Mind over matter – a flash fiction story

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Ladies!

Gentlemen!

The power of the mind is greater than anything in the material world. The material world, what we call ‘reality’, is just an illusion. A projection of our minds. A limitation we place upon ourselves.

Understand this, believe it, and it becomes possible literally to step beyond the physical world. Believe you can do it and you can walk through walls. Dive through pianos.

My assistant will demonstrate. Henry, if you please.

(Ready?)

Breathe. Believe. Concentrate.

(By the way, I’m sleeping with your wife.)

Go!

Oh dear. Something must have broken his concentration. Henry! What a tragic end.

Mind over matter - piano man

© TheSupercargo


The above was written for the Friday Fictioneers flash fiction forum. The prompt: the legs of a man projecting from the body of an upright piano. I’m proud to say this week’s photo was one I took myself, but in keeping with the style of this website I choose to reproduce it here as a doodle. As ever the Friday Fictioneers target is 100 words – and this week (for once) I hit it on the nose!

To see a list of links to all the responses to this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt, click here.


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43 thoughts on “Mind over matter – a flash fiction story”

  1. Wonderful, lovely, witty, funny and utterly bonkers!

    I needed something to make me smile today and this was it.

  2. Dear John,

    That would certainly break someone’s concentration. I daresay when he extricates himself from the piano he’s going to break something else. 😉

    Well done and great photo.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    • Yes indeed!

      It was a pleasant surprise to see you using my photo, but at first I thought I didn’t have anything to come with. Knowing the circumstances in which I took it seemed to drain me of inspiration. But, see, a good night’s sleep and – presto!

  3. Curious about “the circumstances in which I took it” (which came first: the photo or the sketch?). Great prompt and accompanying story, with a unique method for eliminating the competition.

    • The photo came first by a long stretch. I took it during an open-air children’s circus performance in a Gothenburg park, summer 2012. The story came after Rochelle published the photo on Wednesday – that is I realised she had chosen to use my photo when I checked in Wednesday afternoon. I slept on it and had the story when I woke. I wrote the story, then drew the picture. Ta-da!

    • I know it’s a cliché, but with only 100 words to use one must take advantage of all pre-existing tropes. (Do my pretensions look big in this?) 🙂

    • If you mean seeing my photo come up as this weeks prompt, yes. Very nice surprise. 😀

  4. Great take on the prompt. The story on the actual photo would be interesting – but I like the doodle just as much, maybe a bit more! 🙂

  5. so much for Henry’s concentration! poor fellow. i love your funny story and thanks for the photograph this week. ☺

  6. Thank you for the great photo. That was not a nice thing to do to Henry. I’d have liked an audience reaction. Oh well, that’s the problem with only 100 words.

  7. That’s such a crafty way to remove an obstacle! Very clever. I wonder how he’ll dispose of the wife when he tires of that distraction? I’d be worried if I was her!

  8. John, I enjoyed your photo immensely, although had my trouble with it. It was more of a springboard for me I guess. I really enjoyed your take. The new information about the wife, yes…that might cause a mental ripple!

    • Amy, One of the fascinating things with Friday Fictioneers is the range of response to the same prompt: some very literal, some – perhaps – clichéd, others jumping off the springboard at all sorts of angles. This week (I hope you won’t mind me saying) yours was one of the more unusual angles. I’m glad you liked the photo.

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