A short story…

Keith's Ramblings

for Friday Fictioneers

 

through-the-night.regular

First_flight2

 

“Must I?” pleaded Orville.

“Yes” said Wilbur.

“Why not you?”

“I don’t like heights. You’ve got cushions in case it goes wrong”

“Goes wrong? It’s supposed to be safe”

Orville’s pleas went unheard. The Flyer spluttered into life, and the Wright Brother’s fragile timber and cloth contraption bounced its way off the ground.

“Oooo … I’m coming down… I don’t like it”

Twelve seconds and one hundred and twenty feet later, the flying machine landed with a bump.

A proud Wilbur addressed the assembled crowd.

“One day man will fly across oceans”

“Bugger that” shouted Orville “They can do it without me! I’m off for a beer”

 

 

 

ben-gurion-airport-2

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle who also provided this week’s picture.

Prod the frog to read other’s stories.

white

 

79 thoughts on “A short story…”

  1. neilmacdon Jun 19, 2019 / 11:42

    All this rushing from A to B will never get us anywhere. Well, except B

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  2. trentpmcd Jun 19, 2019 / 13:04

    So Orville and Wilbur are the ones responsible for those terrible airport waits! I’m with Orville, i think I’ll pop off to get a beer instead…

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Keith's Ramblings Jun 20, 2019 / 09:45

      Thank goodness terminals have bars! Having read several of your comments I have a feeling you’re not a fan of airports!

      Liked by 1 person

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      • trentpmcd Jun 20, 2019 / 12:17

        lol, no I’m not. Maybe I should find the lounges and bars more often….

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Christine Goodnough Jun 19, 2019 / 13:58

    Sounds so much like brothers everywhere, experimenting on some new idea! Good thing they persisted or we’d still be waiting in crowded train stations to get somewhere — seeing humans are so determined to go, go, go.

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  5. rochellewisoff Jun 19, 2019 / 15:31

    Dear Keith,

    Now that’s a side of the Wright brothers we never hear. Love how you threw history into a tailspin. Not to mention for you did with the frog. 😉

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Rachel Bjerke Jun 19, 2019 / 15:58

    HA! I’m with Orville… landing is the hardest part (even though I’m just a passenger)!

    Great story… made me laugh 🙂

    -Rachel

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  7. David Stewart Jun 19, 2019 / 16:00

    Nice. 🙂 It took a lot of courage to strap into that thing and fly for the first time.

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Na'ama Yehuda Jun 19, 2019 / 18:40

    LOL! How fun!
    Well, I hope he had his beer. And I’m glad we get to fly … because the alternative of weeks at sea are somehow a lot less appealing if they are the ONLY option… 🙂

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  14. DB McNicol Jun 19, 2019 / 21:19

    LOL! Rushing here and there…I need to rush off to write some flash myself!

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  17. plaridel Jun 19, 2019 / 23:18

    the wright brothers got it right and lived to tell about it. great story. 🙂

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  18. Dale Jun 20, 2019 / 03:05

    Now that’s a side of history we don’t often get to see!
    This was so much fun, Keith.
    I’ll take an amber ale, please.
    And you are the Frog Master…

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. patriciaruthsusan Jun 20, 2019 / 06:09

    Hilarious, Keith. That’s probably a lot nearer to what really happened than we read in history books. I enjoyed this. 😀 — Suzanne

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  21. abhijit Jun 20, 2019 / 08:30

    We have a come a long long way from Wright brother’s first flight. But planes still crash and we have no clue why.

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  22. Sandra Jun 20, 2019 / 10:49

    A beer (or twelve) sounds like a much better idea than sitting cooped up in a plane. 🙂

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  23. Colline Jun 20, 2019 / 12:28

    Love this snapshot of the past. His dream certainly came true!

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  25. Margaret Jun 21, 2019 / 09:30

    After such an event they both deserve a few big beers. Good story.

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  26. Brenda's Thoughts Jun 21, 2019 / 12:39

    I enjoyed the bantering between brothers. Orville drew the short straw I suppose but glad we have air travel, even though I grumble about it! Your story made me chuckle as usual. =)

    Liked by 1 person

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  27. Liz Young Jun 21, 2019 / 14:52

    Can’t say I blame him – I saw a Bleriot plane up close once – like a garden chair in a fragile frame with bicycle wheels.

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  28. Woman walking Max Jun 21, 2019 / 17:31

    I really like the dare-devil tone of your story, and the banter between Orville & Wilbur. I do admire them for going up in a flimsy ‘kite’, without knowing what on earth would happen !

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  29. Dawn M. Miller Jun 22, 2019 / 15:24

    Bugger that!
    I gotta start using that expression. I love it!
    Good story this week, Keith.

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  30. Cathy Kennedy Jun 22, 2019 / 16:18

    Keith,

    First flight, first crash….if only they knew just how successful and catastrophic their invention is now. Great vehicles to get people places faster but when something goes wrong it’s awful fatal. Orville glimpsed the future from the sound of it if you ask me. Good piece!

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  31. deborahsdeliberations Jun 22, 2019 / 17:25

    LOL. Fun story, Keith.

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  33. aheartforafrica641064503 Jun 23, 2019 / 19:30

    This was a fun read, Keith 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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  36. gahlearner Jun 24, 2019 / 17:08

    Higher, Orville, Higher!
    What a great story. I love the line with the cushion, cracked me up.
    And that frog: you’re a frocreator.

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  38. Pingback: Up, up and away! – Keith's Ramblings
  39. poetisatinta Aug 4, 2023 / 17:13

    😅fun tale…but who knows it could have happened 😄

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