PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz Here’s the thing: I never wanted to leave.
It’s never goodbye, I said.
The priest kept packing. The cross. The pyx with arabesques containing his sacraments. An unrepentant heart.
He had betrayed his calling. He knew. His superiors knew. They were transferring him to another parish.
Didn’t they know? He was mine.
It’s never goodbye, I said again.
The blinding light the neighbors saw out of that corner window: someone took a picture.
When he left screaming, clinging to the bedposts, his flaming hands left scars on the wood.
I had warned him, hadn’t I? It’s never goodbye.
word count: 100
written for Rochelle's Friday Fictioneers
click on the frog for more tales of a hundred words or less.
This Jolly Beggar 
Some folks take break-ups hard. You’ve created a memorable character there
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It’s another way of consigning yourself to hell.
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Great imagery and atmosphere, feels almost gothic. Well done.
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Thank you, Iain. I’m a great fan of the gothic 🙂
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The darkness has great power…terrifying and beautifully captured
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Thank you so much for saying so That was what I was going for. 🙂
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Great story! I love the repetition of the phrase “It’s never goodbye.”
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Thank you, J. A. 😀
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Now, *that’s* a ghost story.
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😀
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So gruesome! I think the priest deserved it, but then again maybe the other person is a psycho!
P.S. Your dog is adorable!
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Thank you! She’s my muse 😀
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🙂
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It sounds like he has drifted far towards the seductive darkness.
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He didn’t make the right choices and then it was too late.
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Very scary. That is one determined ghost, I think.
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One with a mission, yes.
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Dear Dora,
You took frightening to a new level. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you so much, Rochelle. I’m enjoying taking part in your writing community.
There’s something about a sepia-tinted photo that makes it seem otherworldly to me and, in this case, foreboding.
Shalom aleichem,
Dora
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Flaming hands leaving scars on the wooden bed frame is an image I really love, great stuff.
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Thank you! And thanks for reading 😊
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What an inventive take on the prompt, well done. I too love a bit of Gothic.
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Thank you, Siobhan. The photo was just too good an opportunity to pass up 🙂
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You play with fire, you will get burned… Maybe he deserved it…
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I’m thinking he did. Thanks for reading.
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The stories strength is how much we are clued trying to determine what is happening. Was it an exorcist gone wrong?
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Ah, the house will never tell! 🙂
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Atmospheric, chilling, brilliant! Nice one Dora.
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Thank you, Keith. 🙂
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Chillings story. I love the repetition of the phrase, “It’s never goodbye!” What a cute little dog at the top of your page. =)
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Thank you, Brenda! She continues to be my muse 😊
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Oh, dear me. What a ripping story that is. Well contrived.
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Thank you, Bill. Glad you enjoyed it !
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it looks like both of them have serious problems. they need professional help. 🙂
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Apparently there’s a point of no return for this priest.
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I’ve heard Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but that’s next level.
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A good read of Dante would have warned him!
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Another creepy tale. I am reading a lot of them and I like how everyone has a different twist on theirs. Nice story!
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Thank you, Christine! Yeah, it’s fun, all the differing takes. Great writing all around 😀
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That is what I love most about the challenges, seeing how people interpret things
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Sounds like he deserves being haunted. An evil tale. Good horror.
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Justice delayed too long perhaps, but no longer. Thanks for reading, Laurie. 🙂
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Oh yes… for ghosts it’s always personal (and close)
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No doubt about it! Thanks for reading, Björn. 🙂
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