When my mother was pregnant in 1958 she took an experimental drug to quell morning sickness. Seven months later she delivered a daughter with limbs too small to ever be useful.
Leslie never complained about her deformities. Instead she made jokes about them and dreamed of flying.
Once we took a hot-air balloon ride. She tossed sequins over the side. They glittered to the water below.
“In my next life,” she said, “I want to be a bird.”
From the same balloon I pour out her ashes. Mixed with sequins they spangle the sky.
Today my sister is free!
terrific!
ReplyDeleteAmazing!!! Very, very touching! Thank you for commenting on mine: http://theforgottenwife.com/2012/06/07/friday-fictioneers-6812/
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely beautiful! Love the sequins!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful story. Just a minor nitpick. The picture isn't of a hot air balloon; rather, an airship, and I only nitpick because I'm a pilot. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI wondered why it looked so lumpy. I assumed it was just an oddly shaped hot air balloon. It certainly is hard to see on my tiny screen.
DeleteAnd I thought it was the Goodyear blimp. Of course I intentionally ignored the fact and went with hot air balloon.
DeleteThis is a beautiful story Rochelle :)
ReplyDeleteHere's mine: http://writersclubkl.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/friday-fictioneer-spread-your-wings-and-fly/
A very moving way to ascribe a painful, probably very regrettable mistake on the mother's part, but a beautiful way for the sister to honor her request and memory. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!! Such emotion in a bittersweet tale--loved the touch of sequins mixed with ashes. Such freedom!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading mine. For others: http://www.vlgregory-circa1800.vpweb.com/blog.html
Beautiful, touching and heartbreaking. You outdid yourself once again, Rochelle. I will be posting mine in a few minutes...you know where to find me...
ReplyDeletewww.triplemoonstar.blogspot.com
What a lovely story! Great start to the weekend, Check out mine: http://remakingme-atiyatownes.blogspot.com/2012/06/friday-fictioneer-jump.html I hope you like mine as much as I did yours
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and touching story. Somehow I believe it to be a true story. Well done. Thanks for the comment. Mine is here for others: http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/fridayfictioneers-emily/
ReplyDeleteA complete work of fiction based on the Thalidomide birth defect horrors of the 50's and early 60's.
DeleteYes, I can only echo and have no nitpics. This is a beautifully written piece, imaginative and heartbreaking. I thought this prompt very difficult, but so far it has prompted some gorgeous writing.
ReplyDeleteBravo, Rochelle
Lindaura
Thank you for your swift comment on mine, but for those who have not seen mine it is here:
http://fictionvictimtoo.blogspot.com
Really really sad this one, but still beautifully done.
ReplyDeletehttp://castelsarrasin.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/just-chillin-friday-fictioneers-june-2012/
That's really beautiful, Rochelle. I realise its a story, but it rings with veracity in your telling.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't like doing this, but here's mine: http://repuestodelatabla.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/friday-fictioneer-100-word-story-airship/
Beautiful story! Thanks for stopping by to read mine and leave a comment, it is here in case others would like to read.http://oldentimes.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/june-8-friday-fictioneers-just-take-me-home/
ReplyDeleteI was born in '54. Thank the Lord my mother's religion didn't allow for birth control, or there but for the grace of God go I. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI'm entering another comment just to try and figure out why my previous comment showed without my name and with strange block kerning. Your story was good enough to get two comments anyway!
ReplyDeleteI like Leslie's attitude. People could learn a thing or two from her. Good story!
ReplyDeletehttp://authorbrandonscott.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/the-ogre/
I remember being at a rodeo in Redding, CA, when I was very small, it must have been about 1949-50. There was a woman sitting in front of us who had no arms; her hands came out of her shoulders. She was wearing western garb and cowboy hat. She terrified me but I couldn't take my eyes off her. That was the reaction of a 5 year old; now I think how brave she must have been to face up to fright and ridicule.
ReplyDeletevery moving. great story.
ReplyDeletehttp://karmicdiva.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/friday-fictioneers-68-via-madison-woods/
A beautiful story, loved it! I remember well seeing children afflicted by that horrible drug and being thankful that my Mom suffered 9 mod of morning sickness without it!
ReplyDeleteVery emotional. Sounds like a true story, though I'm thinking it's fictional.
ReplyDeleteMine's here: http://logo-ligi.com/2012/06/08/radiant-flight/
Happy that it rings true. I remember the seeing the images of those poor Thalidomide babies in the 60's in Life magazine. Other than the truth of history it's a work of fiction.
DeleteHeartbreaking, but beautiful. You really show the narrator's love for her sister.
ReplyDeleteI'm over here:
http://elmowrites.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/friday-fiction-blimps-and-balloons/
That was very touching. I like the image of the sequins in the ashes. Here's mine:
ReplyDeletehttp://glossarch.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/off-the-leash-friday-fictioneers/
Wow. A surprise ending that fits perfectly with what went before, and a very touching story.
ReplyDeleteMy story - http://newpillowbook.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/friday-fictioneers-the-view-from-2112/
Touching story.
ReplyDeletenice touch with adding sequins to the ashes. Very sad but well done.
ReplyDeleteHere is mine http://yaralwrites.com/
Very nice downward swoop of emotional pain, then uplift at the end with her freedom. I knew the sister of a friend who had a fingerless hand, maybe from the same drug. So sad but sometimes pain can lead to strength.
ReplyDeletecheers,
Laura
Oops, forgot to post my blog tag. Cheers, Laura
ReplyDeletehttp://www.westcoastwriters.blogspot.com/2012/06/friday-fictioneers-above-clouds.html
The voice is authentic and the strength and courage of all involved clearly communicated. And to think, manufacturers of chemicals are still demanding the freedom to regulate themselves and complicit legislators give them the freedom to rush drugs to market. Shame!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words about my two sentence story, which others might want to visit at http://scottcheck.blogspot.com/2012/06/heist.html
Exactly the sort of thing that you can just imagine thinking and observing when you have a difficult thing to do like spreading someone's ashes. Very nicely done :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, so many powerful themes packed in this story, and it seems so authentic. Great writing! Thanks for reading and commenting on my story.
ReplyDeleteDear Rochelle,
ReplyDeleteThis was beautiful, sad and uplifting all at once. The sequins fall and we fall with them, carried along by the gravity of your storytelling. I really enjoyed this.
Aloha,
Doug
(I thank you for visiting mine. This link is for fellow travelers.
http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/joining-a-murmuration-or-bud-cowarts-view/
Beautiful! Gorgeous...I really enjoyed this read. So inspirational. I love it!
ReplyDeleteMine at wwwfictionvictimblogsite.com
Quite a sad tale, but not maudlin, and ending on an uplifting, celebratory note. Very nicely done.
ReplyDeleteHere's my entry:
http://themasterofhisdomain.com/2012/06/09/no-more-shop-talk-100-word-flash-fiction-comic/
You have a gift of delivering disturbing stories in such a way that they don't feel sad or disturbing at all sometimes, Rochelle. I'm glad the sister was able to scatter her ashes with the sequins. For a fiction story, it sure elicited some strong emotions!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to agree with Madison. When looking at the facts, it is a sad story. However, I didn't feel sad when reading it and the ending was uplifting. This is my favorite for the week.
ReplyDeletethanks for reading & commenting on mine. Here's the link for others http://russellgayer.blogspot.com/