
“Should it look like that?” Mark shook as he pointed to the bank exposed by the melting snow.
I couldn’t see a problem, and told him so.
“It’s tessellated.”
Not knowing what the word meant, I nodded sagely, but the tremor in his voice worried me.
“Dirt should be crumbly,” he said. “Nor an array of parallelograms. That’s not natural. Someone, or something, wove it.”
Holding my hand up to placate him, a glance at my tessellated palm stalled me. Somewhere on the floodplains, marked out by those lifelines, tiny steamers plied the rivers. I plummeted into the weave.
.
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
Deep! The tessellation reminded me of charpoys used by my grandparents to sun themselves in winter.
https://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/sculptures/4-traditional-indian-rope-charpai-in-brass-handmade-made-in-india-zcq61/
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Thanks so much, Reena
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Tessellated, now there is a word I had forgotten. I dived right in.
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Careful. There’s no way back
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Dear Neil,
I had to look up tessellation and now I’m wondering what his tessellated palm looked like. Well patterned story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle
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Yes, we all follow patterns in our life. Sometimes, regular and even and other patterns we can not pull oversells away from no matter how hard we try. Thought provoking piece.
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Thanks so much, James
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I learnt a couple of new words! Does the narrator know what “tessellated” means? At first, they claim they don’t but in the end, the narrator uses “my tessellated palm”.
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I think he worked it out from the context
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You are quite the wordsmith today! Nice one Neil.
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It kind of goes with being a writer
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Ok, I admit I looked it up. Thanks for that. I’ll try and add that to my vocabulary.
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Sorry for being obscure
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We seek to find order in patterns to help us understand life, but I feel this pattern may have the opposite effect for him…
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He may not escape the pattern
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What a fascinating story! Worlds within worlds. The way you switch perspective is dizzying. Great stuff!
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I’m so glad you felt it worked. I wasn’t sure in 100 words. Thanks, Penny
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Ooh a spinoff from, “The Matrix.” I wonder where he went?
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Yes, I was thinking about the idea that our universe is a simulation, and maybe a simulation within a simulation
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I’m guessing you’ve read the story of Chuang Tzu’s butterfly dream? In the end he wonders if he is Chuang Tzu dreaming he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Tzu…
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I do know the story. In fact, I published a short stort call Zuang Tsu’s Dream which featured it
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Awesome!
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Neil, I’d be with you in this situation and not see a problem either. Good story.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Thanks so much, Rowena
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An interesting word. I had to look it up. And I’m not sure I’ll be using it, but it’s there if I ever feel the need. Nicely done.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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What an interesting take on the prompt. I enjoyed it Neil.
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Thanks so much, Dale
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Nice to look beyond the chair to the bricks beyond it. Great story.
-David
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Thanks so much, David
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Now, you have me looking at my palms. There’s an asterisk on my right that I’ve never noticed before. Though I don’t see any tessellation.
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I think that means you’re an alien
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Cool. That’s good to know.
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A new word for me as well.
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I’m glad I contributed to your vocabulary
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I learned the meaning of tessellate years ago and have not forgotten where and when it was taught and by whom, which is weird since it’s been so many years and I have never used it except in very few circumstances, such as this.
When I learned to read ground mapping radar, I was taught that noting in nature is either perfectly straight or perfectly round.
So your character, Mark, is quite correct. Well done, Neil.
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Always glad when I get the science right. Thanks, Bill
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I can’t wait to use the word tessallate on someone. 😀
You focued in on another area of the photograph.
I hadn’t noticed those tessellations. ha ha
Am I using it correctly? Good one, Neil.
Have a good weekend … Isadora 😎
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The wall just leapt out at me. Thanks, Isadora
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Oooooooo
What a great image here
I wonder…
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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Excellent use of a word many people don’t ever use! I love your last line.
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Thanks so much, Linda
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Well spotted, I didn’t even notice the pattern. And I learned a new word. The fractal-type worlds fascinate me, too.
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Thanks so much
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fascinating take! Now, don’t forget to send a postcard from wherever …. Well done!
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Thanks so much
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Fascinating. Stories about alternate realities always hook me right in.
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Thanks so much, Margaret
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So imaginative I had to read it twice!
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Thanks, Liz. I hope that was because you liked it, not because it was confused
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I loved this! On top of everything, I’ve learned a very cool, new word – tesselation!
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Thanks so much, Patricia
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