Friday Fictioneers – February 27, 2018 – Photo by J Hardy Carroll
“Tommy sent me,” I said without a smile as I stared into his eyes.
“Alright, son. Knock yourself out.”
He threw a pair of gloves at me with a look that said he had no faith in me. I put them on slowly, trying not to show that I was shaking. Lifting the ropes, I got in the ring and waited to see who my opponent would be. Then, there she was. They sent in a girl. The fight was over right when it started. I hesitated and she knocked me out.
“Next,” he yelled and it was over. (99 words)
Writing In The Deep 
40 responses to “Flash Fiction: Knock Out”
All’s it takes is one good shot, although having a glass jaw helps.
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One good hit can end it all.
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Dear Heather,
Not sure if this is written from a male or female POV. I’m guessing male by the reaction…knocked out before the first punch. Nicely done…and a day early. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Male’s perspective
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I changed one word so it is more obvious that it is a male.
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Perfect.
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Nicely written tale. Your protagonist shows vulnerability and then – wham! – beaten by a woman and his own preconceptions. Feel a litttle sorry for the guy. Good story
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A fresh tale full of twists. He barely knew what hit him.
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Well put.
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He who hesitates is. . ….KO’d!
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That made me smile. Thank you
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You tell that story very well. It’s full of lovely touches, like the ‘look that said he had no faith in me’. And having the coach use the phrase ‘Knock yourself out’ – brilliant, because that’s exactly what he did! I loved that!
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Thank you. It is all in the little details when you have only 100 words.
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Hi Heather,
Great story here and I could really see and feel the scene and the protagonist’s apprehension. I have two teenagers and I can really see this scenario where the wimpy kid ends up in the ring trembling, and even gets wiped out by a girl. The thing is that if they were young, girls and boys actually have similar strength before puberty depending on the individual and I’ve seen grown up 10 year old girls who are already women and have stopped growing.
You never know, this young man might not grow up to be Mohammad Ali, but he could well grow up into himself too and become a tower of strength. My brother-in-law was a late bloomer and he was teased and called “squeaky”. However, he finished up at 6ft 2.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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I agree. I taught middle school for 4 years and I watched kids change drastically.
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Haha, all equals in the ring, hesitate and it’s all over. Gave me a smile this one 🙂
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I am glad.
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I sense the kids got a real up hill battle.
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He definitely has to build up confidence again, that’s for sure.
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Shoot. I was just about to leave the exact same words as Linda.
So.. That was great! Loved this.
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Thank you
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Good story. I felt sorry for him. So vulnerable.
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Thank you. He will learn to trust himself for next time.
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This reminds me of when I had to do high jumping at school… I had to run forward thrice and knock the bar down… always at the lowest height… after that I felt free. Maybe it’s the same to be knocked out like that. Relief.
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I hadn’t thought about it like that. I like it.
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Well done. Never underestimate a girl. 🙂
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Thank you. Too many people do underestimate females.
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So very, very true!
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Love it. If your in the ring then don’t pull your punches, I would say to the girl, to him I would say careful now just dance around and wear her out. But then that’s different story. I laughed at this fun read.
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I am glad you enjoyed it.
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This left me smiling
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Knocked out by his chivalry or her beauty? 🙂
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I think he’s definitely learned something today. 🙂
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Cruel newbie prank well written. There are some men that just won’t hit a woman, no matter what…NOT saying that’s a bad thing, mind you. But, there are times…. boxing rings is one.
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Tricky and devious!
Guess the trainer found a neat way of rejecting and weeding out the undesirable!
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This one made me smile. All it took was one best shot. Nicely done! 🙂
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I planned to write something on similar lines when I first saw th pic, but then wove a different story! Good one
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I hope he quit while he was behind! 🙂
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What a mean trick. I am glad he stuck to his guns anyway and didn’t stoop to hitting a girl.
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I guess he was thinking about whether it would be right to hit a girl. I’m glad he hesitated.
No one should hit a girl/woman even in a ring. A very different take on the prompt.
Isadora 😎
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