Flash Fiction / writing prompts

The Jade Camel #2

Chris Hall64 Comments

Previously

Arriving at his flat, one of many in a long street of dilapidated Georgian buildings, a grey cat wearing a velvet collar twined around Joey’s legs: ‘Alright Cullen, mate!’ he grinned down at the feline as he unlocked the door. The cat bounded up the stairs and stopped outside Flat 4 where it mewed expectantly; Ceridwen’s face appeared, her smile turning to a puzzled frown as Joey passed her door.

Inside his attic flat, Joey shed his parka and dropped onto the worn couch; shoving the crumpled quilt aside, he ripped open a grease-sodden packet of chips, laced with lurid-looking sauce and wolfed down a few mouthfuls, before leaning forward to switch on the TV; the flicker of the grainy monochrome picture the room’s only illumination as he devoured his supper.

Retrieving the prize that the river had given up earlier, Joey held it in the palm of his hand – a crouching camel, carved from greenish-brown stone – surely a find of great antiquity. His fingers tingled and his heartbeat quickened, a smile lit up Joey’s face; he felt energised, optimistic!

Joey stared at the camel, its mouth was slightly open; the little carving seemed to be grinning back at him.

next episode

Written in response to two challenges:

Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: QUICKEN, QUIT, QUILT
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: WEAR

Read more #SixSentenceStories here!

Photo credit: illustration from a book somewhere on my bookshelves which I cannot presently locate 😉

64 thoughts on “The Jade Camel #2”

  8. Hehehe! That little camel is up to its magicks again, Chris. Ceridwen is puzzling me right now. I feel I know her, but I also feel I’m confusing her with a character from The Silver Locket. I’m sure you’ll reveal more in the weeks to come! 🙂

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    • I’m so pleased Joey appeals to you, D. I wish I could find the book the camel came from! It’s hiding somewhere on the bookshelves… another mystery in itself. 😉

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  14. OK… first thing I wanna know: how did you find the apartment I spent several post-grad years living in and, do you still have the key?*
    damn! I can, like, totally smell this place (not so ‘ewww’ as it sounds)… but the smell of gas-stoves and stale coffee and day-old soup along with the cigarette and girlfriend scent getting into any and all porous surfaces.

    errr sorry, got memory-hostaged there by your excellent description
    Great Installment! lol
    Interesting concept: we all, as Readers’ (imo) cast and do most, if not all, production work when we read fiction. what the MC looks like is the author. who would play them in a movie version is us.
    Same with setting.
    I can see the peeling plaster on the ceiling and the rough-finished, grey-painted floors… because that’s what I experienced and it is consistent with your description.
    cool

    (‘See’ you at the Six Sentence Bistro later today/tomorrow)

    *the key I had was one of what they called a skeleton key. Wrought iron, two-notched wedge at the business end, oval end to the handle and worn around neck. (the door would’ve opened to a mildly-annoyed shoulder)

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    • Clark, congrats, you filled in all the detail of those same sub-standard multi-occupancy dwellings that must have been found in every edge-of-the-city suburb before gentrification spoilt the scummy ambiance.
      (All dressed up for the SSB. Had to change after emerging soggily from some people’s spam – possibly including yours, since my comment disappeared as soon as I posted it yesterday).

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