THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and an end. (No one will be ostracized for going a few words over the count.)
THE KEY:
MAKE – EVERY – WORD – COUNT
This is for Friday Fictioneers. You can go here and find out all about it. And here to read more stories based on the same picture. Thanks Rochelle for another week of fun!
Genre: Sad History (100 words)
The bell is silent now. It used to ring with every meal served at the farm.
Now the once fertile fields are covered in asphalt and concrete. The farm machinery long gone, sold to the highest bidder.
One little corner remains, an old farmhouse, sad and neglected. Waiting for the bell to ring again and to hear joyous voices raised in cheer while eating wholesome meals laid out on long tables. Men, women, children eating and laughing before going back to work once again.
It was a hard life, but a fulfilling one. All gone, except the bell, waiting, silent.
The Last Chapter 
when all’s said and done, nothing would be left except our memories.
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so true.
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I really enjoy these JP…like little nuggets of gold…cool and mellow!
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Why thank you! Appreciate the nice words Torbs!
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How long have you been doing these little 100 worders now? From memory you were doing them when I was ‘properly’ here last. When I have a little more time, I’ll start going through them all 🙂
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I’ve been doing them a little over a year now. So yes, since you were ‘properly’ here. You can usually find them under the category ‘flash fiction’. Thanks! I’m glad you enjoy them 🙂
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Poignant.
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thank you
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Lovely Jackie I could feel the nostalgia i your words,sad the way progress takes away things we recall as kids and from our history.
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Thank you Michael, and so true.
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Oh this is sad and has happened in many places and unfortunately is likely to continue. It made me think about the small farm my grandparents had when I was a child.
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It is a sad thing to happen. I know of so many families this happened to.
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With luck, a “nice young couple” will come along and rehab the old farmhouse and the bell will ring once more.
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One can wish. Thanks for stopping by vb.
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Nicely done, Jackie. We must have had the Vulcan mind meld this week. 🙂 So much land, not just farmland, is taken over by buildings, asphalt, concrete, etc. Thankfully, there’s lots of land left, but not always in the cities. I’m happy that the Chicago area has tried to keep lots of green space.
janet
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Thanks janet! I haven’t read yours yet, but I will get there. There is less and less land there seems. But maybe we will smarten up and preserve what open lands we do have left.
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Oh, what is the bell waiting for? This has a real eerie quality, Jackie. Time forgotten it seems. Land is snatched up in the name of progress, but how far have we really come?
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Exactly Amy! Have we really come far? Or abandoned better ways? Thanks for reading Amy!
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lovely. the sadness and nostalgia really came through…
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Thank you kz! 🙂
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A warm and touching story Jackie. I enjoyed.
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thank you Kim. 😉
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A well-written story. Let’s hope it has a happy ending.
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thank you!
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So much sadness in this lil piece-great job!
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Thank you!
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🙂
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As sad as this was I found it an enjoyable read.
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Thank you Dawn!
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Dear Jackie,
Wholesome food. There’s something we’ve gotten away from. But I’ll stay off my soap box this week and tell you what a lovely piece of longing for a time gone by. Nice one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh I agree with your soapbox Rochelle! And thank you.
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And now the emptiness of aspahalt and concrete…
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Exactly. so sad
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Heavy nostalgic touch. Well done Jackie 🙂 I enjoyed reading and feeling your story.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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I love the way you sandwiched all the activity of mealtime between the pictures of neglect. A really well crafted story.
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