Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Parade

Here's a bonus Sunday story. Patti Abbott posted a challenge to write a drabble (a story of exactly 100 words--not counting the title) based on a picture. Here's my effort.

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The Parade 

The town folk waited for the maimed war hero to ride by. Small children held red, white, yellow and green helium-filled balloons, ready to release them in his honor. The older boys hung out by the trees, smoking pot and joking about the one-legged hero to cover up their own anxiety about being next. Others, dressed in summery garb, leaned over to watch the horizon.

The lead motorcycle carrying the fallen veteran approached the crowd. The soldier saw a line of enemy troops and grabbed his gun. As they rode past the horde, he sneered and emptied his rifle.
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20 comments:

  1. Jack BatesJune 3, 2012 at 1:43 PM

    Wow. Classic twist.

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  2. Sankara Jayanth SJune 3, 2012 at 2:27 PM

    Wonderful!!

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  3. Paul D BrazillJune 3, 2012 at 2:53 PM

    Splendid! Great twist!

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  4. AJ HayesJune 3, 2012 at 3:21 PM

    " Like Peter, Paul and Mary sang long time ago: "Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards every one." Yeah, well, except for the one on the road, with the rifle. You get any more hard-nosed Jim, you'll be able to cut glass with it. Cool.

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  5. Walt GiersbachJune 3, 2012 at 3:34 PM

    And all the generals said, "There's no more war." So the soldiers brought the war home. Wonderful story, Jim.

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  6. Jim HarringtonJune 4, 2012 at 10:31 AM

    Thanks, folks. Sometimes the stories just roll of the fingers, grit and all.

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  7. BevJune 4, 2012 at 11:22 AM

    Talk about classic PTSD! Awesome story.

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  8. Jim HarringtonJune 4, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Thanks, Bev. Glad you liked it.

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  9. Bobbi A. Chukran, AuthorJune 4, 2012 at 5:14 PM

    Wow, what a shocker! Loved it, Jim! bobbi c.

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  10. pattinase (abbott)June 16, 2012 at 10:23 AM

    Holy Cow, Jim. That took me by surprose. THANKS!

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  11. Katherine TomlinsonJune 16, 2012 at 11:58 AM

    guns don't kill people, people kill people.
    Great story.

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  12. Jim HarringtonJune 16, 2012 at 12:28 PM

    Thanks for reading Bobbi, Patti and Katherine. Glad you liked it.

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  13. sandra seamansJune 17, 2012 at 7:47 AM

    Wow! That ending came out of nowhere and yet it fit perfectly. Wonderful drabble, Jim!

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  14. Jim HarringtonJune 17, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    Thanks, Sandra.

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  15. seana grahamJune 17, 2012 at 3:37 PM

    This is really weird but just this morning I was reading a recent Newsweek article about the shocking suicide rate among vets and thoughts about why it's happening. This little drabble seemed more than timely. Of course, he points the gun the other way...

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  16. Jim HarringtonJune 17, 2012 at 3:43 PM

    Thanks for reading and commenting, Seana. I read a similar article, and just before patti offered this challenge, a local soldier who lost his legs in Afganistan came home for a parade riding on a motorcycle driven by his dad. No, he didn't shoot anyone.

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  17. seana grahamJune 17, 2012 at 3:54 PM

    Perhaps you captured some of his ambivilance on the occasion. I can't imagine there wasn't some.

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  18. Jim HarringtonJune 17, 2012 at 3:58 PM

    Perhaps.

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  19. Loren EatonJune 18, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    Wow, didn't expect that twist at the end there.

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  20. Prashant C. TrikannadJune 18, 2012 at 1:29 PM

    You deserved the prize, Jim! Great drabble.

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