Fiction · Short Stories

Fishing Hour…Flash Fiction

The Heron stared longingly at the water and the other side. There was barely a nibble in his line of sight, yet across the lake, the tangled webs of deceit from the greedy humans brimmed with fish.

Through the ripples, he could see his own reflection as clear as the day. He noticed his neck had grown thinner and longer from rationed portions of fish and he croaked in annoyance.

His fishing hours grew longer by the day but each new day brought more boats and humans to the quay and the water grew darker with oil from all manner of engines.

In response to the FFAW photo prompt above. Thank you J.S for the photo and PJ for hosting. 

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Short Stories

Greedy Bagger…

Cyril was disgusted at the oily surface of the water and the amount of trash he fished out of it.

The debris grew worse with each passing day, dead fishes turned up at an alarming rate, the waterway was drying up; the livelihood of the little town has been on the decline and asides for selfish gains, he just couldn’t understand why the Governor signed the controversial pipeline contract with the company responsible for dumping waste into the water and destroying the ecosystem.

The more he thought about that corrupt fellow, the more his anger festered and he wished he could grab the greedy bagger by the collar of his oversized, expensive jacket and dunk him in the foul mess.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Thank you, Louise, for the photo and PJ for hosting.

Check out my latest book ‘Unbridled.’

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Social critic · Social Issues

Why Are Humans So Careless?

I walk by these waters often enough to catch occasional sights that cause me to pause in my steps and wonder at the human attitude.

The surface of the water has a film of dark oil residue that glistens and I presume it comes from boats and I am certain that it’s not the best for marine life – then again, what do I know.

The second photo is a can of empty 7-up perched by the water. The slightest blow of breeze will certainly cause the can to tip over and into the water.

The third photo which was taken on a different day is about those who I describe in my mind as the ‘unseen one’s.’ These men go about in their boats taking out the trash that people carelessly toss into the water. I’ve seen the horrifying amount of rubbish that they pull out of the water and can’t help but wonder what the situation would be like if these unseen ones’ were not there in the background clearing filth?

The sad part is that there are visible trash collectors every few meters along the track, yet humans are far too inconsiderate to dispose of their trash in the right manner.

The interesting thing is, if you ask the next man if he cares about the environment and marine life, he would say ‘of course, I do,’ but he can’t be bothered to walk a few meters to dispose of his garbage appropriately.

It bothers me. What about you?

I am not a tree hugger, but an ordinary person who loves nature. Forget the first part of this sentence. Yes, I’m a tree hugger.

Jacqueline