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Gossip

It had long been said that Fleming Forest was haunted.

The story is told, that two centuries ago a young servant girl had been brutally murdered in the nearby village of Gossip and her body dragged through the streets before being tied to a tree and left there for the local wildlife to feast upon.

For years, teenagers, daredevils, ghost hunters and poets all sought out the spirit of the girl. The spot she was alleged to have died became the hottest campsite in the South.

No one ever reappeared with evidence of a haunting.
They couldn’t.
Ghosts don’t exist.

 

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Submitted for Friday Fictioneers photo prompt. See if you can write a piece of flash fiction in 100 words.

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60 responses to “Gossip”

  1. rochellewisoff

    Dear Mr. Binks,

    And some enterprising harbinger of Gossip made a pile of money from tourists. And this week you really get the prize for being early. Ooops. Yes, I scheduled ahead and got the date wrong. Good story.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Don’t mind me, your posting always coincides with my early morning coffee and not-quite-ready-to-work phase of the day.

      Granted that normally lasts until around 4pm.

      Reply
      1. rochellewisoff

        Yes, but it’s usually on Wednesday, not Tuesday. 😉

  2. caroljforrester

    I love the ending. A cynical ghost story, well I never. 😀

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thanks for reading, glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  3. David Stewart

    That ending really made me laugh; surprisingly down-to-earth for the Friday Fictioneers 🙂 That’s how I feel too when I’m ghost hunting. It’s fun to explore creepy places but I don’t really expect to see a ghost.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Actually I’ve noticed this place getting darker and darker, I thought it was time to ground it a bit 😉

      Reply
      1. David Stewart

        It would be interesting to chart the types of stories week by week. There is usually a smattering of tragedy, horror, comedy and others every time. Lots of variety, which is good.

  4. Jessie Ansons

    Spooky! No one ever reappeared with evidence… because no one ever reappeared! Your story makes the photo seem quite spooky now to look at.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      dun dun DAAAAHHHHHHHH ;D

      Reply
  5. appropriateadult

    Ghosts, they do exist. I work with one! Never say a pair of fresh eyes brings clarity to the party. Nice story, even for the non-believers.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Oh, Geoff…

      Reply
  6. siobhanmcnamara

    Spooky build-up to a solid ending – perfect 🙂

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Why thank you.

      Reply
  7. Sandra

    Very sinister – very graphic. Well done. I think ‘sort out’ should be ‘sought out’.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      ooh, good spot. Sorted.

      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  8. Nan Falkner

    Sinister is a good word to use for this story – I want to know what happens next. Good story! Nan 🙂

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      What happens next?

      They all got on with their lives. Floods happened. Tornados ripped through towns and farmland. Famine ravished Africa. Two boys punched each other in the arms over a game of FIFA 14 on Xbox.

      You know… life.

      Reply
  9. sustainabilitea

    I like the way you worked gossip into the story. Oh, so true.

    janet

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Cheers. Thanks for reading.

      Reply
  10. Bryan Ens

    Ghosts may not exist…but Gossip can certainly live forever. Great take on the prompt!

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thanks, Bryan!

      Reply
  11. camgal

    I like the conviction lol ghosts don’t exist..nice tske on the prompt and clever choice of title

    Reply
  12. MrBinks

    Next week, i’ll prove that camels are just shrunken giraffes.

    Reply
  13. faithsfire

    I enjoyed that spook! Campgrounds are so ripe for these stories, too.

    Reply
  14. wmqcolby

    Hawthorne would have liked this. Nice work!

    Reply
  15. lingeringvisions by Dawn

    What a fun story! If I were telling it to my young charges around a campfire I would add a spooky “Or do they?” at the end. 😉

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Oh definitely, with a torch illuminating your face from below and everything.

      Reply
  16. Judah First

    Yes, I always appreciate a cynical tone (being a bit of a cynic myself, and all). 😉 Nicely done!

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thank you for the non-cynical comment!

      Reply
  17. Dee

    Nice one, spooky with a twist!

    Dee

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      WWWwwwooooOOooOoooOOoOooOoooo ; )

      Reply
  18. Linda Vernon

    I’ve actually seen a ghost with my own eyes but I still don’t believe in them. I loved the way you ended this– perfectly unexpected!

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      No you haven’t.

      ; )

      Thanks for the lovely comment.

      Reply
  19. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    Ha.. yes ghost might not exist… but there are some occasional critter with tast for human meat…

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Eek! Thanks for reading 🙂

      Reply
  20. Carrie

    the simplest explanation 😉

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Well… what else is there?

      Reply
  21. weltchysnotebook

    sounds to me like the ghost is getting a raw deal no wonder it doesn’t make an appearance

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      I aint afraid of no ghost!

      Reply
  22. aliciajamtaas

    Loved the end! Actually made me laugh.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Yay! That’s the aim 😀

      Reply
  23. patriciaruthsusan

    Good story. I love the name of the village. 🙂 They should just leave the poor girl rest in peace. I agree that someone is probably making money off the tourist trade.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thanks for reading, glad you liked it.

      Reply
  24. artfullyadelie

    Isn’t it interesting how the things that terrify us most can also be dangerously intriguing?! I admire your talent to tell such an engaging story in such a direct, matter-of-fact method. Great post!

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      What a wonderfully kind comment. Thank you very much, and thanks for taking the time to read a few other posts too!

      Reply
  25. AnElephantCant

    Clever and amusing.
    Well done.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thank you.

      Reply
  26. storydivamg

    Ending well played this week, Mr. Binks.

    Cheers!
    MG

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      *tips hat*

      Reply
  27. elappleby

    Oh Mr Binks, what a surprise ending! I intend to end all my ghost stories this way in future 😀

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      ha ha ha – Do it!

      Reply
  28. Perry Block (@PerryBlock)

    Great ending! I was all set for some grisly goings on, but it was all gossip — the stuff of Bigfoot, Nessie, and now Fleming Forrest too.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Always nice to not be so completely obvious 🙂

      Reply
  29. patrickprinsloo

    Great story. Don’t believe there are no ghosts – that’s rumour put about by, yes, ghosts.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Those double crossing bastards!!

      Reply
  30. freyathewriter

    Eeek! Loved the ending 🙂

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Thanks very much 🙂

      Reply
  31. Helena Hann-Basquiat

    All that build up and then… I wonder if it might be better if the town were named Rumour.

    Reply
    1. MrBinks

      Well, rumour has it.

      Or something.

      Reply

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