Wednesday 8 February 2017

EMMA WEDNESDAY WRITERS

Writing Prompt for Wednesday Stories 2/8/17
·       February 2, 2017



This prompt is simple:  write a story or an opinion piece about all the photos shown below.  Just try it!  And did you know — a story can be as short as three lines?  Word limit:  500 (It will always be this unless noted otherwise.). Send your piece to stantonsunshine@gmail.com by Monday noon, please.





EMMA

She made it to the top of the hill.  The lone tree had stood there for hundreds of years.  What changes had it seen?  The sky above was dotted with scudding clouds, the expanse of space above took her breath away or was that just the hike up the hill?  This getting older business was beginning to get on her nerves.  Her knees gave her gyp, her hips ached, let alone the calf muscles in the back of her legs.  Panting slightly, hoping to regain control of her breathing Emma set her back pack on the grassy mound and plunked down beside it. 


Now this was the life, no cell reception, no interruptions just her and nature, she could connect with the universe.   Oh get over yourself said her inner voice.  Who on earth do you think you are?  You are just plain Emma, middle aged, frumpy, your children have flown the nest and their lives are too busy to keep in touch, your husband left you for a younger, more nubile female and here you are convening with the elements.

Inside her mind came a louder voice, loud but gentle.  An image of her granddaughter swinging in the garden made Emma smile for a moment and then reality hit.  She couldn’t see her granddaughter’s face.  It was hidden from her.  She tried to send thoughts to the little girl she may never see, closed her eyes and willed the face to come to her but no luck.  She’d just have to make do with sending Christmas and birthday cards to little Marie and hope she got them. 



Emma dozed off in the peace of the hillside, the sun’s rays warmed her upturned face.  How long she had been asleep she really didn’t know when a strange noise alerted her senses.  She couldn’t place the sound.  Was she dreaming or was she now awake and back in reality?

Whoosh, whoosh, the air was moving in wafts around her.  She opened her eyes and quickly shut them as she was assaulted by a myriad of colourful images.

Colourful hot-air balloons were floating in the sky above her replacing the clouds.  Miniature people started waving at her as she heard the popping and whistling of air being inflated and deflated from the balloons. 


Emma looked down towards the village seeing a smorgasbord of colour, so many more balloons were getting ready to sail up in to the air.  She’d completely forgotten this weekend was the annual hot-air balloon festival.

She felt her spirits lift, her life wasn’t really so bad, she was reasonably healthy, apart from those aches and pains mentioned earlier.  She had friends and she vowed she would make more of an effort to stay in touch with her children and grandchildren.

Thank you, kind soul, she sent up silent thoughts of gratitude to whoever was beyond the universe for making her see her life was in her own hands, she just had to grab it and go with it.

Word count: 500

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad Emma was able to feel positive about reinventing her life.

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