106 responses to “Pedro’s addiction – For Friday Fictioneers”

1. Right when you mentioned purple in your story my sight went to search for it in the photo !
   Exceptionally good characterization Bjorn !

   • Thank you.. I guess coming out is always hardest for the person doing it…

2. Bjorn,
   Thanks for this week’s photo prompt. It’s a good one, and I look forward to the great stories it encourage our group to create.

   And . . . a good story from you this week. I liked the mother’s response. It does seem that parents always know. Great use of “addicted to purple” too.

   All my best,
   Marie Gail

   • Marie, the color was the reason for me to write it… I really wanted to tell a story of someone “different”

3. A great story, Bjorn, that made me laugh. I loved the way you used the photo, even if you did set it up. It was worth it.

   • Not really set up indeed.. but I knew that purple balcony among all the concrete was the reason I took it…

4. such a good story and such a creative way to use that picture. As always my visit to your space is a happy and thoughtful one.

   • Thank you Kir.. wish we would come across each other more often at the prompts… I miss your entries.

     • I think I’m going to have to start writing more poetry 😉 . (I get your writing in my email…so I read you often just don’t have time to make it over here to comment..but every once in a while I simply have to come over and get lost in your words.)

5. Hi Bjorn, I love your photo. It made me publish my first story in Rochelle challenge today. I’ve written them, but not publishing. But this photo was the missing puzzle I was waiting for. Thanks!

   • I’m so glad you went ahead and wrote a story… I loved it..

6. Dear Björn,

   I see nothing wrong with Pedro’s addiction. 😉 A rather “different” story. Well written.

   Shalom,

   Rochelle

   • Or a story about being different… I guessed you wouldn’t find his addiction wrong.. 🙂

7. Dear Bjorn,

   I love the way you used the photo in your story. And a good story it was. Definitely out of the box.

   My eyes went right to the color, though I saw it as fuchsia, and used the top floor apartment as my haircutter’s salon.

   Thanks for your great picture. Can you tell me where on Madeira it was taken? I spent some hours trying to find it by Google Earth but there are many roads and I have not enough patience.

   Aloha,

   Doug

   • I need to go back looking through my pictures to see exactly where it was. It certainly was on the southern coast (in winter it’s to cold and rainy for good walks on the northern side.

8. Great picture Bjorn, and a good story to go with it. Well done.

   • Thank you Sandra…

9. sad his dad never got to see him as himself.
   but i am glad he finally found the strength to be himself…

   • I would guess his father should have been different to build the right courage… but alas I think Pedro’s reaction was quite natural.

10. Björn, I liked that he was addicted to purple, but I never saw the color til I read your piece. Well written!

    Thank you for supplying the inspiration this week!

    • Yes .. I think truly that when people come out being different — everybody already know..

11. Ah, Pedro, Pedro…if only you knew. Great story and a nice photo, thank you.

    • Many thanks.. at least I guess he can pursue a new life going forward… 🙂

12. Good for Pedro! 🙂

    • I think it’s so too, but I guess he regret his lost time..

13. No boy is addicted to purple…. that little nod to Rochelle made me laugh. Love the mother’s reaction to Pedro’s confession. Well-told story all around.

    • I think the parents always know.. and usually everyone around..

14. Wonderfully interesting image – there are so many levels and depths to it, it is fascinating – and certainly can provide so much inspiration for story-telling.

    And your response is wonderful – I love the simplicity, yet complex nature of the meanings — and cheers! for weaving in the addiction to purple — well done and clever. 🙂

    • Thank you.. yes I knew why I took the picture.. and I thought who would paint their room in that way,,,

15. Poor Pedro! All those years of worry! Good “step” outside the box.

    • I think Pedro will look forward and not with regrets though.. and at least he was rewarded for his courage.

16. Awww I got cross with the mother for not mentioning it before. Sad for the wasted years living a lie.

    • Though Pedro gained his courage that he can live in.. maybe in the long run it would be better.

17. Poor guy/gal. How hard to be caught in a body you’re not comfortable with. Glad she realized it and set herself free. Go purple!

    • yes I think it was time to realize what everyone already knew…

18. Killer last line! But in fact the poetry is so good it could have stayed serious. Your productivity in the poetry is just absolutely shocking. I wonder if all commenters know just how much high quality verse is produced here – so much that i cannot get to the commenting fast enough, but it is a great yardstick for quality, for me I mean.
    Very well done.

    • I think it would have been serious if it had not been at FF.. and I did not even intend to write poetry this time… my prose sounds like this. Maybe I’m becoming like Florentino Ariza who never could produce a business letter without making it sound like poetry… 🙂

19. Purple again!
    Poor Pedro. It happens a lot. But his family should be done for letting that all happen.
    And a great read.

    • Thank you.. Pedro is now looking forward in delight.

20. Like others have mentioned, this is a very creative way of using the prompt. Good work!

    • Thank you so much 🙂

21. Oh, what a good mother you have given Pedro…given us as well. Tolerance and love abound…..

    • Tolerance maybe — but also a little harsh on never talking to him before..

22. Imaginative, to have picked up on the colour in the photo, and spun it into such a tale. I was wondering where the house was and that for someone to have built it there, it must have a wonderful view?

    • The house is on Madeira, and there are many houses like that, where you enter from above. The reason I took the picture was the pink

23. Great story, very creative, funny and sadly true for some. Thanks for the photo prompt. I too used the colour in my story too, but I picked it as pink!

    • I thought it was pink too.. but I changed tot to purple to fit my story better.

24. Bjorn, Well-written story as always. I smiled when you mentioned “addicted to purple” as I knew Rochelle would enjoy that. Thanks for the great picture. I wondered where it was taken. Well done. 🙂 —Susan

    • Ahh.. yes I thought it was pink first… but I just had to change this to purple.

25. Your story left me with questions on several levels. Culture plays a role? Ways of parenting? Macho with his dad and the softness emerges and he opens up to his mom. Quite a long journey…I liked this Bjorn.
    Looking forward to doing something with your picture! Hope you’re enjoying your vacation.
    Ellespeth

    • I think culture plays a big role.. you connection to Macho is interesting.. I chose the name Pedro to make the macho connection

26. Hi, great story.. and thanks for the photo!

    • Thank you.. :-.)

27. I got a kick out of the last line, Bjorn. You set it up well. And I loved Rochelle’s comment.

    • Thank you 🙂 I thoroughly enjoyed setting it up

28. A great coming out story in poetic prose. And a cheeky nod to the purple addict 🙂

    • It fitted so well…

29. First of all..I love the photo. So many things came to mind. Your story was completely outside the box and wonderful!

    • Madeira is a wonderful place

30. I laughed out loud on that last line, too. Couldn’t help it.
    That’s a great picture, Bjorn! Where is it, anyway?

    • The picture is taken on the island of Madeira.. 🙂

      • Very cool.

31. Here, I like purple 🙂
    Fun story, and thanks for the picture!

    • Thank you — and yes purple come in many shades… 50?

32. “Your father’s deepest grief was your lacking courage to admit it.” aww such a sweet line that. They were just waiting until he’s ready. Loved the “addicted to purple” line as well, made me laugh as i remembered Rochelle’s blog! 🙂

    • I think that they were wise.. coming out this way by you own strength makes it easier later…

33. This is wonderful, Björn! I love the phrasing, but the story itself is touching and beautiful. An Addiction to Purple…hmm, a silent nod to Rochelle as well. Wonderful photo!

    • Thank you Dawn.. this was a picture that I actually too with FF in mind.. I have a few more that I will send to Rochelle…:-)

      • It’s funny how often I take photos now it’s Friday fiction years in mind! 😎

34. mother knows best even what’s happening in the closet. 🙂

    • I think so.. in most cases.. and if not — those are the mothers who intentionally shut their eyes.

35. Wasn’t sure where you were going at first, but the ending was strong. Enjoyable story!

    • It was quite hard to condense down to just 100 words actually…

36. So that’s Rochelle’s big secret, Bjorn! Fair enough. I likethe almost poetic description of his (her) feelings and the last line definitely made me smile. Thanks for another great picture; I thought it might be one of yours as soon as I saw it.

    • Thank you so much.. The pink/purple room was the sole reason that I took the picture.. I felt sure that there has to be a story of some kind of rebellion hidden there.

37. One for Rochelle, I think! By the way – you really should see my daughter’s apartment – she and her husband have purple everywhere!

    • Is that apartment located on Madeira?… This one seemed to be specifically made for them…

38. What a lovely way to combine two things! I thought your story was tender and gentle — a sweet handling of someone’s rite of passage into his/her true self.

    • Growing up is never easy.. and if you feel that you are different — double so.

39. Often hard to be what we were meant to be … sometimes it’s harder than others … a splendid story, very well written.

    • Thank you.. this one came close to cheating since I had a story of rebellion of some kind in me head already when taking the picture.

      • A very provocative photo …I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the story about kids or use it as a metaphor the present state of our world’s idealogical downfalls… Loved your story.

40. I really like how you tagged Rochelle in the story! Awesome! Madeira looks amazing BTW must have been one hell of a trip!

    • I have been there many time.. it’s not that expensive to go there from Europe, and the possibilities to walk are so good.

41. Parents always know. I loved that the father’s deep regret was Pedro’s inability to claim herself. Loved this.

    • Though it was probably better for him to find if out for himself.. after all the father tried his best by pushing the manly sides of him…

42. People must live according to their own colors! I know one person who absolutely loves purple. We know who! Original story, Bjorn. Thanks for the photo this week. I just knew it would bring about an assortment of stories.

    • After visiting Madeira so many times I never knew that the aspect of how it clung to the cliff what was made it special.. I only thought about the purple balcony.

      • Indeed, that alone would be memorable!

43. Wonderful story and such a fantastic last line – I really didn’t see that coming, Poor Pedro that he was unable to say and that his father never let on. I really like the emphasis that came with the repetition of ‘He hated,,,’ Not a word wasted.

    • Thank you.. sometimes it helps to approach fiction as you write poetry.. the repetition is a poetic tool that goes against many fiction writing rules…

44. Dear Bjorn, Love the picture (I suspected it was yours) and the story was excellent – Rochelle’s addiction has been fed and rightly so. Great, great idea for a story! Nan 🙂

    • Thank you.. it’s so interesting when an idea come through.. all the other pictures of mine that have been used have been “pretty ones”.. but this one I had an idea with already when I saw it.. not in detail, and certainly not the last line, but the rebellion, and to be different.

45. Great photo for this week! I immediately noticed the bright purple on the house – I love it. Also, phenomenal job with with week’s story!

    • Thank you – there are so many great stories this week.. So many variations and I loved yours

      • You’re welcome! That is my favorite part about Friday Fictioneers…seeing all the many different stories come out of one photo!

46. Has anyone else mentioned Prince? He was addicted to purple…
    I had to peer deep into the photo to see where you’d found the prompt – nicely done 🙂

    • Thank you… 🙂 I do remember standing there .. and seeing all those houses, and one had this purple balcony.

47. Haha, love that you use addicted to purple.

    • I could not avoid it… 🙂

48. I really liked this one, Bjorn. And that house is so interesting looking. well done. Lucy

    • I have a feeling it’s really a house of a large family.,.living on in some kind of independent dependency.. I can easily see it in a great film where nothing really happens.

49. Great take on your photo Bjorn, loved way that as sensitive as Pedro obviously was, he did know his parents knew his ‘secret’
    Well written as always
    Dee

    • I think Pedro was too scared for his father.. who only wanted him to be independent…

50. Great story and great picture too. I hadn’t noticed the purple part of the house before, but that works really well.

    • All the house where as whimsical as this one.. but the purple balcony put it apart… Some pictures you take with a purpose in mind — and this was one of them 🙂

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