The Friday Fictioneer Challenge: Write a 100-word story based on the photo.
The Red Shoes
“A photo prompt? Ooooh. High-heeled lace-ups.”
“What’s that book?”
“So retro—art reference—I want.”
“No. That one. Red cover, gold letters, dog… E-G-P-U-something-C-A-R-O—“
“Zoom in. RECRUIT. Dog?”
“CAROLINA.”
“Which Carolina?”
“OUTH… D-E-R—”
“DEPOT. Red pumps.”
“ND OUTH CAROLINA…”
“MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, Iwo Jima Memorial. That dress at Nordstrom’s . . . ?”
“The dog–“
“Where?”
“On the ‘memorial.’ English Bull. Eyes, ears, big red tongue.”
“Going shopping. ‘Bye.”
“Ohhhh. Not a tongue. The cover. There’s the Marine’s bottom… his leg… I thought it was a dog.”
“A Rorschach cover.”
“What’s a dog mean?”
“What’s a bottom mean?”
*
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina 1968 ~~~ Not the same, but similar
*
Afterword
Word Count: 42
Speaker # 1 didn’t go shopping for red pumps. He stayed home, worked on his cartoons, did laundry, and massaged William the Cat. “Rorschach cover” is his.
Speaker #2 said, “Thank you,” then wrote and cut and cut and cut. And wrestled with Ernest the Cat.
*****
For more stories by Friday Fictioneers, click the Froggy. 
M. K. Waller 
Dear Kathy,
Someone’s working way too hard to dissect the photo. 😉 Fun piece.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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One glimpse–the dog grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. If my husband hadn’t been here, I’d still be moving the laptop around to get the glare off the monitor so I could decipher the little gold letters. Thanks for your comment, and also for sponsoring Friday Fictioneers. It’s fun.
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Huge fun! Thanks, Kathy
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And thank you. 🙂
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This gave me the giggles. It reads like having a dream–snapshots flying wildly.
Oh, and the red tome is my Marine Corps Boot Camp graduation book, full of Devil Dogs (and bottoms, I bet!). 😀
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You were a Marine! I read the profile on your blog. Wow.
My husband kept saying, “It’s the Iwo Jima Memorial.” I kept saying, “But what’s the dog doing there?” When my eyes finally adjusted, I realized I had a story. Easier than making one up, if you don’t count the frustration at not being able to decipher the little gold letters.
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Your husband got it right. I had so much fun reading your story. I imagined you getting really close to the screen trying to figure out what’s on the cover of the book.
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Oh, it IS a soldier. Looked like a dog to me, too. Good job with the picture.
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I’m glad SOMEONE besides me saw the dog. I had to explain it to David, feature by feature. He did all the work. I just sort of stored the conversation in my brain.
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LOL, I’ve seen this picture before and never realized it was a Marine book (though I knew it was a Marine’s books 😀 ) Cute.
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Thank you. It’s amazing what you can figure out when you’re obsessed. And have help. Thanks for commenting.
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