Title:  Duped
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:   200 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Yarnspinnerr. Thank you Yarnspinnerr!

Jason, Alex, Nick and I discovered the museum’s exhibit of the terracotta warriors. We knew the story, researching each new archaeological discovery. Excited, we bought our tickets and stood in line expecting amazing things.

China’s First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, took the throne as King Zheng of Qin at thirteen.  By forty he conquered his enemies ending the period of the Warring States. Even before proclaiming himself Emperor, construction of a vast underground empire, the ultimate tomb began. To protect his tomb, he commissioned an army of terracotta warriors. Eight thousand figures each with distinct faces stood over six feet tall. Hand-crafted from clay, they were assembled, fired in a giant kiln, then hand painted.

When we left the exhibit, I threw my ticket and the brochures in the garbage.

“Hey, man? What’s up?” Jason asked.

“I expected to see real terracotta warriors. Actual artifacts.” I said tugging on my coat.

“What are you talking about?” Nick looked at me with raised eyebrows.

“Didn’t you read the tags? ‘Replica’ this, ‘Model’ that.  Maybe three pieces were true artifacts.” Pulling my phone from my pocket I flipped through photos proving my point.

“Bummer,” Alex said and tossed his brochures in the garbage.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer