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 on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!
Spring
In this place, this tranquil place, this sun-warmed niche of brilliant colour and delicate fragrance, I can start to forget his coldness, his fault-finding, his vicious silences.
I can believe once again that a man might smile at me for pleasure, with laughter and delight; that he might hold me with tenderness. I can hope, perhaps, for truthfulness and openness – even, dare I wonder? – for love.
In this place, this tranquil place, this place of gentle birdsong and sweet, moist earth, I feel the dry seed of my spirit swell and quicken to meet the spring.
Autumn Leaves 
Now and again we need such a place, a place to raise our spirits in difficult times.
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Thank you for your empathic comment, Keith. Beauty and tranquillity can be great healers.
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Dear Penny
I enjoyed this tender metaphorical piece. Full of hope and healing. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for your thoughtful and empathic comments. Hope and healing was what I was aiming for.
Shalom
Penny
xx
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Beautiful writing, Penny. The words flow like the feeling of hope you write about.
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Thank you for your appreciative comments, Gabi. You are very kind when you say, ‘The words flow like the feeling of hope you write about.’
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A cleverly crafted piece, Penny, Landscape as innerscape,
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Thank you for your thoughtful and penetrating comment, Neil. ‘Landscape as innerscape’ is a good description.
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Nice phrase: “I feel the dry seed of my spirit swell”
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Thank you for your kind comment, Frank, especially for mentioning “I feel the dry seed of my spirit swell”. It’s always helpful to know what’s worked for a reader – and what hasn’t worked, too, of course!
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The season of renewal and new hope. I do enjoy it every year when it comes round 🙂
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Thank you for your kind comment, Iain. I love spring, too.
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Penny, you have written a lovely and poignant prose piece. One of your best ❤
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Thank you for such an affirmative comment, Lisa. I’m delighted you enjoyed the story.
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You’re very welcome, Penny.
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simply one of your best. well done.
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Thank you for such an affirmative comment, Plaridel. I’m delighted you enjoyed the story.
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Lovely piece of poetic prose. Nicely done, Penny.
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Thank you for your penetrating comment, Bill. I wrote the story quickly, then wondered whether it should be a poem – but left it as poetic prose.
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A lovely piece about new growth, sunshine, warmth, and hope. Well done 🙂
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Thank you for your kind comment, Fleur.
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You’ve captured the serenity one can find in a peaceful garden setting. Her wounds can heal there. Beautiful story.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Margaret. Yes, her wounds will heal; in this garden, she takes the first steps to healing.
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I love the idea of feeling refreshed and renewed with positive energy.
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Thank you for your kind comment. A beautiful garden can refresh the soul, can’t it?
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Spring is the eternal metaphor for hope. May we all continue to find renewed hope.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Nobbin, and amen to your wish that we all continue to find renewed hope.
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Great capture of sad emotions and the peace spring and nature can bring. I’ve always found it odd to be upset when surrounded by the beauty of nature. I guess that’s why the great outdoors calms and clears heads.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Tannille. It was a great prompt, wasn’t it?
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Penny, this is outstanding. The repetition of your opening, the vivd words in between, all paint a classic picture of abuse and release. Really well done.
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What a lovely comment, Linda – thank you so much. I’m really pleased that you liked the repetition. Thank you for mentioning it, because that confirms for me that the technical device of repetition has worked in the way I hoped.
Very best wishes
Penny xx
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This is absolutely beautiful, Penny. So sensitive, fragile, damaged, and yet there is that precious seed of hope. I hope she is touched by love is a transformative way, and finds new beginnings.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Thank you for such a sympathetic comment, Rowena. She is open to love; a modicum of good fortune and she can be happy.
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Beautifully written, Penny!
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Thank you for your kind comment, Sascha. I’m glad you enjoyed the writing.
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You’re very welcome, Penny! 🙂
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This is wonderful! Relatable, and very real. Both in the setting, and the use of the setting, and the little universes of experiences and internal monologues that we bring with us, to every bench, to every wistful look, to every pair of pacing feet or closed eyelids in the sun. Lovely. (I’m late to the reading party this week, but I’m so so glad I made it!). Loved this!
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Dear Na’ama
Thank you for such kind words. I’m blushing! Thank you, too, for the critique of the technical aspects of the writing – they’re very helpful, especially, “the little universes of experiences and internal monologues that we bring with us”. The whole piece was meant to evoke a sensation of being in the moment. THIS place. THIS tranquil place.
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You are welcome, and the praise was well deserved! 🙂
Isn’t in lovely how these moments of presence-in-the-moment are so palpable to the spirit? 🙂
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Yes – we’re spiritual beings, and these moments can be an approach to the divine creator, which is a great joy. 🙂
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Spiritual connection to whatever higher sense/being/creator/spirit one finds meaningful is a great joy indeed! 🙂
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