The Signboard

                                                                                 Photo prompt © Kent Bonham

“I am not sure but I think Serafino is a vampire name.”

“How could you be so mean? I see you are already jealous of me.”

“You are getting it wrong; I would be the happiest person if he proposes to you.”

“Then why…”

“His name, it gives me a strange feeling…”

“Just shut up and don’t spoil this evening.”

Serafino came; he was an exceedingly handsome person. As they entered, he looked at the signboard hanging above the entrance and turned pale.

“Is that garlic?” he asked in a choked voice.

Her friend looked at her with worried eyes.

*

A post for Friday Fictioneers on a photo prompt.  

Masquerade

She was masquerading as a beauty queen; of course she was a ravishing beauty.

He too was masquerading as a multimillionaire playboy and there was no doubt that he was a playboy.

She believed she was clever enough to seduce this rich but foolish playboy. He too believed that he was smart enough to win a beauty queen.

He thought he would not have to kill her; ‘no more killings,’ he said to himself.

She thought that now she could turn a new leaf and settle with this silly person.  

He was caught when he was dreaming of proposing to her, unaware that she had already been arrested the previous night.

*****

 A post for MagpieTales on a photo prompt 

The Hunted

The tiger had thus far killed nine villagers.

The villagers believed that the tiger was taking revenge. Someone had shot at her and stolen her two cubs. The tiger did not die; the shot had only grazed her shoulder. Now she was angry with men.

The hunter arrived in the village, confident that he would track and kill the tiger. He had a reputation for killing man-eating tigers, even the most cunning ones.  Two villagers led him to the place where the remains of the last victim, a teenaged girl, were found. She had been killed the previous day.

The hunter found the tracks of the tiger. The tracks were fresh. He knew he had no time to loose. He began the hunt.

He followed the tracks for more than six hours; but he was not able to sight the tiger. At many places he sensed the presence of the tiger but not even once he could see her. Rather there were moments when he felt that the tiger was stalking him. This tiger did scare him.

The sun set and the hunter had to return to his camp.

The night was dark and eerily silent. He decided to keep the rifle loaded.

He woke up with a start. He had left the lamp on but the light was dim.

He shivered. He was looking into the eyes of an angry tiger; her paws were on the rifle which he had kept close by.

*********

A post for Sunday Photo Fiction

A Horse Named Wind

Even as a colt he loved the wind.

The wind was forever free; no one could trap it. It was always gentle and caring; but sometimes it was wild and furious and, then, even the strongest tree trembled facing its fury.

He wanted to be its friend. But the wind would not agree. He persisted and the wind had to relent. The horse and the wind became friends.

By now he was a strong and majestic horse. And men were eager to trap him. One day he got trapped. His anger was boundless. He used every drop of his strength but the trap was unsparing. He sought help from his friend.

The wind said, “Wait for the right moment.”

Men thought he had been tamed; he was gentle and caring like the morning breeze.

A man took him for a ride. As they crossed the fence, the wind whispered, “This is the right moment.”

The gentle morning breeze changed into a howling wind. The rider was lucky to escape with a few broken ribs.

The horse had become the wind; forever free and unbound.

****************

A post for FFfAW on a photo prompt

The Antique Chandelier

The old man was always hungry; hungry for gold. Every penny he saved he invested in gold.

He was cunning and earned a lot of pennies. But he lived like a pauper and spent nothing on his orphaned grandson, Pea.

He would not tell Pea where he had hidden his gold. A deprived childhood had turned Pea into a depraved man. He threatened his grandfather who laughed and shouted, “I would rather be dead.”

In frustration, Pea sold the antique chandelier that grandfather loved, for just hundred bucks.

The old man found the chandelier missing; he became hysterical, “We’re ruined.”

********

A post for Friday Fictioneers and Three Word Wednesday.

Word count 100

The Destiny 

The train was to leave at three.

Normally there was very little traffic on the roads at this time of the day. But today there was a massive traffic jam; a truck had broken down near the railway station.

“I would miss the train,” he muttered to himself.

The taxi driver did not seem perturbed, “When does your train reach M?”

“If it leaves on time it would reach at five in the morning.”

“If you are destined to be in M at five in the morning you would never miss the train,” taxi driver said almost philosophically.  

The driver kept driving unhurriedly, unimpressed by his irritation and anxiety.

“Stop here, this way I will never make it in time; I would rather run to the railway station. It’s not that far now,” he had almost shouted.

Taxi stopped and he ran towards the railway station.

It was almost three when he reached the platform. He heaved a sigh of relief.

But the platform was almost empty; he was crestfallen.

Then he heard the announcement, the train had been cancelled due to a technical fault. He cursed the railways. His planning had come to a naught.

He thought he would inform his host. He switched on his phone and noticed that he had received a message from railways informing of the cancellation of the train.  In his anxiety he had failed to read it.

“If only I had read the message in time I could have taken the evening flight,” he cursed himself.

Next day M was hit by a tsunami and hundreds of people perished.

********

A post for Sunday Photo Fiction

The Phone

Ramesh had been unwilling to go to England.

His father had sold everything he could to see Ramesh finish his graduation from a prestigious college. Even before he had passed out he had received a couple of decent offers.

But father would hear nothing of it, “If you get into a job then you would never be able to complete your post-graduation. You must go to London School of Economics. We can bear this hardship for a year or two. I wish I could have gone. I could not, but you must.”

Ramesh went and never came back. In London he found a job and a wife.

Mother was sick; had been sick for ages.

 “Is the phone working?”

“No.”

“There could be a fault in the phone line, no?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you lodge a complaint, it never rings.”

“It never rings because no one calls.”

“Don’t blame him; it is the phone.”

Father said nothing; he kept gazing at the phone.

*********

A post for Magpie Tales on a photo prompt.

The Window

Photo prompt © Raina NG

The property agent had been truthful.

“I know you like this place. But I suggest you reconsider. It’s rumoured to be haunted.”

They had laughed at him and had moved in without a second thought.

***

The trip had been pleasant but tiring. They were both dreaming of cosy confines of their home.

As they stepped in they were unnerved. Everything was spotlessly clean and at its own place. Even the flowers were fresh and fragrant.

“Where is the mess we left behind?”

“How do I know?”

They heard a twitter.

It was a bird looking at them through the window.

**********

A post for Friday Fictioneers

Treasure Hunt

                                                                                 Photo prompt-© Douglas M. Macllory

“Our misery should end now,” he said, pointing to a fish-like structure.

“Is that the treasure?” she asked in a shocked voice.

“It’s the last piece of the puzzle.”

“Who gets the privilege to unravel it?”

“Aren’t you too tired?”

“Go ahead; I can’t wait to have a look at the treasure.”

Two aliens had been watching them from their spaceship; their eyes insipid and stale.

“Will he unravel it?” said one.

“We have waited too long for the wise one,” said other.

“Let’s get ready to bring him up,” said first alien.

Second alien nodded, but not too confidently.

******

A post for Friday Fictioneers and Three Word Wednesday.

Word count 100