts. Please enjoy, if you so choose.

—Willow J. Fields

“Overcast Limbo” Story Pic No. 11 — 4/21/22

A cloud stormed by, hiding the sun, casting angry sheets of rain in its wake. Despairing, the wildlife sought shelter, hoping that the cloud would leave soon. But the cloud did not want to leave yet, it still felt gray and upset.

“Don’t worry,” the hidden sun reassured the wildlife, “the cloud’s time is nearly done. I will dry you off once it has finished.”

The wildlife politely thanked the sun, hidden behind the cloud, and shivered as the cloud loosed another gust of sodden angst. Stuck in the limbo of spring, the wildlife had no choice but to patiently wait for the cloud to finish its wintery temper tantrum

“Spring Cleaning” Story Pic No. 12 — 4/27/22

Spring was in the air; the flowers were blooming, the sun was shining. The cleaning had begun.

People roamed the streets, ruthlessly looking for that which no longer sparked joy. Some sought out irksome HOA administrators, others staked out the mansions of corrupt city council members. Everyone had something—or someone—to clean. For the disenfranchised, however, very little sparked joy. They had much more to clean than others.

Corporate Mysticism EXCERPT Story Pic No. 13 — 5/6/2022

The rain wasn’t particularly heavy; even still, negotiating the downtown streets, his Volvo’s windshield wipers were struggling to keep up with the goblins as they bounced down his hood. Arthur forced himself to ignore the chiding mental image of Eric-The-Supervisor and his coffee mug patronizing him over his auto-part choices; he knew his barbed edition wipers were sometimes inefficient, but why fix what ain’t broke?

“Warning Signs” Story Pic No. 14 — 5/12/2022

“Danger: Keep Out,” says the sign but the kids ignore it.

“Please: It Isn’t Safe,” begs the forest as the kids step into its dark underbrush.

“Seriously: I Said Don’t,” the night screams but the kids keep walking. Their unwelcome explorations stir the shadows. The monsters find them soon enough.

“Danger: I Warned You.”

“Impacted Traffic” Story Pic No. 15 — 5/19/2022

The traffic was congealed like spoiled milk. Everyone jockeyed for position, trying to get somewhere, home, work, a date. Locked bumper to bumper, no one went anywhere. But in the back, through the open window of a dingy Toyota cried the voice of truth.

“I gotta take a shit!”

The traffic responded, shuffled and with the trumpeting of a hundred horns, split like the Red Sea. The traffic released the driver from its grasp, and they sped off, racing to complete their holy mission.