Sunday Photo Fiction – March 13th 2016
When lightning struck him he was noticeably different for months. Some people said he was never the same. He knew when it happened he could never be the same. He knew it for sure the first time he tried to eat. Food tasted different. It wasn’t bad, but none of it was great anymore. At that moment he understood why hate was not the opposite of love. Indifference was the opposite. He was indifferent about even his favorite food.
But he loved her from that first unforgettable moment when she dropped her keys. That sparkle he saw in her eyes when their hands touched stole his sleep for many nights. That sparkle also stole his words and his courage. The subway doors closed and she was gone.
He looked for her for months, despite not expecting lightning to strike the same unlikely place twice. He saw her only and only her in his dreams.
Five years had passed when he recognized the sparkle in a distant town. Many things had changed. He’d learned to love food again and dream new dreams. He’d found the courage and words to invite her for a drink. He introduced her to his lovely wife.
(200 words)
A very surprise turn of events! Wonderful story, Jeff!
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Thank you! I suppose it’s a bit sad, but it’s also a testament to so many things that are unheralded yet push us forward.
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Lightning really does not strike the same place twice and rarely does love. Each strike could shape us in thousands of indiscernible ways and each strike forge a wound, a scar, or a memory. But in the end, I think, when a certain bolt so high hits us in a flash, we succumb to true love.
Oops! Sorry, you got me all carried away! 😀 Poignant tale, Jeff. I truly enjoyed your take.
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Thanks, Maria! Wouldn’t you agree that those experiences shape our form while our convictions solidify our core? Sometimes we never see a person’s core, or even recognize our own, until we’re thrust into unexpected circumstances that test our resolve. Everyone deserves a representative true love, but the person who learns to accept and eventually love herself in the kind of way that spills the love outward becomes capable of things she never imagined. Best wishes on your writing and all of your desires.
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Nice twist. Thanks for the great story.
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Thank you!
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Touching, Jef. I like it.
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Thank you! Lots of great people have touched my life.
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A great twist at the end!
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Thank you!
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That ending was unexpected. Great
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Thank you kindly.
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