© Marie Gail Stratford
The rose stem was another sign that the world was shutting down, except that a small spider had chosen to use it as a platform for dining. The grass was still green but all of the leaves were making their stately transition to reds and golds. He was entering another autumn as he continued through the autumn of his life. He could hear his grandchildren screeching and giggling as they playfully chased each other across the lawn. They were his spring now, no matter how bitter the coming winter.
I wrote this for the Rochelle Wisoff-Fields photo writing challenge. The idea is to use the image at the top to inspire the creation of a piece of flash fiction no more than 100 words long. My word count is (amazingly) 89.
I looked up “rose stem” on Google and only came up with a skin cream. The blossoming of roses is variable but generally they bloom from mid-spring through fall. The scene reminded me of the beginning of autumn here, still pleasantly warm days with a bite in the night air.
So I chose to write another “Grandpa” tale about the “life cycle.” Not much drama to be sure. Just a few moments of reflection as winter continues its relentless march toward an eventual spring outside of my home.
To read other stories based on the prompt, go to InLinkz.com.
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Drama isn’t necessary. It’s a contemplative story
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Thanks, Neil.
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I like the optimism. We all need to eat, even as the world ends.
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More than eat, JHC. We all need to feel alive and to know that life will continue beyond ours. That’s why we have children and grandchildren.
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Beautiful sentiment and story, James.
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Thank you, Moon.
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Lovely use of metaphor, James. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle.
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Lovely story.
You know, James, leaving the reader to interpret your story is part of the fun… We writers sometimes discover that our readers see things we never thought of…
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That’s almost always true of art, Dale. Thanks.
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😊
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Nice and relaxing.
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Yes Iain, for a brief few moments.
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Sweet and reflective. Lovely sentiment!
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Thank you, Karen.
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Our children and grandchildren are our future. In them nature offers us comfort. I enjoyed being allowed to contemplate life through this piece of flash fiction.
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Thanks, Mike.
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Nice seasonal metaphors throughout, James and I liked his positivity in watching the grandchildren – they’re his spring now. Lovely
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Thank you, Lynn.
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My pleasure 🙂
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Love that line–his grandchildren are his spring now. I get that.
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So do I. Thanks.
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There is a stoicism in this that is attractive; there is also hope in the form of his grandchildren, his spring. Nicely constructed, James
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Thanks, Penny.
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His grandchildren are his Spring – lovely image.
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Thank you.
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It’s nice to see that arachnids age and have families too. Autumn has its moments and can be impressive.
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Yes, I saw the strands of web and thought I should make a mention.
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Lovely metaphors here. I fear what lies ahead for him but he is hopeful for the future of his grandchildren.
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We all grow older and have to face it. Thanks.
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The circle of life was crystal clear to me… we are all gonna die, I just hope we can leave a better world behind than the one we received.
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We can one life at a time, Björn. Thanks.
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I like the way you hint at a bitter winter. It adds another dimension to the usual autumn of the years image. By the way, I’ve just found a whole batch of your comments in my spam folder. I wasn’t ignoring you 🙂 Now I have to try and remember which posts they are attached to so i can reply!
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It’s okay. My comments were being marked as spam on all WordPress blogs I made them at. I contacted Akismet support and they got it sorted.
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Sometimes it helps if they are marked as ‘not spam’. I wish WP would let us reply to them from the spam folder though. Once you mark them ‘not spam’ they disappear.
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Well, they reappear in the regular comments folder so from there they can be approved and replied to. Technology will never be perfect.
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I’ll go check.
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That is a progression to be envied.
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A slice of an idyllic life. Lovely.
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Thanks.
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It’s nice he has the grandkids to be his Spring. Lovely tale.
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Yes and nice that I do as well.
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Lovely metaphors. I especially like the idea of grandchildren being the grandparent’s spring.
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I suspect it’s always been that way, Joy. Thanks.
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A subtle write. Loved the metaphors here.
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Thanks, yarnspinnerr.
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such is life. we better learn to accept it.
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Indeed. Thanks.
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Your exposition is great. Nice paragraph.
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Thank you.
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Love the play of the season words. Beautiful crafting!
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Thank you.
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The circle of life. Well done.
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Thanks, Sarah.
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Lovely…
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Thank you, Dawn.
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I feel the same way about my grandchildren as I watch them laugh and play. I often wish I had their energy.
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Don’t we all, Russell. I work out regularly so I can keep up with them.
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It’s not only through children that our lives continue when we have moved on but also our contributions that have impacted those around us. A lovely contemplative story. Reflects thoughts that one faces at the winter of their lives.
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Thank you, Fatima.
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There is a great sense of satisfaction in this, where life’s achievements are fulfilled.
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Well, fulfilling. I’m not dead yet. Thanks, James
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This is wonderful. Very poetic sounding.
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Thank you, Sascha.
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