Every week Madison Woods posts a new photo prompt on Wednesday. She calls it Friday Fictioneers.
This week’s prompt by Stacy Plowright
Dozens of her fans, like me, write 100 words that somehow touch the subject of the photo and post links to their work on her site Friday. Then everyone jumps across the ether to multiple little vignettes of imagination and comments on them. It’s been a while since I have taken time to participate. There are many others more faithful. You can find them at the link below. Don’t forget to leave me a comment before you run off to check them out. 🙂
Sarah stood on the roof of the tallest building in the city with her arms stretched above her head and her face turned toward the clouds far above. In her mountain village, the white mist would have wrapped around her as she stood on the Watcher’s Spire and waited for the storm to arrive.
“Whatever are you doing? Come inside, it’s about to rain.”
She turned toward her betrothed and bowed her head as though in acquiescence to hide the resentment in her eyes. Her father had pledged her hand to this man as part of the treaty between their clans. She must learn to make the best of this lowland place with its soft people whose only religion seemed to be avoiding exposure to communications from the gods.
Oh, what a fate! Nicely written. http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/friday-fictioneers-harmattan-rain/
Thank you, Pleasure. I enjoyed yours as well.
Poor girl, what a sad way to start a life. Well done!
Thank you. Thank goodness the practice has almost died out.
Those clouds do look as if they ought to mean something special, don’t they? Poor girl, swapped like a, a, a swappable thing and forced to pretend she likes it.
I don’t think she’ll be pretending for long.
Poignant message. I loved the line, “…whose only religion seemed to be avoiding exposure to communications from the gods.” Sadly, that is more reality than fiction, these days.
http://ebooksscifi.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/fallout-copyright-2012-ilyan-kei-lavanway/
Thank you for the kind words.
Dear Melody,
This was a wonderful story full of contrast between two ways of life. He may wear the pants in the family but I have a feeling she’s soon going to be telling him which ones to wear. Very well done and with the feeling that it could easily be part of an entire novel.
Aloha,
Doug
I so agree, Doug. I’m thinking this may become a series. Thanks for the kind words. I value your opinion because I know the quality of your own work.
This is vrey original. I like it much
Thanks so much. I appreciate the kind words.
Such a finely drawn contrast between two different cultures. I don’t think it’ll work … there’s trouble ahead. Nice work.
Nice use of the prompt. I felt her frustration.
mine’s here: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/writers-catharsis/
Boy, I wonder if Sarah would have jumped from that roof had there been more time? I actually felt quite sorry for her – which of course speaks to your skill as a writer! The more I read this piece, the more I like it. Well done!
nicely done — this could be the start of a longer story
Sounds like the start of an interesting series of stories/one long story! I wonder whether her rebellion will be overt or covert or some of each.
How sad. It still occurs in this modern age. Read recently where a young girl in the USA committed suicide with her boyfriend. She was being sent back to a tribe & forced to marry an elderly man which was arranged when she was 6 months old. It gives me the creeps. I’m 29 on the list.