“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. You can read the rules here. You can find today’s location on this page, from where you can also get the Inlinkz code. I found this week’s location so stimulating that I wrote a second story, and here it is!
The sun warmed José as he sat on a bench overlooking the sea in the main plaza of the old fort. Dazzling white birds swooped above the ultramarine water. José, listening to their plaintive voices, could imagine them diving, seizing silver fish, swallowing them whole.
He heard the stranger approach, but didn’t turn; he had no wish to be disturbed.
“Señor, good day! May I join you?”
José grunted, and the man sat down.
“Cigarette?”
“No, thank you.”
“Do you mind if I…?”
“Go ahead.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Jose seldom indulged in a cigarette, but he enjoyed the smoke that trickled to him on the breeze.
The clock struck eleven. Time to go. Acindina would nag him if he were late for his midday meal.
“Isn’t the view beautiful?” exclaimed the stranger.
José turned to the man, smiled at him.
“Good day, Señor,” he said.
He rose and walked away slowly, tapping the pathway before him with a white cane.
More to the experience than sight alone can show him. Nicely done Penny
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Thank you, Lynn. Someone who loses their sight late in life could so easily carry demons, but Jose sits with angels!
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We could but wish we’ll all react the same way under such circumstances. My pleasure Penny 🙂
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Superbly done Penny! For some reason, even I found this photo very captivating, wonder if I too should probe deeper?
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Dear Dahlia,
Thank you for the comment. You’re very kind. I haven’t seen a post from you for this prompt. Have you written one? I was worrying that there seemed to be very few responses to the prompt.
With best wishes
Penny
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No I haven’t Penny. I would love to but workdays and a moody muse usually restricts me to Friday Fictioneers and SPF. Sometimes I don’t manage either 😦 Have a good day Penny 🙂
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Workdays – doncha just hate ’em? Still, it’s all raw material to be transmuted into the gold of fiction! I hope you find time to enjoy both writing and work!
All the best
Penny
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Exactly! I consider workdays as my research material 😉
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Beautifully done and thought provoking, it captures his world so wonderfully.
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Thank you for your kind words, Karen. I found myself liking Jose rather a lot as I wrote about him!
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this is a wonderful story, Penny. That the man was blind, was a rising end. I can understand very well, that alone the presence of a person can makes you happy. Bravo Penny. I responsed to the prompt aswell, by the way….
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I believe there was a problem with your post, marvel. I clicked on the link, and it brought up one of my old stories that had nothing to do with the Pegman challenge. I reported it to Karen Rawson the moderator who checked and apparently also had problems. I suggest you try linking again, and if it still doesn’t work, email Karen.
I’m looking forward to reading it.
All the best
Penny
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dear Penny, I´m so sorry. Now you had such an annoyance because of me. That was not my intention. I had read exactly how this works with the link, but I’m just too stupid. I hope you get your link back simply, because he is also gone. Marvel
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No annoyance, marvel. It’s now fixed and I’ve had the pleasure of reading and commenting on your story.
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Superbly done, and might I say deeply insightful.
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Thank you so much for the glowing comment, Ivor. It’s most kind of you.
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The irony of the last sentence made me smile as well as wince at the same time. We always takes somethings for granted.
And yes, there is much more to the view than what our eyes can see.
As always, nice description 🙂
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Dear Rituational
Thank you for looking back at one of my earlier blog posts. And thank you for telling me that you smiled and winced at the same time – that is exactly the response that I hoped to receive from the conclusion.
With best wishes
Penny
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