Do I do a mea culpa? I wrote the Sean story so that he could show his compromise. This story is for me, because.
As always, thank you, Rochelle for Friday Fictioneers.
Imagine
I fill plates, busy myself. I make sure beer is cold and wine chilled.
I coddle my Aunt and Uncle, discreetly, praying they don’t notice.
I keep busy, desperately try not to miss my cousins’ snark, laughter, intelligence, their youthful acceptance of immortality.
Empty chairs.
It’s Easter brunch. I no longer believe. Ugliness abounds.
I didn’t want to serve ham, but mother insisted. “So what if pigs are smart? So are dogs, and they’re eaten.”
People rationalize everything.
My cousins’ sweet voices fluctuate with gunshots.
Distantly, “Imagine” sways, crystalline clear.
You may call me a dreamer. I’m not the only one.
end
Sascha Darlington 3/28/2018
Great take on the prompt. Interesting story.
Thank you, Lisa! 🙂
Imaginative and subtle story Sascha. Poor old John Lennnon
Thanks, Lynn. Yes, a gentle soul, he was.
Refined writing at its best!
I wonder why the family was killed?
Also, why doesn’t she want to serve ham, is it against their religion?
I love that song, his most popular, I believe.
Great writing, Sascha.
Thank you, Moon. The cousins were killed in a shooting, you can take your pick, but in my mind it was at a school.
The narrator probably doesn’t eat meat or she believes that because pigs are very smart they shouldn’t be eaten. Not religion, but ethics.
And, yes, I guess it would be a tie with “Let It Be” whether “Imagine” was his most popular.
Many thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments.
This line is arresting “My cousins’ sweet voices fluctuate with gunshots”. I could be more powerful if you replaced “fluctuate” with something like “echo” or “reverberate”
Thanks for pointing it out. Fluctuate is probably the wrong word. I want meld or weave or interweave….something that shows that the voices blend with the shots, I think.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Neil. It is always very much appreciated!
Dear Sascha,
Interesting contrasts. Easter bunch and I no longer believe…Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you, Rochelle.
Beautifully written. Great take.
Thanks so much! I appreciate your reading!
So many go through the rituals without any benefit of believing or even caring. Well done.
I think she cares too much.
Thanks, Dale. I appreciate your reading and commenting.
I felt that.
Delightfully different both in content and style. Excellent Sascha
Thanks so much, Keith! 🙂
The pain here is palpable. Those missing cousins are definitely at the heart of the story. Well done.
The pain in her heart is palpable. She tries not to miss her cousins, but clearly she does. nicely done!
Thank you, Fatima. You are so right. She is feeling the loss of her cousins so deeply.
This is so good an so painfully true. Senseless destruction of life and people rationalize everything.