When Harry Went Silly

When Harry said he was going to build a fence to keep the fog out, people thought he was mad.

In the winter of 1993 they were proved right.
Harry was certified insane. His friends left. His family forgot him.

No fog has been seen since.

Today, in a field in Leicester, a piece of land (no bigger than our back gardens together) is fenced off into a slightly wonky rectangle. Inside this quirky quadrant stands a Silver Birch, 7 sheep (sometimes 6 – Gary often goes walkabout) and a small patch of fog roaming – searching for an exit.

copyright-erin-leary-2

If you enjoyed this, why not read 100 other stories from writers around the world all contributing toFriday Fictioneers. If you can’t get enough of them, why not check out another 52 one hundred word stories in my collection, People Watching.

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Responses to “When Harry Went Silly”

  1. elappleby

    That’s fantastic – surreal, bizarre and very very funny 🙂
    (I liked Gary the wandering sheep almost as much as I liked the fog enclosure)

    1. MrBinks

      Really pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

  2. silentlyheardonce

    This is a creative approach to the prompt.

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks.

  3. Sandra

    Loved it. Especially the little aside about Gary, perfect name for a sheep. Well done, very enjoyable.

    1. MrBinks

      I’m not sure why Gary is the perfect name for a sheep, but it is 🙂

  4. joanntomaselli

    Reblogged this on S.O.U.L. S-P-A-C-E.

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks for the reblog.

      1. joanntomaselli

        My pleasure!

  5. Horus

    One of the best stories I read this week – I was grinning ear to ear.. great work Mr.Binks !

    1. MrBinks

      Wow – thank you!

  6. Woman_on_Pause

    I truly enjoyed this story. Glad to have found it!

    1. MrBinks

      Lovely comment – I hope you’ll come find stuff here again.

  7. yarnspinnerr

    Brilliantly done.

    1. MrBinks

      Why, thank you.

  8. wmqcolby

    You’re right. Harry DID go silly. Enjoyable.

    1. MrBinks

      See – told you.

  9. K.Z.

    lol like the part about gary. very imaginative tale. 🙂
    and congratulations on your book.

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks KZ.

  10. patrick prinsloo

    Love this. Turns our perceptions upside-down..

    1. MrBinks

      I’m not sure about that, but it is weird 😉

  11. appropriateadult

    You really do venture into unknown territory. Such a shame the Goon Show has finished, you’d be perfect for the writing team. Fog chickens at the ready.

    Oh, loved it by the way. Especially Gary. Half day?!

    1. MrBinks

      All my days are half-brained, half days.

  12. Weltchysnotebook

    Brilliant and very catchy piece of writing. I loved reading this story.

    1. MrBinks

      And I loved reading this comment. Thanks for stopping by.

  13. Pawan Hegde

    Nice story. Very silly and surreal. I loved the part about Gary. 🙂

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks for reading. There’s a lot of love for Gary.

  14. helenmidgley

    I loved the quirkiness in this 😉

    1. MrBinks

      🙂 Thanks Helen.

  15. Jessie Ansons

    You leave me shaking my head with your brilliance. Love your writing!

    1. MrBinks

      This is a ridiculous comment. I wish for you to edit it immediately – way too kind. 🙂

  16. swathishenoy

    Thats quite a different take on the prompt. Very well written 🙂

    Swathi Shenoy

    1. MrBinks

      It’s good to be different… I think.

  17. sustainabilitea

    Quirky and enjoyable, Mr. B.

    janet

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks, Janet.

  18. atrm61

    How very creative!

    1. MrBinks

      How very kind!

      1. atrm61

        🙂

  19. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    Fabulous take.. I love the imagery and surreal atmosphere of this.. especially the little details of the sheep going walkabout.. good stuff

    1. MrBinks

      Cheers dude – glad you liked it.

  20. aliciajamtaas

    THIS is marvelous! Glad I stopped by to read.

    1. MrBinks

      I’m glad you stopped by too. Hope you will again. Thanks for the kind comment.

  21. Lindaura Glamoura

    This is charming, but shouldn’t the fog be searching for a way in? As his fence certainly seemed to work to keep the fog out…

    1. MrBinks

      In my head (which also has plenty of room for fog to roam around), I saw Harry’s silliness such that he failed in his quest to keep it out.

  22. Lucy

    Well, Harry is certainly vindicated. Cute story. Well told. Lucy

    1. MrBinks

      Cheers, Lucy – glad you enjoyed it.

  23. storydivamg

    Fun stuff, Mr. Binks! I have to admit that title is what drew me in this week. Your story actually delivered more than the title promised. I did find “slightly wonky triangle” and “quirky quadrant” a tad redundant but nothing that some careful editing on your part later can’t fix.

    All my best,
    Marie Gail

    1. MrBinks

      I had 5 words to use up 😉 I have to hit the 100 mark each week or I feel I’ve failed. I think (whilst I like quirky quadrant) those phrases would have been chopped had the 100 words not been met.

      Glad you still enjoyed it though.

  24. lingeringvisions by Dawn

    I thought the title the funniest bit of all.

  25. patriciaruthsusan

    Mr. Binks, This was hilarious, everything from the titile to the “slightly wonky triangle” to Gary the walkabout sheep. It was creative to make a character of the piece of fenced-in fog. Very well written. XD —Susan

    1. MrBinks

      Thanks for the kind comments, Susan. I really do like it when I can make people laugh 🙂

  26. Shailaja /Doting Mom

    That was a clever personification of the fog! Brilliant take.

    1. MrBinks

      Thank you, kindly.

  27. draliman

    Very clever! I love the idea of Gary the wandering sheep 🙂

  28. rochellewisoff

    Dear Peter,

    Was Harry silly or not really? Seems to me he did corral the fog. Clever story.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

  29. Courtney Wright

    That was GREAT! Loved your little tale of fog and the sheep that goes walkabout! 🙂

  30. Sun

    have to smile thinking about the sheep and the patch of fog roaming . . . such an enjoyable story, Mr. Binks. 🙂

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