A Flash Fiction Story to Make You Smile…

As a writer, inspirations for my creations, be they novels, short stories, or pieces of flash fiction, come from a variety of sources: newspaper articles, something I saw on television, or a photograph. You already my know I’m particularly fond of the latter, having published two short-story and eight flash-fiction anthologies in which every story is prompted by a photograph. So, when my eldest daughter, Missy, sent the family the photograph below of her and her dog Chauncey, it cried out for a story; you’ll find it below. I hope you enjoy their “conversation.” BTW, this story will be included in my new book of short stories and flash fiction titled Mementos, which I expect to release next spring.

Ted


“Chauncey” (Photo: Missy Cohen)

“Missy, do you think they’ll spot us?”
“Not a chance, Chauncey, not while we’re wearing these glasses. They’re super disguises.”
“I hope so. We’ve put in a lotta time on this case. I’d hate to think, just as we were closing in on the perps, they’d see us and beat it outta town.”
“I know, buddy. Don’tcha worry about that. Think about what’s going to happen after the police collar them. Think about the media coverage, all those interviews and appearances on the news shows.”
“Do you think they’ll let me speak? You know, it’s not like everyone lets animals talk.”
“We talk, Chauncey. To me, you’re just like people.”
“I know, Missy, but most people never really speak to us intelligently or even let us talk. All we hear is ‘Who’s a good boy?’ and stuff like that. We’re never taken seriously.”
“That’s not true. For example, some writers let dogs play very important roles in their stories.”
“Name one.”
“Well, how about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? He wrote a wonderful story, ‘The Adventure of Silver Blaze’. Remember that one? It involved the disappearance of a famous racehorse, Silver Blaze, and the murder of its trainer. A dog played the key role in how Sherlock Holmes solved the crime. Didn’t you like that story?”
“Oh, yes, I thought that was absolutely terrific. But it would have been a much better story if Conan Doyle had given the dog a speaking part?"

PS: If you liked this story, then you probably will enjoy Book 7 in Our Flash Fiction Anthology series:



Who doesn’t like a good animal story?! That’s why we created this special edition for our series on Flash Fiction. The contents of this seventh Flash Fiction anthology are drawn from the 438 stories found in Books 1 through 6, incl., of the Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction anthologies and are devoted entirely to our friends from the Animal Kingdom. Here you’ll find stories about loyal canines, mischievous felines, photobombing birds, and other creatures, large and small, that will make you smile, perhaps shed a tear, but always leave you thinking about this strange and awesome road we call “life.” The stories, each 250 words or less in length, are best compared to a handful of peanuts or M&M’s. Which is to say, they’re tiny, bite-sized morsels that won’t let you stop with one!

Now available on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSL925V