Becky scanned her strange surroundings, but had no recollection of how she had arrived. A raven sailed overhead and cawed. Standing on an outcropping of rock, she shouted for help. Her words became lost in the din of pounding water thundering in the river below.
Her small platform shot skyward. It began to shrink. Her heart raced. She threw out her arms for balance, but she fell. Plummeting through the air, she would land on the jagged rocks missing the river by a few feet.
“What the…?”
Splash!
She had fallen from the blowup raft into the swimming pool again.
~~~
You may have missed this thriller from a couple of months ago… Is Anybody Home? – 100 Word Flash Fiction
Photo by Susie Lindau
Have you ever had a fear of heights in reality or in a nightmare?
Susie Lindau's Wild Ride 
Susie, this is great piece…is it perhaps a scene from your adventures? In Africa, we believe you live your life in the dream, again. Like I play football and finds me playing in my dreams, even kicking out in real life…god bless you if you shared a bed with me! hahaha!!!
Here’s mine:
http://seewilliams.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/moriah/
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You are too funny Charles! I have dreamt of having a fear of heights many times, but nothing like this nightmare…
Thanks!
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Hi,
I loved the ending to your story, well done. 🙂
Great photos, and what a great video you chose as well, I remember watching the movie Vertigo, the things that can be found on You Tube. 🙂
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Thanks Mags!
I love Youtube! There are tons of old movie trailers.
I thought this would be a little easier to understand after last week’s complicated tale…
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I can relate to your character. I went to sleep in a lawn chair by the river once and awoke to find that my so-called friend had tossed me into the river, chair and all. A rather rude awakening, but better than sharp rocks.
here’s mine http://russellgayer.blogspot.com/
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Hahaha! That is terrible! Did you wake up in midair and even a better question, is he still a friend?
Thanks for stopping by today Russell!
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I used to have the dream of falling regularly, but somehow I guess I got past some issues and my dreams are now about other things. Excellent description and your words flow trippingly (accidental pun). Anyway, I think it’s a fairly common dream and I’m guessing a good portion of the writers who read it will be able to relate. You really captured the way a dream feels, the not knowing how you got there scenario. But I am wondering what Traxen is doing these days!
Here’s mine: http://bridgesareforburning.wordpress.com/
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I am so glad you could relate to it. Dream sequences are fun to write.
What has my little friend been up to? That is a good question! Hahaha!
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Always a good story. And I loved the Vertigo trailer!
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Thanks Ralph! Love Vertigo. I am about due for another viewing…
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This really is like what falling feels like in a dream. An excellent job! My link is right here: http://quillshiv.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/let-flow-what-is-left/
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Thanks Quill! I am so glad since I was trying to capture that sense of being out of control and the fear that goes with it.
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Wonderful writing – fantastic ‘punchline’!
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Hey, thanks JM! I am glad it “got” you!
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It takes skill to entrap my attention instantly, Susie…
Well done!
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It’s a cinch Hook! I just take my hands and place them on either side of your face and say, “Read this Hook!” Hahaha!
(I woke up on the funny side of the bed today….)
Seriously, thank you so much!
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Susie this is just so awesome..you write amazing flash friction..
what a wet awakening 😆
hugs 🙂
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Soma that is so nice of you to say! Thank you.
It was wet and wild! Hahaha!
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Well Becky sure has a vivid imagination! Better to be falling off the raft into the pool than from the platform to the river below, though 😉 Now I hope I don’t have falling dreams tonight!
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I was trying to remember what my dreams were last night, but at least I survived the fall if I did have a nightmare. LOL! Thanks Madison!
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Suspenseful. Great, surprise ending. Didn’t expect it.
Question: Did we get the same photo prompt?
Here’s mine based on Madison’s photo titled: Remnants.
http://www.triplemoonstar.blogspot.com
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Thank you so much Lora!
I usually use my own photo. There aren’t any real rules with this group except that it should be short fiction and I always include how many words it is. 100, 125…
No problem with the extra comments. I will delete the dups.
Have a great weekend!
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Loved the ending. Didn’t see that coming.
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I am glad it surprised you Shirley! I always end mine with a twist.
Thanks!
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Wow, I was tense there for a while. I used to be a white water raft guide in ocoee TN and this sounded very familiar at first!
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That sounds like a job that would provide fodder for many blog posts! Thanks for stopping by to read today!
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This is like a lot of dreams I have haha, loved it.
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Mine too, although not quite like this one. That I remember anyway! lol!
Thanks Emma for coming by and subscribing!
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You take fiction to new heights! i am sure everyone enjoys that! 🙂
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Hahaha! You are so funny Yatin! Thanks for reading!
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Haha — I’m glad it took that turn at the end! Swimming pools aren’t nearly so scary as what I was imagining.
Mine’s here for this week: http://thecolorlime.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/to-starve-98/
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Great story…I love heights myself, though, now that I am older, I admit I don’t put the same amount of trust in my equilibrium, nor will I be looking to take any of the chances I did when younger.
I did have a series of dreams back many years ago of being able to flap my arms and fly…That was awesome…But, I’ve since learned those are supposed to indicate sub-conscience desire to escape our physical situation at the time.
Well, now I know why I never have those dreams anymore…and why I was so reluctantly brought back to earth every time my X-wife awakened me from one…
Dang…wouldn’t it be cool if we could just flap our arms and fly…what a feeling those dreams gave me.
Anyway…time for me to wake up again…
Bye
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Paul – you are so funny! There are so many dream theorists out there that at this point, I don’t believe any of them!! Hahaha!
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I’m going along with the dream theory as well, I think. It’s a hell of a rude awakening, that’s for sure! Still, coulda been worse – she could’ve actually landed on the rocks.
At the risk of publicly embarrassing myself, I must admit the first thing to come to mind on reading this was the following clip from a 2001 episode of… Monday Night Raw. Some background – the previous week the bald guy (former hero-turned-villain Stone Cold Steve Austin), stole the guy in red (former villain-turned-good guy Kurt Angle)’s Olympic gold medals (genuine in case you wondered) and threw them into the river. So the Olympic Hero did the natural thing – he kidnapped Austin, tied him up, blindfolded him and threatened to throw him into the river. The video’s quite long and contains a fair amount of Stephanie McMahon’s screeching, so I’d recommend skipping to the end here.
Ah, good times. The WWE’s crap these days.
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Hahaha! Too funny!
It was a pretty intense nightmare she was having while napping in the pool…
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