Image courtesy of Yarnspinner
The claw lowered, closed its metal fingers. Slow jerky movements until the bear tumbled out of the machine, into my arms.
‘Hey gorgeous.’ He winked. I’d been called fat, ugly, stupid. Never gorgeous!
‘Can I buy you some chips?’
‘I should tell my parents.’ My eyes darted around the arcade.
‘You’re a big girl now.’
It was my lucky day.
Outside in the alley, drizzle hit my face moments before his fist. The bear wrenched from my arms. His stomach knifed open. A plastic bag removed. I curled into a ball on the hard stone floor.
I didn’t feel so lucky anymore.
This week I’m reading through the final typeset files for The Date – I can’t believe it will be published in a few weeks! If you missed the gorgeous cover you can check it out here.
‘The Claw’ was written for Friday Fictioneers. A weekly 100 word story challenge inspired by a photo prompt and led by the marvellous Rochelle.
fabricating fiction 
That turned bad pretty quickly, as I sensed it was going to!
It did rather – I didn’t think I’d fit it in within the word count at all.
Surprising twist! All that glitters is not gold!
Sadly not!
We both went with the claw… but yours sure went dark fast!
That’s the only thing that sprung to mind!
Grim (and that’s good)
Thank you!
Whoa! You packed a bunch in your 100-words (and I don’t mean that in a silly way). From cozy little bear to just plane meanness.
Thanks Alicia!
i guess you can’t be too trusting of strangers. a lesson learned too late.
Sadly it seems you can’t.
How did I not see the claw!! I do now so clearly 🙂
A brilliant story – I sensed darkness and you didn’t disappoint- I loved ‘the drizzle hit my face just before his fist.’ A great character too – poor thing. Really enjoyed it 😃
Thanks so much Anna. The claw is all I could see!
Oh no!! Poor thing…. talk about stranger danger
Thanks for reading Laurie.
Ouch… not at all what I was expecting.
Nor her!
What a twist. Never trust strangers. Great story.
Thanks very much.
Oh dear. Was the bear full of drugs?
Wonderfully imaginative story with a great twist, Louise.
Congratulations on the soon-to-be- published book. The cover looks gorgeous. Is it a sequel?
Oops – I had to read it twice because on the first read I thought it was the bear who had hit her! My mistake. Great take on the prompt.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
It is indeed sad the lengths to which a druggie will go to these days to transport their wares. This left me with a sick, angry feeling in the pit of my stomach. Great writing!
Thanks! Very happy with a sick, angry feeling 🤗
Well crafted story. The girl should have obeyed her parents and stayed in the arcade; I’m glad her fate was no worse than a punch in the face – bad enough even so.
Probably put her off boys!
Great take on the prompt! The claw!!
Thanks!
I like the ominous feel to this and that the poor girl, hung up on her own low opinion of herself, didn’t see the danger.
Thanks for reading.
That was a sucker punch, ouch.
It was!
Ouch, that was painful in every way, the poor girl. Great story, Luise, and congrats on the new book.
Thanks very much on both counts.
This is why I love flash fiction, life in one hundred words.
Thanks Mike!
Dear Louise,
That took an ugly turn. Well done. The fan does look like a claw. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle.
It’s a fan? I thought it looked like some kind of claw like machinery. ha. 🙂
Very good twist, an ugly crime. I hope he leaves the poor girl alone and just takes off with the drugs.
I think that’s all he’s interested in.
Wow…that was unexpected…I feel like I got punched. I guess that means you did good work? No….you did!
Thank you!
Savage and violent
Often the best way!
Mugged for a toy bear, no doubt full of drugs. A mystery finish to keep the reading hook going.
Thanks James.
Scary!
So crazy that you and Dale both saw a claw. But now that I see it through your eyes, well I see it too.
Thanks Dawn.
A cruel lesson to learn – just so horrible. That vulnerable age, where they think they’re adults but they don’t have the experience to be cautious. Gripping and horrifying Louise
Thanks Lynn!
My pleasure
Well done, Louise, and the outcome so unexpected.
Thanks!
I used to love those machines…. now, after your story, I think I would eb afraid to use one. Well done!!!
Me too! thanks for reading.