Right Angles – Friday Fictioneers

Varad, ,

rogers-sunset

‘Ain’t that great?’

‘Indeed, Mr. Kapadia.’

‘A veritable masterpiece.’

Nitin, the photographer, beamed with pride. His photograph of the wasteland near Mr. Kapadia’s chemical factory was being showered with praise by the great man himself.

‘The colors, the waterfront… wah! This photo should go on our promotional materials and ad campaigns immediately. Let those bird-brains in Greenpeace and WWF know that we care about the environment too.’

‘Absolutely, Sir.’

‘What’s the black crap near the treeline?’

‘Dead Seagulls, Sir.’

‘Seagulls? I thought it was fallen leaves.’

‘We’ve dispatched the cleaners already.’

Mr. Kapadia waved his hand dismissivlely, ‘Everything looks amazing when you see them from the correct angle, eh?’

‘Absolutely, Sir.’

Wednesday’s here and so is Rochelle Wisoff-Fields with Friday Fictioneers. This week’s gorgeous photo prompt has been provided by Roger Bultot. Click here to read other amazing stories and to enter your own.

The second edition of #MicroMondays closes by midnight of the 26th. Get in your 33 word microfiction before then.

 

Published by Varad

Self-published author/ Social media neanderthal.

69 Comments

  2. This tale brings back to me the awful toxic foam in Bangalore’s lakes. Immensely blessed as all of our countrymen are with the gift of gab, we stop by, express horror and move on. #Bethechange. Well written, Varad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Unfortunately, this is very true in too many places to count. Hate to think of how irresponsible people can become when it comes to making money. Good story that is well told, Varad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Change has to start from us. When the common man stops throwing a chewing gum wrapper or a spent cigarette butt on the streets, it would be a start.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. You’ve written a humorous story with a core of truth about how presentation is key to winning people to a particular point of view. I like that.
    At the same time, as a committed environmentalist, who worked for ten years in the environmental regulation of industry, I’d like to mount my soapbox for a moment. Whatever ‘greenwash’ is used by industry, and however despairing we may sometimes feel, it matters that we speak up for the environment. It makes a difference. Once upon a time, the Thames in London was hideously polluted. It was dead. As a result of remedial work, it has come back to life, and supports fish, including salmon. Many other rivers in the UK can tell similar success stories. But change will only happen if we keep on fighting for it!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for fighting the good fight, Penny. As I mentioned somewhere in these comments, change has to come from the common man. Let us stop littering the streets, then we can raise our banners against the corporations who are bothered only about their bottom lines.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. It’s all in the right angles to see and to leave. Great take on the prompt Vard.
    ‘Dead Seagulls, Sir.’ made me smile.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. This line – ‘What’s the black crap near the treeline?’ and the following two lines made me laugh. Somehow I imagine a big man in a suit not knowing a darn thing about nature and really not caring. What a delightful piece.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Loved the line what’s the black crap… seagulls sir. I had to smile. When Ready the story again, I smiled again at the same place. Because of the deadpan bluntness of the statement, I think. I hope you don’t mind if this was intended a serious piece, it felt tongue-in-cheek to me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. All in the angle, indeed! Excellent story. Made me actually want to zoom in the photo just to make sure, ya know. horridly beautiful! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  18. Marketing is all about perception. A few years back they sold our politicians on fracking, or I should say they bought our politicians to sell fracking to the public. What a disaster. Well written and a good message, Varad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Unfortunate reality, Christine. This is the era of profiteers. We are reduced to being mute spectators. Of course, there are protests and pro-earth organizations, but the resource theft and contamination of land, water and air will never stop.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Wherever humans go, we need it all; there’s no room for lesser civilizations or flora & fauna to exist, other than what we want to plant and grow, buy and sell.
        One day a lady told me they tear down robin nests and kill the fledglings because robins eat their garden strawberries. (It’s actually illegal to kill migrating birds because their numbers are declining so fast as is.)
        I didn’t tell her how many other species of songbirds will also eat strawberries. I felt like telling her you have a whole FARM you can plant to strawberries if you want! But this is the way of mankind.
        Oh dear, I shouldn’t have gotten started…

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. ‘Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus.’ This dialogue from The Matrix is very profound and very true.

          Liked by 2 people

          Reply

  23. It’s all about presentation. Actually, to me, it looked like those early mornings when you’re out in the duck blind freezing your ass of waiting for the ducks to land in the pond so you can shoot them. I must have gone with my Dad when I was a kid, but I only have a vague memory.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment