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PHOTO PROMPT © Douglas M. MacIlroy for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers. Other stories featuring the prompt can be found here.
Tap, tap.
Let me in. I know you’re watching. Your mother has sent me a message to give to you. You’re still a slob, pigs live better than you. For God’s sake bathe, scrub your hands and stop rubbing your chin, there is a virus. First thing first, unplug that cord and tidy the desk. It’s going to smoke up tonight.
Tap, tap.
Fine keep recording. Call me adorable. I’ll take matters into my own beak.
Tap, tap – smash.
“What the hell. Get out of here.”
Yuck, the taste of plastic. A little harder. Wire. Crunch. Fried. Shit. Belly up. As dead as the laptop. Mission accomplished.
Note: The story is up for interpretation. For those interested, I saw the bird as a message from the human’s dead mother. Some people believe animals and insects are the messengers between the living and the dead.
Tannille 
Some will be saved
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Birdie flew to heaven.
Thanks N
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Perhaps we will all be sending messages by birds soon…!
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I was going to say if shit hits the fan but I guess with all those birds, if shit hits the pavement would be more accurate… 😀
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🙂
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Is this a suicide bird?
Strangely unsettling tale, Tannille
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When I wrote it, the bird was on a mission. The bird was sent by the human’s dead mother to save the human from a fire that would spark from the mess. Thinking I failed in the execution. That’s ok live and learn!
Thanks C
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Dear Tanille,
That’s a disturbingly foul fowl. Or is she comparing her mother to a magpie? Quite a story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I went with the cosmic idea that the dead can communicate with the living by sending animals. In hindsight, the scope was too big for 100 words. It made sense in my head lol. On the bright side, my take away from this story is not to assume readers know what I do. Good lesson. 😀
Thanks R
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It is a pitfall writers can fall into. To be fair, the reader can also be dense. 😉
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The cookie banner hid the last line from me, so I finished at the “What the Hell,” thinking it was a good story.
Then the last line, is so fabulously written, but also a bit a confusing at the same time.
Also, I wish a bird would destroy my laptop, because it is rubbish and I need an excuse to buy a new one.
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Those add things are annoying!
Buy a new one. My reasoning is writers need more than one, a back up machine can be an invested life saver.
Thanks M
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I’ve heard other people say that about birds – robins particularly. Feel sorry for that poor bird though!
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I feel the bird is flying around in heaven as a reward for doing a good deed.
Thanks L!
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Always a pleasure ☺️
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I suspect a character from a rather famous Hitchcock escaped 🙂 Enjoyed that.
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Crazy birds… I wouldn’t put it past the creatures.
Thanks A!
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Died in execution of his duty. Poor bird.
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Poor bird… he’s a hero though.
Thanks S
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A twist on the expression: don’t shoot the messenger! Interesting take on the photo prompt, Tannille.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Haha yes. Doesn’t help that we human are often ignoring messages.
Thanks S
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Good story, Tannille. It seemed pretty clear to me, although it took a couple of reads to be quite sure. I thought your last line was rather good – rapid pace and full of impact.
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I would have liked to have pulled this story and reworked it a bit to make it easier to comprehend. It needs a bit of tweaking. That’s why feedback is great.
Thanks P!
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That’s one way to shut her up… could you imagine being nagged in such a way? Original take.
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Reminds of that letter Mrs Weasly sent Ron in the 2nd Harry Potter instalment, it started lecturing and yelling at him in the dining hall.
Nagged from beyond the grave lol.
Thanks D!
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Yes! I loved that scene!
How awful… here you think you finally have respite and no… it goes on!
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And they say don’t shoot the messanger… but isn’t that what we always do.
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Or we don’t listen…
Thanks B!
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That’s a determined bird. Rain, nor sleet, nor pane of glass shall keep it from delivering its message. Even if it means it has to die to do it.
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A bird on a mission!
Thanks N!
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There lies a feather
where once a tiny bird
flew lightly to your window
but you slept on into the noon
and the bird surrendered
to the winter’s cold hand.
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Awe sweet!
Thanks P
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Vindictive even beyond death!
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Or a hero. In my mind the cords and paper were going to start a fire that night. But it‘s open to interpretation. The bird is a bit nuts. 😀
Thanks M
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Heavens! I had a hard time figuring out where you were headed until the very end, and the explanatory note. Still, written in such a way that it is, indeed, up for interpretation. Well done!
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In hindsight (after the feedback), I would have liked to tweak the story so it’s an easier read. Although that might have taken away the open interpretation 😀.
Thanks L
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The bird saved the apartment building from going up in flames. 😀
Thanks A!
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The bird got what was coming to him. That’s for sticking his beak in where it doesn’t belong. 🙂
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A little on the psycho side 😀.
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poor birdie. just another case of kill the messenger syndrome.
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He’s flying in heaven. Good bye cruel world. 😀
Thanks P
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A very determined little bird, willing to sacrifice itself to deliver the message. At least itv was mission accomplished and presumably the slob got out alive.
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Yes, I think the slob lived on. For a while anyway.
Thanks M!
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A bird on a suicide mission to destroy his laptop. I’m keeping my windows closed!
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Birds can go a little wild at times.
Thanks D
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The fighter finch, love this tale, the other comments helped me, but the words sat really nicely together as always!
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Thank you very much!
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A sacrificial bird or a mother’s spirit animal? Very thought-provoking.
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Thanks E!
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