
Reflections were no longer perfect. The above ceased to mirror below. Below the meniscus the granite cliffs and great purple bruise of a damaged sky were gone. Down under, a gentle surf lapped the peaceful strand, and fishermen cast their nets on a sea pulsing with cod and bream.
“Tis the devil’s work,” Molly declared, needles clacking as they wound the soft strong wool. “Paradise be above, and below, a vale of tears.”
Nothing could convince her. Heaven below must be hell.
“The sky will clear,” she said, “and we’ll go back up. When I’ve finished my Jeb’s new jumper.”
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
I enjoyed the description “purple bruise of a damaged sky”. Great choice of language.
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Thanks so much, Tannille
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Dear Neil,
I love the voice and lush descriptions in this.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle
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The descriptions are divine, Neil. It’s an upside-down world for sure!
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Thanks so much, Dale
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One person’s heaven is another’s hell…
There’s a lot that we don’t know & can’t see…
Pretty Sunrise Partners – Anita
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Or sometimes hell is other people
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What if they head back and find it no longer exists at all?
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She has a lot of wool. It’s a big sweater
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Great language in this.
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Thanks so much, Joshua
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Great writing.
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Thanks so much
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This is great. Philosophical and unique. Who defines heaven and hell?
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Thanks so much
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Raises interesting questions about who can see what. And the way you set the scene, I agree with others here, is wonderful.
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Thanks so much, Jilly
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You set the scene very well. Some great words, too.
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Thanks so much, Neel
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Not sure I understand the last couple of lines, but superb scene-setting.
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Thanks, mate. That’s the difficulty with 100 words. I wanted to indicate that most inhabitants have adapted themselves to their environment, but the protagonist remains stubbornly committed to the world as it was. Not so stubbornly, however, that she’s ready to venture aloft. That sweater may take some time
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Some lovely descriptive writing, Neil. I like the way the opening five words seized my attention, and ‘a sea pulsing with cod and bream,’ is a delight.
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Thanks so much, Penny. You always read with great attention to the wordcraft
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Beautiful language, and a context that gives the reader pause for thought. Well done.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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A story to be told around a peat fire and spoken with deeply hushed words
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What a lovely image. Thanks, Michael
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Great imagery.
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Thanks so muich, Shirley
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Deliciously descriptive. Excellent tone and voice.
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Thanks so much, Linda
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I love the mystery here… reminds me of how a fisherman sweater once had to be knitted with human hair in the wool to be warm..
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Thanks so much, Bjorn
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Very nicely written. World has turned upside down for her. Heaven below and hell above.
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Thanks so much
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Concentrate on the knitting and it’ll all be okay!
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Yup. She’s already finished knitting her brows
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Somewhere in your story there is a veiled threat – or is it just in Molly’s pessimistic mind? Brilliant as always.
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Thanks so much, Liz. And yes, there is a threat that it may not be as she believes
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You create a gorgeously visual scene, with a peaceful mood. A joy to read. Love the clacking knitting needles and Jed’s jumper.
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Thanks so much. It’s not entirely peaceful, I hope
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Great descriptions, Neil. Molly seems determined to make her own hell. I bet fisherman wish the catches were still that plentiful. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks so much, Suzanne. Molly may be the smartest among them all
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The descriptive writing was poetic. Loved the bruised sky image you gave us. It’s hard for people to accept change.
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Thanks so much, Fatima. Some changes may be worth resisting
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I’m assuming someone is spending most nights undoing her knitting so it will never be finished. Sometimes there is no going back…. Great descriptions.
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Thanks so much, Trent. Either that, or she’s going very slowly
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Wow, this is DEEP on so many levels. So many underlying themes and schemes, and ideas. Love it! Especially love the ‘bruised sky’ description..
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Thanks so much. I was pleased with the bruised sky image
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Great descriptions in this one. Vale of hell. Terrific job
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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Vivid imagery. Great job.
Ronda
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Thanks, Ronda
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Beautifully written. Plenty of cod and bream, that’s heaven right out there then.
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Thanks so much
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Lovely images, as other commenters have said, and the sense of reality having been disturbed by some shift in the natural order has me wondering what’s caused it. I love Mollie – she has her priorities right.
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Thanks so much, Margaret. My guess is that the natural order has been disturbed by an apocalypse
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I like the imagery, I have not really grasped the meaning, but the descriptions are epic!
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Thanks for the positive comments, even if it didn’t hang together as a narrative for you. The idea is that there’s been an apocalypse and people have escaped below. They believe that they may be able to return above, but Molly isn’t so sure
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Wow!! Now I get it! Good stuff!!
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You paint a beautiful scene, Neil.
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Thanks so much, Russell
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Lovely write…
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Thanks so much, Dawn
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Great descriptions Neil and a great foreboding atmosphere.
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Thanks so much, Michael
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Wonderful descriptions, especially “great purple bruise of a damaged sky” and “sea pulsing with cod and bream.” I wonder why “when I’ve finished my Jeb’s new jumper” reminds me of “when hell freezes over.”
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Thanks, Magarisa. And yes, you picked up the time-scale of Molly’s plan exactly right
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Something lurks deeper in this story. An enticing mystery, written in rich descriptive wording.
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Thanks so much, Brenda
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Love the voice and the ‘bruised’ description. She’s quite a character – a great creation
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Thanks so much, Lynn
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My pleasure 🙂
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Jem must be an alright feller.
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Thanks, Patrick
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I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice here, Neil. The atmospheric feel to it is both sci-fi/fantasy and equally plausible in a real scene. Very well done!
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Thanks so much, Dawn. I like your judgment of equal plausibility
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