Welcome to Friday Fictioneers where each week close to 100 people participate in a flash fiction challenge based on a photo prompt.
This week’s photo: Copyright: Janet Webb
And now my 100 word story:
We watched the devastating path as Hurricane Hugo made its way up the coast. When it flooded the tiny town 100 miles downriver we felt a kinship. So it was with empathy that our church group decided to collect bottled water from the community and truck it across the mountain.
Sam was the truck driver. He was my age with blue eyes and a beautiful smile.
I was in love with Sam. I didn’t know him. I didn’t want to know him.
I was an unhappily married woman and that smile and those eyes helped me sleep at night.
The Day After 
a moment of love…beautiful in its simplicity
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Thank you mamma.
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I feel for her. Great 100 or so…
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It’s 100. To the word.
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Excellent!
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A story within a story. – well done.
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It started out at over 250 words so this one was a hard one for me.
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“that smile and those eyes helped me sleep at night” such a beautiful line! i love that you were able to write a love story with this photo, though one that wasn’t meant to be… but who knows…
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That’s why we have dreams.
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Dear Dawn,
Layer upon layer, there’s more to this story than meets the eye. I ache for your protagonist. There’s nothing worse than living alone in a marriage. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle.
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Dear Dawn,
This was a beautiful story told by a beautiful woman.
I know for a fact that your writing brings you a measure of peace. Keep doing it. Do not stop. Keep believing in the future. Hold on to your dreams. They are real and they matter.
We are more alike than you know.
Aloha,
Doug
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Thank you Doug,
Such a beautiful comment. It brought a tear to my eye.
~ Dawn
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Dawn, that’s a wonderful story about someone struggling, yet doing the right thing (in just keeping it at dreams.) I want to hug that woman!!
janet
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Awww, yes. I just couldn’t have her cheat.
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Nice story. We don’t have to have a hurricane for supermarket trolleys to end up in the river. Sometimes people can’t be bothered to take them back.
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Sometimes I am tempted to be lazy like that but I usually overcome it.
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The best escape dreams are those with no strings. Good job cutting your story from 250 words to 100.
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Yeah…that was rough! lol
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Comfort in various forms, done in times of tragedy. You wove together the tragedies of the hurricane and her marriage seamlessly — very well written.
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Thank you Zooky.
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A fascinating story that took us far beyond the prompt and into the day to day feelings and desires that make up our lives, but still never see the light of day. But you said it much better. Great post!
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Thank you Perry. Such a generous comment, you make me beam 🙂
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I love Janet’s comment and echo her sentiment. Doing the right thing in an unhappy relationship is never easy, especially when Sam flashes that beautiful smile. Powerful writing here, Dawn.
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Thank you Ray.
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Superbly written.
A life story in 100 words.
AnElephant is in awe.
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AnElephant makes me blush at his kind words. Thank you.
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Hi Dawn,
Great take on the photo. Like Jimmy Carter, I believe she is lusting in her heart, but if it helps her sleep at night, I’m all for it. And isn’t it interesting, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Ron
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Irony; such is life!
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Those dreams can be a safe lullaby sometimes.. a lovely take..
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A safe lullaby..yes, that’s it exactly.
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Love how your story took that turn. Whatever gets you through the night… I am amazed at what different stories come out of that one photo.
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Oh it is amazing. Its part of the addiction. Welcome to FF
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Ouch. This really tugged at me, Dawn. “I was an unhappily married woman and that smile and those eyes helped me sleep at night.” Beautiful!
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I loved the larger love story against the backdrop of the flood. Well done!
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Thanks Bumble.
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Great story! I like how the two paragraphs are like two separate stories that mesh together.
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Thanks David 🙂
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The story, for me, is about choices. You character stood at a junction with that young man and had to choose between paths. She could have chosen another. 🙂
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Yes, she could have, but she didn’t; not today.
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I understand your main character perfectly. Haven’t we all fallen in love with someone we didn’t know? They did somehow help us make it through our lives…. ❤
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Yup.
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And that’s all you’ve got to say about that. Wink, wink.
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🙂
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So many layers to this story! Very good.
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This was a beautiful story. It started off on one direction and then took a swift turn into the very personal core of this women’s heart. i loved the progression.
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Me too!
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You left exactly what was needed. That had to be hard to cut.
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It was. But Rochelle tells me its part of the learning process so…
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