Friday Fictioneers – Setting the Date

Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story, based on a photoprompt, with a beginning, middle and end, in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz (the blue frog) on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!

FF - Setting the Date 180725

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

Setting the date

Here by the lake the air smelled fresher. Swallows shrilled their night-song. Half-seen moths brushed against skin.

“So I guess, if it’s okay by you Mom, we’ll have the wedding in the fall.”

Eva smiled at her son, John, and his fiancée, Elise.

“Can we manage that, do you think, Pa?”

Cornelius blinked through thick spectacles. He thought of his life with Eva. Such memories! The delight of being a couple; Eva’s support when he was jobless; the joy of bringing up a family together.

“I guess,” he said.

Eva slipped her hand into his.

“That’s settled then,” she said.

66 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Setting the Date”

  3. Dear Penny,

    I love this on so many levels. The love of the family and particularly Cornelius’ memories. I could feel his struggle between letting his little girl go and the satisfaction of his own good marriage. Well done in every detail. Of course you know I’m fond of the name Elise. 😉 It happens to be my middle name.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Rochelle
      Thank you for reading and for your kind comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the way I wrote about the love in the family. I’d forgotten that Elise was your middle name, I’m afraid. Thank you for reminding me!
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Andi
      You read my story very astutely. Yes, it’s about the enduring physical love of the older couple. I knew as soon as I saw the prompt that was what I wanted to write about.
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Piyali
      Thank you for reading and commenting. I agree that family is very important to living a happy and fulfilled life – although we should remember that there are many who, through chance or through choice, live good, satisfying lives without support from family.
      I’m glad you loved the story!
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear James
      Thank you for reading, and for your interesting comment. You’re quite right that the atmosphere would have made the decision easier. My intention when I started with the description of the place was to nudge the reader in the direction of physicality, because I wanted to demonstrate how important physical love can be even in long-standing marriages where the couple are elderly. But your interpretation is just as valid. Thank you!
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Lish
      Thank you for reading and for your very kind comments. I’m delighted that you liked the line about half-seen moths. I deliberately immersed myself in imagining the place – its appearance, smell and touch. I felt the moths and wrote them down. It’s just great to know that the technique worked!
      Thank you, too, for your comments about the love in the story. I’m so glad – that was exactly what I wanted to do.
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Linda
      Thank you for such a warm comment. I felt it was a really friendly photoprompt, and it made me want to write about the continuation of physical love when we become older. I’m glad the story communicated something of that.
      With very best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 1 person

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