Tuesday 8 October 2013

Flash fiction - The Visitor

Julia is feeling all autumnal over at Julia's Place this week, as the leaves turn and drift down to cover parks and paths. So, our prompt is FALL. We can take either meaning of the word and below is my effort. Please go HERE to read other entries.

The Visitor

It was the beginning. Of giving up. Grandma Ivy’s fall shattered nothing. Except her self-belief. In living. News of great-grandchildren greeted with half-smiles. Favourite programmes muted. Creamy eclairs went green in the fridge. Winter broke. Curtains stayed closed. Until the scratching at the door. Grandma Ivy lasted a week. Trying to ignore it. But one sunny morning she opened that door. A cat purred. Walked in. With the defiance of a general. 


Credit: www.wallpapersus.com 
Grandma Ivy watched it wander, smelling the life that wasn’t being lived. The cat disappeared under the curtains. Grandma Ivy followed. She opened them, and herself, to the world.


100 words + prompt

This story was inspired this morning by some Crazy Cat Ladies. Crazy level - High. Whereabouts - All Over The Place. Thank you!

8 comments:

  1. This is lovely, Laura. Just lovely. Those kitties, they have a way of getting in.

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  2. This is powerful on so many levels. I can picture Grandma, and love the sense of hope. I imagine for the elderly it might seem easy to choose death, but wouldn't it be wonderful for them to choose life.

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    1. Whatever makes them see it's still worth it. My Grandma is 93 and still lives by herself. Although she complains that everyone has died (obviously Grandma, you've outlived them!) she has no intention of giving up either. Must be something in her Viennese constitution!
      Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments, Lisa.

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  3. What a lovely story. And it's so true that we need each other -- even if it's just us and our pets. Having another living being that depends on us to make it's life better forces us to make ours better too.

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    1. Thank you Sandra. I think you're right :-)
      By the way, I just tried to comment on your very cute story! Love your use of the prompt. But it wouldn't let me :-(

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  4. Lovely story, my mum used to say 'we are here for each other,' and never is that more true than in times of need. I'm sure she was referring to animals as well as humans!

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