Charli’s prompt this week:

March 1, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a raven. It can be in nature or used to describe humanity as a metaphor. Follow the bird. Go where the prompt leads.

We have a set of ravens that congregate on the roofs of the houses of our neighbourhood… but they weren’t the inspiration for my flash today.

No.

I ended up thinking about the famous ravens at the Tower Of London. I knew they were meant to always be there, but wasn’t sure why, so it was time for a little research again.

Did you know they clip one wing, so the birds don’t leave, though there have been ‘escapees’ and they had to ‘sack’ some because Raven George kept eating Television aerials, and Raven Grog was sighted outside an East End Pub, drinking on the job!

I kid you not! If you want to read a little more, click here!

And here is my little attempt!

“It is a worry indeed, Your Majesty, yes. We’ve had to sack three of them this year, and getting decent replacements, well that is an increasingly tough task.”

Beefeater Chambers looked out of the window, whilst speaking to the Queen on the Royal telephone.

The requirement was six ravens to be guarding the Tower of London at any one time, or the Tower and Kingdom would fall, and this new generation, well they were useless.

They didn’t have the spunk of their ancestors, calling in sick all the time, too busy posing for the tourists and Instagram selfies.

Really!

https://carrotranch.com/2018/03/01/march-1-flash-fiction-challenge/