Wednesday 9 May 2018

KING KONG - 100 word story

As soon as I saw this week's Friday Fictioneers photo prompt I started thinking about the reasons why we visit iconic cities.




PHOTO PROMPT ©Jill Wisoff




KING KONG

Soft focus. The city coalesced out of the murk. She sat in the taxi, straining to pick out the building she had come to see.
'Your first time?' said the taxi driver.
'Yes. I must see the Empire State Building.'
'Why?'
How could she explain how her first cinematic experience had impacted her life?  Nearly eighty years!
And there it was! Breaking through the fog.
'Could you slow down, please?' she said.
'He doesn't exist, Ma'am.'
'Pardon?'
'The big ape. You won't see him up there.'
The old lady laughed in delight. 'No, you're wrong. I can see him already.'





I hope you enjoyed this story and I look forward to your comments. 

If you wish to read more Friday Fictioneers stories, you can find them listed HERE




If you'd like to join in the challenge, you'll find all the information posted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields 
- her blog is listed on 'My Blog List' on the right hand side of this page.

On a final note - I always try to visit the blogs of everyone who comments on mine. If I haven't commented on yours it's either because I haven't been able to find your blog when I've clicked on your name or because you have a wordpress account that requires me to sign in first. 



64 comments:

  1. Yup. He's right next to the unicorn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha ha - in your dreams, Neil.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Susan,

    I suppose if a person squints. Love this.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rochelle. We all see what we want to see sometimes.

      Delete
  4. What will the taxi-driver say? Can he see what she can?
    Imagine the thrill when reel becomes real!
    I love movies and can feel the excitement :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting, Anita. Maybe she's seeing everything through the blur of old age.

      Delete
  5. New York is like that, as a film student I spent my visit to NY recognising all the places and scenes I had seen in movies! Good fun Susan :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean, Iain. I've visited my fair share of cities and I have to say that New York tops the charts for recognisable places from films.

      Delete
  6. Love this, Susan. It is so true that we search for those places we come to know from the big screen...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Dale. It's why people are currently flocking to my corner of Ireland to see where Luke Skywalker was hiding out in the latest Star Wars film. :)

      Delete
  7. When I started reading, for a second, I thought this was going to reference the "Empire State Building" scene in the 1993 film "Sleepless in Seattle." Someone should remind this women, that Kong always falls to his death at the movie's climax, the beast slain by beauty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For sure she knows the ending, James - which might be why she needed to see him up on that spire.

      Delete
  8. It's all in the mind... interesting take on the prompt! Well done! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. She believes it, anyway, and who are we to argue? Thanks for commenting, Courtney. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's so sweet. A life's ambition fulfilled and not a jot disappointed. Lovely tale Susan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lynn. Yes, I think she's thrilled to have finally made it in her twilight years. :)

      Delete
  11. That was fun.

    I think she would have "seen" him no matter what her age.

    I've seen the original and the 2005 version. (Never saw all of the '70s film.) For some reason, the "beauty killed the beast" line just comes off as corny in the newer remake, yet works nicely in the original! I guess lines like that just fit better in the older-style movies.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We were in Hollywood a couple of years ago. It's always fun to look for recognizable sites when traveling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't agree more, Russell! Thanks for commenting. :)

      Delete
  13. Of course King Kong is there... just waiting to pick up his lady.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovely story about the power of dreams!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Penny - I think we all dream about places and things we want to see. :)

      Delete
  15. A beautiful story, Susan. I'd like to see few of the landmarks which were in the movies I saw as a kid as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Varad. This story reflects about how I felt the first time I visited New York. :)

      Delete
  16. Ha ha ha. What a sweet little tale.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the feedback, Anurag - glad you liked it. :)

      Delete
  17. Imagination is a wonderful thing. Or is he really up there... :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He he - well, I'm not sure - but she thinks he is! :)

      Delete
  18. I love this. Think of revisiting something so life-changing after all those years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Linda - glad you loved the idea behind this story.

      Delete
  19. Nice one Susan - made me laugh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's nice to know, Lizy. Thanks for commenting. :)

      Delete
  20. This is so sweet. After so many years she can finally see the place and combine reality with her imagination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gah - that's how I saw it when I wrote the story. :)

      Delete
  21. Lovely story. And I think I can see that big ape now ...

    Jilly, Sugar on the Bee

    ReplyDelete
  22. Cute story. Enjoyed this cinematic take.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting - glad you liked the story. :)

      Delete
  23. Loved this flash! I can fully understand. I had an amazing sensation the first time I saw some of the emblematic buildings in NYC. You captured that special moment.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for your feedback, Luccia. Always good to know when a story works for someone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I felt connected to your hero.Strange as it may be, my first and only trip to New York City was almost two years ago. Only for a day, but the Empire State Building was my first stop. Not sure I thought about King Kong however, but I loved every minute of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Spauldis. Yes, I wrote this based on my own experience (no, I didn't see Kong) but it was wonderful to see all those iconic buildings.

      Delete
  26. He's there alright! :) The imagination gets the pictures in our mind onto reality at times! Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Vinay - yes, he's surely there in our imaginations! :)

      Delete
  27. Sounds like a wonderful old lady who still has a lot of life left in her. A zest for life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think she's doing her bucket list! :)

      Delete
  28. Shame on the taxi driver for trying to spoil her moment and good on her for letting nothing spoil it for her

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, she's not going to let anyone ruin her dream! Thanks for commenting, Michael.

      Delete
  29. Wonderful how the taxi driver knows, probably sees it on the faces of lots of his rides. This one left me smiling, although he could have let her down a little more gently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that's New York taxi drivers for you! Thanks for commenting, Sarah. :)

      Delete
  30. She certainly loves King Kong. But it's not coming. I hope not.
    Thanks,
    Norma.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, just her imagination, I'm sure, Norma. Thanks for your comment. :)

      Delete
  31. Love the way you set the scene, with the Empire State Building breaking through the fog. Long live King Kong in her mind's eye! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Magarisa - glad you liked the story. :)

      Delete

Many thanks for commenting. I appreciate your feedback.