So another prompt at dVerse Poets …
It’s Monday and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, we are writing Prosery, the very short piece of prose or flash fiction that tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. It can be in any genre of your choice, but it does have a limit of 144 words; an additional challenge is to hit 144 exactly. The special thing about Prosery is that we give you a complete line or two from a poem, which must be included somewhere in your story, within the 144-word limit.
The complete line or two in this case are from Leonard Cohen and his poem “Take this Waltz” with the lines being …
And I’ll bury my soul in a scrapbook,
with the photographs there and the moss
.
The Scrapbook And The Man In The Black Fedora
“Hey Jaimie, check this out, just found this covered in moss behind a tree”
Presents a tattered book with dead flowers pinned to it and a warning “DO NOT OPEN”
“Well, let’s see what’s in it”
“It says not to open Billy”
“C’mon, probably just a note left by the 11 year old girl who lost it. It looks like a scrapbook”
“I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right”
Billy opening the scrapbook finds it filled with photo’s of people and notations of the date/time of their deaths and scribbled inside the cover …
And I’ll bury my soul in a scrapbook,
with the photographs there and the moss
At that moment a man in a black fedora appeared.
The air stilled.
Then Billy was gone and all Jaimie caught as the fedora’d man closed the scrapbook was a quick glimpse of Billy’s picture.
frankenberrysattic.com 
I love that Leonard Cohen has a cameo in your Prosery piece, Stephen, with his trademark black fedora. Your story reminded me a little of Stephen King and a lot of Anthony Horrowitz, especially his short story ‘Killer Camera’. I really enjoyed it.
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Thank Kim!! And too high praise on the comparisons but so glad you liked it. And I thought it would be fun to get Leonard in it.
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I’m glad you did!
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And the moral of the story: when it says ‘do not open’ do not open. Entertaining fable, Frankenberry.
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Exactly!! It was right there in caps Billy, right on the front!!
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lol Billy has become immortalized. I wonder if he prefers it to being mortal? Very good story, Stephen.
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Thank you so much!! So happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂
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This is a very unique telling of a story. Great example of flash fiction, film like and with a warning. That scrapbook has temptation written all over it and meeting your maker too, the man with the fedora! And i want to know what happens next to Jaime.
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Oh, much appreciated Navasola!! And wanting to know more as well? Way cool!! Thank you!!
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Great story!
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Thank you Thank you Carol!! 🙂 🙂
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So good!!
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Thanks Melissa!! Thought it fit in the same vein with my “Headstone” flash fiction bit from June.
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Feelings are often the good guide to knowing, love how the consequence of opening is played out in Cohen’s appearance, a la fedora, nice touch.
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“nice touch” – Thank ya Paul!!
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