Tuesday 24 May 2016

The Foolhardy
157 05 May 22nd 2016
‘Can you make this wine dance?’
We all looked at him. He was laughing, almost audaciously. Beneath the gloss of courage there was perhaps an undercurrent of desperation.
The mission had failed. But he was not was willing to accept the failure. We had lost track of the time. We knew that soon the nights will become interminable. We could not delay our return any further.
He looked back at us without any sense of despondency. 
‘I know what you are thinking, but I can’t help myself. This itch to win does not, unfortunately, desert me. But I can’t make you pay for my foolhardiness.  You can all leave before the warning bell goes off. Please begin the preparations, quickly’
He walked out of the lab; there was an unnatural spring in his footsteps. We knew that we could longer stand there and wait for him to rethink. It would be easier to make the wine dance than to convince him to reconsider.
We all began preparing for our journey back to Earth. But we were not sure whether we would eventually leave without the man who had, by his umpteen daring deeds, won our respect and loyalty.
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A post for Sunday Photo Fiction on a photo prompt and
Word prompts-mission, willing, lost, track, sense, gloss, itch, nights, bell, pay, spring, stand.  

Word count 199

11 comments:

  1. There is thin line between being foolhardy and adventurous. It's just how different people would see it. Nice one written in great style.

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    1. but i think only foolhardy people succeed in life.

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  2. Interesting tale and a fascinating take on the prompt

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  3. Very interesting, sometimes such decisions are indeed very difficult to make!!

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    1. but one needs to be fanatical about one's mission, thanks

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  4. One has to watch how far they will go or screwed they may end up

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  5. I like how you used the prompt and what you created from it.

    Al. Sunday Photo Fiction

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  6. It looks like his mind is made up and they'll have to leave without him. Well done, IB. ---- Suzanne

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