Saturday, April 21, 2012

A Picture Says...Week 1

Hi there, this post is part of a fortnightly blog-off I'm part of with some writing friends.  Each time there's a picture to set the theme and we all then write 500 words.  It's a bit of creative fun, so read on if you wish.  
Big thanks to www.kellyexeter.com.au for getting the ball rolling and the creative juices flowing!
We'll be back to our regular scheduled blogging later this week....


A picture says 500 words





As the kids played in the waves, unburdened with the naivety of youth, their parents discussed how best to break the news.

Like the receding tide, her bottle of wine was emptying.  Warmed by the afternoon sun, its bitterness felt almost medicinal. 
“So, we’ll talk to them at dinner tonight, then I’ll pack and be out by the morning.”  His tone was so business-like, it’s the only side she had seen of him for so long. 
“Sure.”  There was nothing else that could be said.

The decision had been his.  Now that you think of it, they had all been his: the big impersonal wedding, the house in the suburbs and the children, all three within quick succession.   Her life, her dreams felt like a distant memory and the fact that she now would have control of her own decisions terrified her.  Even their vanilla scented shower wash was his decision.
“Lavender or Orange?”  She’d said it out loud.
“What?” He barked in return.

The tension was broken by their youngest, Claire, a beautiful spirit who was impossible not to smile around.  She leapt into her father’s lap smothering him with kisses and sand.
“What’s for dinner guys?  We’re starving!  Can we have chips?  Can we eat at that park again?  Does Tom have to get that calamari again?  It’s gross!” 
The questions rattled at machine gun pace.  Where do they get this energy she wondered? 

She wriggled her toes in the cool sand and wished that like her feet she could disappear, forget this was happening and escape on her own to Morocco or somewhere fabulous like that.  Spend her days reading and drinking tea and her nights dancing.

The sound of her children calling her broke her daydream, “MUM!” They all screamed, each with their different demand. 

Her husband helped her to her feet and for an instant their eyes met in a moment of compassion.  She took a deep breath and like two wounded soldiers, walked arm in arm toward the conversation they’d been dreading.  

6 comments:

  1. You win!!! Awesome...

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  2. Wow Cassy - this is fantastic!! Isn't it funny that we both took a bit of a negative route with our pieces!! Maybe because the pic is so sunshiney that to tell a happy story would be too obvious?

    Whatever the reason, I love this piece from you :)

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  3. What a beautiful piece, sad yet beautiful Nx

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    1. Thank you for your comment, glad you enjoyed it. Hope you can stop by Just a Small Blog again.
      x

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  4. I also wonder where little kids get their energy from. When I was one, I couldn't understand why my father and my uncles always fell asleep after lunch at my grandfather's; now that I can understand it, I suddenly feel as old as they seemed to me back then.

    I can't help but wonder how the children will react to their parents' news. Great job on the piece! I love that you went in a negative direction with it.

    / Rain

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    1. Hi Rain, thanks so much for stopping by and reading my blog. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I'm posting weekly at Just a Small Blog and hope you can stop by again.
      x

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