Flash Fiction / SSS / writing prompts

The Perils of the Unplanned Plot (Tales from the SSC&B)

Chris Hall65 Comments
An image of a painting of 'The Demeter' which hangs on the wall of the Manager's office at the SSC&B (origin unknown)*
A painting of ‘The Demeter’ which hangs on the wall of the Manager’s office at the SSC&B (origin unknown)*

The red-headed writer, aka the Raconteuse, realised that something had gone seriously wrong with her plan to write herself back in time to find the key to the mystery of the Gatekeeper’s sudden disappearance and subsequent demise; mostly because she simply hadn’t wanted to believe that he’d gone.

While roaming around the inner reaches of her writer’s mind, jotting down what she’d thought should be her next step, events had overtaken her; apparently the Gatekeeper’s casting off of his mortal coil had merely been an elaborate ruse on the part of the Gatekeeper and his equally-imaginative collaborator, Ford the Supplier.

A clever misdirection – she should have known.

Meanwhile, mention being made of a mysterious coffin had sent her down another stupid rabbit hole, the curse of the ‘brancanneering’ story-teller, and now she was stuck on some god-forsaken beach, up to her ankles in chilly seawater, while a strange Gothic ship loomed on the horizon; a storm was brewing too.

A sudden gust of wind ushered in her own personal downpour, drenching her notebook; she applied her pen to the page, but it refused to mark the soggy paper.

How was she going to write herself out of here now?

~~~~~

This has been my second offering this week for Denise’s Six Sentence Story Challenge where this week’s prompt word was key.

*crafted on Canva by the author from an image on Pinterest

~~~~~

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65 thoughts on “The Perils of the Unplanned Plot (Tales from the SSC&B)”

  3. I can taste the salt water!
    👏
    The Gatekeeper resurrected , the Raconteuse in a “bottle with the Black Pearl”…maybe Johny, now that his legal obligations are fulfilled, will be appear near you saying:
    …“My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled.”

    The Demeter is beautiful.
    Equally is your weaving of the tale.
    Btw, you did bring with you the TTT, right?

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    • I can feel the sea water and it’s damn cold! Playing the ‘Johnny card’ might prove interesting (stop my beating heart), but maybe the pull of a bewitching voice from beyond the grave will be greater.
      I can’t read the stuck-together pages of my sodden notebook, but surely the TTT is in there…?

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  4. 😳😱
    You’ve gone and done it this time, Chris! Lost somewhere and somewhen, no means (as yet) to write yourself out, a storm approaching and a strange ship on the horizon! Ah… you may find some dry paper on the ship; but if you go, what/who else will you find?

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  5. “How?”, she asks?! Well, she is the Raconteuse, after all. She’ll find a way, yet in the meantime….
    Excellent Tale, Chris!

    P.S. Spira is hoping beyond hope you brought it (the TTT) but if you didn’t…we know there’s another exciting Tale from the SSC&B on the horizon telling of the Raconteuse’s “escape”. 😎

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  8. I’ve always been intrigued by paintings of ancient ships on stormy seas! What a great story to go with the image! Hopefully the pages do dry out, or maybe she can find another notebook that didn’t get wet?🤔

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  10. Good one Chris. It was a well-played ruse to protect the Proprietors among us, and even though I was a part of it, I struggled to keep up with the fast-changing ‘life and death’ events 🤪😵😎
    I love the pic of the Demeter located at the SSC&B… can imagine a certain lanky, skinny gentleman Proprietor among us enjoying that, given his sea-faring days, not saying he’s got any vampire connections, like 😁
    Incoming erratum: Ford is no Fixer (he can barely fix himself to getting up in the morn, though he can fix a mean drink in the eve), Ford the Supplier it is 😊

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  12. Multimedia ain’t got nothin on the reality weavers of the Six Sentence Café & Bistro!*

    heck with flash fiction we gots Entangled Fiction!
    don’t get no more fun than that

    *ty Denzel

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