LET THERE BE LIGHT

It is not quite Friday but close enough for Friday Fictioneers. We’re headed by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields of Addicted to Purple. We tell stories of 100 words or so – inspired from a photo prompt. Anyone can join in, if you’re so inclined. Here’s my 100 words this week.

She was momentarily blinded by the light. In that moment, a memory of another light flashed through her mind.

She was six years old again. Her mother was shaking her.

“Wake up, May! Wake up!”

She opened her eyes. A naked lightbulb dangled from the ceiling, its light blinding. May stared in awe and silence. She did not utter any words or questions but did as she was told.

They took a taxi from the hotel to the station and boarded the train to Hong Kong. She will always remember that day when she first saw electricity and her father.

THE SMALLEST THINGS

The smallest thing can make me so happy sometimes – like seeing the tiny orange blossoms of my Clivia peeping through the leaves, the deep red of my peonies and the rose in all of its pink glory.

Then there’s the rain today, so soft and gentle. We have waited long for it this year. I’m quenching my thirst and nourishing my body along with the earth.

We ‘walked my grandparents’ mountain’ today, not pouring our usual libation and offering of food. We still honoured them with our bows and flowers. Sometimes you have to be flexible with the rituals because of life’s circumstances. The important things are not etched in stone. They reside in your heart.

We could not all be there today either but it is not the biggest deal. It is how life is.

THE WAY OF LIFE

Here I am, on a warm dry June afternoon, still mostly wordless in June. It is what it is. It’s the way of life. There is no way or point fighting it. I am sure when they are ready and I have something to say, the words will pour forth. They will trip from the keyboard and march across the page like uniformed soldiers on duty. Till then, I might as well relax into the summer, read, and tend to my garden.

Have you seen how awesome my garden is? I love the dappled light of the morning sun shining through the bamboo for the beans and to climb on. The carrots are trying to poke through between the onions. They are suppose to be perfect companion plants. I love the gravel paths. They also serve as water reservoirs when it rains. I hope there’s space enough for the tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and cabbage to spread in the middle bed. I tend to plant things too close, hating to waste space. Right along the fence seems the perfect place for a row of peas. They have something to climb on.