Between the idea and the act falls the wish.
Between the encounter and the wish lies recognition.
He had stared through this window before.
Not outwards at the fence and the horses patient in the snow, nor inward with his nose pressed to the glass, but at the spider-lace curtains.
He was trapped in that gauzy sliver between here and there, between now and then.
Beyond those curtains lay another story he could not name.
Against the whiteness, a diffuse light mounted
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here.
Neil MacDonald Author 
I see we both took the curtains from this photo. Lovely piece of writing.
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Thanks, Sandra
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Dear Neil,
I can feel the anticipation mounting. I liked the rhythm and repetition in this piece. Effective.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle
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Excellent piece of writing, Neil, love the rhythm and pacing.
And, of course, the hint of mystery.
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Thanks so much
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Gorgeous, rich writing, Neil. So much important contemplation takes place while staring through windows (or lace curtains!). It’s an elusive thing to articulate and you did it beautifully.
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Thanks, Siobhan
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Well done. Such a sense of mystery. I really enjoyed this, Neil.
xx
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Thanks Rowena
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The curtains drew my attention too but I very much doubt if I could ever write anything like this…
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Thanks, Dahlia
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Very lovely departure from your usual style. I like the rhythm in this piece.
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Thanks. I’m not sure the style is that different but I experimented with layour
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I like the way you wrote this, and how it turned out. Really good Neil.
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Thanks, Al
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Oh what a mystery you have woven with 110-words and curtain! Love this.
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Thanks, Alicia. 82 words, actually. I’ll reveal the mystery at the end of the week
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My fingers went crazy. I meant 100 words and a curtain. My face is red.
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This just seems to fit perfectly with the prompt.
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Thanks, Dawn
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A lovely dissection of the photo, with added mystery. Nicely done.
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Thanks Iain
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So atmospheric that it’s almost spooky. Very effective writing.
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Thanks, Liz
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This has to be one of your best… I really like the window as a border, not only physically, but as a metaphor for “roads less traveled”.
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Thanks, Bjorn, I’m really pleased you think so
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And of course it made me think of Robert Frost too..
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Love the philosophical bent on this one. Had to reread it, enjoyably so. this one is a keeper for sure. 🙂
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Thanks so much
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I liked the layers in this, it felt like the narrator experiencing agoraphobia
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Thanks, Michael
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Beautiful. And I identified very much with “He was trapped in that gauzy sliver between here and there, between now and then.”
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you can never know when inspiration strikes and when it will lead to. well done.
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Thanks
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Terrific prose once again, Neil. It had a feeling there I could get into. Bravo!
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Thanks, William
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I like thinking about the liminal spaces and borders of perception. Question: When staring at the curtain lace, was the narrator inside or outside?
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Perhaps neither inside nor outside but trapped in between
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Something not so good seems to loom ahead.
I hate that state of uncertain contemplation.
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Humans are programmed to hate uncertainty, even though it’s our birthright
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Feels like an end of life metaphor to me. Lovely writing.
Tracey
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That’s an interesting take on it, Tracey
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Fascinating piece of prose. Must say though, I’m a bit depressed by the thought that someones view of the world is through a manky set of lace curtains.
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It’s the lace curtains that entranced me, I’m afraid
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I found this quite haunting, the thought of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
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Great story!! I love the image of being caught in the lace, the in between moment. Anything in possible
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Thanks, Laurie
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Intriguing web of words, Neil. You ahve a way of leaving us wondering what is next and where is this going to go. Super, as always.
Isadora 😎
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Thanks, Isadora
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I viewed it as introspective–what lies next? Well done.
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Thanks, Russell
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What a great reflective piece of writing. To me the atmosphere felt undecided, the narrator neither here nor there.
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Thanks so much
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I love the line ‘He was trapped in that gauzy sliver between here and there, between now and then.’ Beautifully told.
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Thanks, Clare
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This is beautifully told and quite haunting. It really makes the reader reflect, there’s so much to think on
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Thanks, Michael
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I did promise I’d reveal the secret of the mystery this week, I’m afraid it’s much more prosaic than you might wish. I recognised the curtains from a previous prompt.I had looked through that window before and was completely trapped by the oscillation between the story I wrote for that prompt (https://neilmacdonaldauthor.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/friday-fictioneers-the-fury/) and the need to write something new. The last line of both stories is the same.
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Really enjoyed the rhythm and pacing of this one, not to mention the poetic tone. Nice job, Neil!
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Thanks, Dawn
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Dreamily atmospheric. I haven’t read all the above comments. hope I am not duplicating another reader’s valid thoughts – I don’t like being predictable.
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