Fiction, part three

"Der Schreiber Jean Miélot in der Schreibstube," by Jean Le Tavernier, 15th century Netherlandish.

“Der Schreiber Jean Miélot in der Schreibstube,” by Jean Le Tavernier, 15th century Netherlandish.

I am out to sea painting from the deck of the American Eagle. Schooners were never built with the internet in mind, so my blog has entered nautical twilight. I have left you a few super-short short stories. I challenge you, dear readers, to finish them. The only rules:

  1. Don’t send me your endings by email or text message—I won’t get them. Instead, leave them in the comments section below.
  2. Keep it clean. This is a family newspaper. I have enough trouble coloring inside the lines as it is.

A Happy Man

Once upon a time, there was an amiable, unambitious king. His kingdom potted along merrily with little input from him. He could fish and hunt and shoot and roister to his heart’s content, leaving affairs of state to his trusted and trustworthy council.

His counselors, however, were concerned about the succession. He must marry and produce an heir and a spare, they urged him. He readily agreed, as long as they would take the responsibility of finding a queen for him. And so they did.

His bride was everything one would want in a queen: beautiful, brilliant, kind and compassionate. And that is where his troubles began.

Over to you, afictionados!

Carol Douglas

About Carol Douglas

Carol L. Douglas is a painter who lives, works and teaches in Rockport, ME. Her annual workshop will again be held on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park, from August 6-11, 2017. Visit www.watch-me-paint.com/ for more information.