Photo supplied by Douglas M MacIlroy
Happy Friday Fictioneers day, AKA Wednesday! Hope you are all surviving lockdown, If you want to submit your own 100 word story based on the photograph, or see others, just follow this link.
“A little something to wet your beak on.”
Crack.
“Glad to see you survived your meeting with Sparrowhawk,” said Tawny Owl, placing Finch’s drink on the bar. “He doesn’t forgive debtors easily.”
Finch didn’t reply, memories of last night circulating like a jerky film reel.
Crack.
“I have the perfect job for a little birdie like you,” Sparrowhawk had said. “A message to deliver.”
At the described tree, Finch heaved to dislodge and topple the stranger’s nest. Only then did he hear.
Crack.
Glimpses of broken shell, scattered.
Minutes later, Finch trembled under Sparrowhawk’s gaze, “Message delivered.”
To Be A Magician 
Dear MK,
A story for the birds. And well told. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
I’m glad you think so!
I just had my fiancee read it, and he sat silently for about sixty seconds, didn’t understand at all, which is a tad worrying! I need to practice more making things clear in less words, I think.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren
Sometimes finches need to act together to deal with sparrowhawks
But which other finches can you trust?
Reads like a bird gangster movie – trust the sparrowhawks to be running the show. Though a friend and I were debating which bird species would be running the planet when we all emerge from lockdown – pigeons were mooted, as were seagulls, though we both refuse to kowtow to a seagull :). Strangely chilling tale
Seagulls are just the worst! We had a pet African Gray at home for a while, that certainly seemed to be in charge. 😂
Now, they’ve got quite the terroristic for grumpiness!
I enjoyed this. There are so many different responses to the prompt and I liked this.
Thanks! I just saw the bird at the bar, couldn’t unsee it!
They have their own protocols and systems!
Interesting message delivery.
Certainly not a message that will be forgotten.
For the second time this week a story leaves me unsettled.
Birds as baddies, who’da thunk it.
I don’t think Finch ever expected do to anything so bad!
Ouch! Enjoyed that 🙂 Nice one.
Thank you for reading. 🙂
He’s murdered someone’s family??? Now that is disturbing.
I like to think Finch didn’t know what was in the nest.
Murder most foul, but interesting to read
Thanks for reading, hope it wasn’t too foul!
Now I’ve never thought of birds as gangsters! Clever take on the photo prompt.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thanks! The image of the owl barkeeper is really sticking with me.
Love the gangster/bird mash up. Very clever 🙂
Thank you, I’m glad you think so!
Oh… that was more than a message to be delivered… sounds like Finch is hooked, with one service following the other…
I think he’s created much deeper debts trying to clear the first one…
Sounds like a mob story!
I’m not sure that a sparrowhawk would be leading the criminal birdie underworld, thinking about it, but never mind.
Who knows? I just watched “The Kitchen” and those housewives did not look like they could do what they do 😉
The bird mafia? That’s a rough way to send a message.
I imagined these boids talkin’ wt’ a Joisey accent, ya know whut I’m sayin?
Birds meet the mafia! Wait til they meet the Magpies… 😀
Fun little tale. I can see it as a cartoon.
The finch Mob. I like it 🙂
What an imaginative take on the prompt! You told the story well.
a sort of a Bird criminal underworld came to mind. Entertaining and an enjoyable story.
Oh, naughty birds. Well penned.
Unrest in the bird world, nicely told
OMG! I love this, an avian criminal underworld, who’d have thunk? Brilliant