From Misery, Beauty
Here is my contribution to this week’s Friday Fictioneers, the weekly 100 word flash fiction challenge hosted by Rochelle at Addicted to Purple. This week’s photo comes to us courtesy of Santoshwriter.
To read this week’s other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright Santoshwriter
She cried for the pain she felt, for the helplessness. She cried for her lost childhood, her forgotten innocence. Her mother knew, had to know, and she cried that the one person who should have protected her had failed, had ignored what was happening.
She hefted the package the stranger had handed her. Squat, black, ugly, magazine fully loaded. A means to an end. She headed home, noticing in passing her tears glistening on the leaves in the early morning sunlight, reflecting rainbows of colour.
How can my misery create such beauty? she wondered, tucking the pistol into her waistband.
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Friday Fictioneers
draliman on life 
Life is strange…creating beauty out of misery. Nicely done.
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Very emotional story. Excellent! Nicely done – and the ending was intense.
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Thanks! Something slightly different from me this week.
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It is strange sometimes. Thanks!
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This is very different for you Ali. I found it very touching.
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It was a bit of a departure from my usual. I’m glad you liked it!
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Beauty can still be found in the bleakest of places. You just have to open your eyes.
Great and poignant story!
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It’s everywhere if we but look.
Thank you!
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Let’s hope she contemplates that beauty and not use the gun.
Well done.
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I did think that maybe, having seen that, she might think twice about such a permanent solution.
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That would be nice.
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Desperate measures for desperate times that are “Squat, black, ugly”. Who’s to say what any of us would do in a situation like this.
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It’s a terrible situation and she’s obviously been pushed too far.
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an emotionally-packed story. i liked the use of long sentences to build up the protagonist’s point of view. well done.
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I thought I’d go for a mixture of short and sharp, and long. I’m glad you liked it!
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How can my misery create such beauty? Lovely line.
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Thanks! this piece took quite a lot of editing to get the “sound” right.
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This piece reminds me of Tate & Lyle’s treacle tins with a biblical reference to bees nesting in a dead lion “and out of the strong came forth sweetness”.
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I like that line, and it’s perfect for treacle!
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I hope the beauty makes her feel strong enough to dump the gun AND the people it was intended for. ❤
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Me too, that would be the best outcome for her.
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Oh Wow! That is an amazing piece of writing Draliman and a wonderful take on the prompt, you made me cry and it’s been a long time since that happened. Well done 🙂
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Thank you for such a lovely comment! A bit of a departure from my usual stories. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Dear Ali,
I hope she’ll forget about the gun. Vivid piece
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I hope so to. Thanks!
Ali
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There is a horror under this story that makes her actions understandable. I hope that her epiphany about beauty out of tears helps her to find alternative solutions to death, for herself or those who harmed her.
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I hope so too. Sometimes noticing these little things can cast things in a different light.
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Enjoyable take on the prompt, chilling in its implications of what has, and is about to happen.
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Thanks.
A terrible situation already and I’m glad I didn’t have to write the outcome to this tale.
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I would hope she has a little list and the evil doers will pay their own tab.
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She’ll be ticking them off as she works her way through.
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That was neatly done, different from your usual but still as effective 🙂
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Thanks, not quite sure why I went there but I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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That was certainly different from your usual style, but the description was great, and there was biting reality about it. So well written, Ali. — Suzanne
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I’m glad you liked it, I rarely write anything quite so gritty.
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Who ARE you and what have you done with Al?
J/K…sorta..nice change up. Always good to stretch your writing legs.
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It’s a subject I’ve never touched on before but that’s where the photo led me, for whatever reason.
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It’s good to know you can write other stuff though, isn’t it?
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Yup!
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Yes.
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Yes indeed. Time for her to take control.
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A very heartfelt story, Draliman, so good she saw the beauty in the end 🙂 Thank you for coming to my Pawty. It made my birthday just a little bit more special ❤ Extra Pawkisses for the weekend 😀 ❤
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She did.
I’m glad you enjoyed your pawty 🙂
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Ooh, this isn’t going to end well…
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I think you’re right.
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Well, you would know!
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🙂
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I’m not sure what’s happening with that gun, but I hope she doesn’t use it. I like the build up with the first paragraph, and especially the poignant moment with the tears. It reminded of those moments that just reach out and grab you in life, nicely caught here. Well done, Ali.
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There are three options – she doesn’t use it (having had second thoughts after seeing her tears glistening on the leaves), she shoots herself (unlikely) or she shoots the person abusing her.
I’m glad you liked my story!
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A wonderfully emotional and poignant story. I hope she decides not to use the gun on anyone, as much as she may feel they deserve it.
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I hope that too. Maybe the little glimpse of beauty will stay her hand.
I’m glad you liked it!
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So different for you, doc – wonderfully so.
Those dewdrops are beautiful – in this case tears. I hope she ponders her question during her walk home. A striking contrast to her anger, too.
Ellespeth
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Yes, quite a different piece this week. It’s good to try something new every once in a while.
I hope she thinks things through, too. Maybe she’ll find another solution – it would be a shame if she threw her life away.
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Hopefully she’ll reach out to someone and save the beauty, for as they say, “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”
Different than usual, and nicely done!
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Thanks, it was quite a different piece from me this week. I hope she’ll reach out too, rather than turn destructive.
I like that quote!
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It’s from Disney’s Mulan! 😀
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I haven’t heard of that one. Just looked it up on IMDB 🙂
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Wow! There are soooo many optional endings that could intersect this story!
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Yes, anything could happen from here on in!
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Given no where to turn, she choses violence against violence and violation. I hope she does see beauty in nature, in herself, in others.
I thought she was going to kill the mother, too. “Mother must have known.”
I hope your story, which took me into her life, could have a happy ending. I fear not.
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I also wondered if she’ll kill her mother, but I don’t know that she’ll go that far.
There’s always the possibility that she’ll simply go home, gather her things and run away. Whatever she decides, it’s going to be pretty rough for her in the short term, I think.
Thanks for your very thoughtful comment!
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She has a lot of horrific memories — maybe she will run away and seek counselling and peer support groups. Much better than the other alternatives.
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We’ll go with that. It’s the best choice for her at this point for sure.
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Whoa. Hope she doesn’t cross any horrible lines, here. “Go home.”
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I’m hoping she comes to her senses and thinks things through.
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Loved your take on the prompt. I felt the pain and the intensity of the moment.
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Thanks. A bit of a different style for me for this one, I’m glad you liked it!
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