I saw these chairs the other morning when I was walking home from dropping my son at his preschool. It was one of those gorgeous bright but crisp autumn mornings and when I initially saw the chairs I thought they were new because of the way the light fell on them.

It was only when I got up close that I noticed signs of age. The chairs are dirty, and some of them looked in need of repair. Someone probably dumped them in the night hoping that someone else would take care of them, and they are gone now.

When I saw these chairs they gave me a sense of an ending, like at one time they had been used in a school, or a dining room that was once regularly filled with cheerful guests, but is no longer needed. I don’t know why that feeling struck me, but it did. It’s funny how these thoughts come to you sometimes.

In my psychology studies I have come across the idea that the human brain is arranged so that thoughts and ideas connect through an enormous web of associations, and that the way one thought leads to the next is not linear or predictable, but peculiar to the individual.

My partner, who works in IT, tells me that this is why it is so difficult for computer programmers working on AI to find creativity difficult to crack. It is not a linear or predictable process, but one that is unique to the individual. Personally, I take comfort in that.

I may write a longer science-based article on this if people are interested. (please let me know in the comments)

So, how do you think these chairs arrived on this bit of pavement?

What has come to an end?

Could it also signal a new beginning?

I’m not a huge fan of creative exercises, so it’s not my habit to tell people what to do with these prompts. There are lots of options – a scene, some flash fiction, a short story, an idea for a short film or a physical piece of art. If you do have a go with this one and would like to drop the result in the comments please do so. I would be very interested to see what people make of these so please do link to blog posts or comment below.

If you like the photos featured in these creative prompt posts you may be interested in my latest collection of prints and other things on Redbubble which feature a small selection of my best shots.

Thank you for reading. I also write, make art and films. You can read my short fantasy stories here on Simily. If you like these prompts and want to get a copy of a free short book of them I wrote, and to hear more about my writing projects please join my mailing list here. You can see my films at my YouTube channel here. You can see things with my designs on at my shop here. Could even treat yourself if you wanted to. Just saying. If buying art is not your thing, but you would like to support what you see you could buy me a KoFi, and I also have a Patreon Page.