PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays
Endangered Species
It was hot and stuffy hiding in the cellar and after days of waiting Marcie saw one.
It sauntered past, composed, confident and majestic in a fine metallic plumage.
Marcie and Mary shuddered, the trap was set.
The Pheasant paced back and forth guarding the building, it had alerted Species Control about the find. Hurry, it had reported, before the humans attempt an escape.
Mary gripped Marcie’s hand, to stop her shaking. Why did these giant Pheasants find female flesh such an addictive delicacy?
Worse; why had they volunteered to bait them?
A man’s idea! The last women on Earth.
James McEwan 
Great work, James!
Just when the reader thought that the endangered species i.e. the bird will be trapped, we get to learn who the real endangered species is…
Alarming situation indeed…
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I liked the metallic plumage on the giant pheasant. Great image
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Very scary story. Well done.
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Clever title too!
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A reversal of hunting season fortunes! Great idea James.
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Great imagination.
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Delicious story! Made my morning!
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Thanks June, have a nice morning.
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This is so clever – I really like how you mislead us. (I wonder if the pronouns it and he, should be the same in the sentence about the peacock reporting the women? I found that line a little confusing.)
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Claire, thanks for pointing out the pronoun inconsistency. I have updated the post. Occasionally I run away with my writing that I miss the simplest of things. thank you.
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I think we all do that, especially in our FF stories. So little time…
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On second thoughts I have gone with ‘it’ to create distance and maintain the sinister tone.
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you managed to make this scary in a very small world count. Clever – I think the grabbing of the hands is what did it.
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Splendid title. What a grim thought to have been inspired by such a quiet photoprompt! Good imagination, James.
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That was a mind-bending twist! Good writing 🙂
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To be bait for those birds… Love the conceit in your tale.
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Very clever piece.
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Wow, that was a great take, totally different.
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Nice switch-around. One day, it could happen… 🙂
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Love that last line, James.
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Thank you.
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Figures… do the men not realise that without women, they can be no more?
Loved the imagery and the mislead. Well done, sir!
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I know some women who are pretty tough old birds. 🙂
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Such an inventive take on the photo- love the reversal of what you’d expect, especially as pheasants have very small heads.
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Oh no!!! Attack of the avians. Not the lasy women… oh oh
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Well written story of reversal here.
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