F is for Fragile Fanfare
Day 6 of the challenge!
My theme is NIFTY NUGGETS. Little nuggets of writing based on a photo, a phrase and an object, which is designed to encourage lean, tight writing. I’m aiming for a word count of under 300 words.
Thank you to L.Diane Wolfe for providing the beautiful photo prompts. You can visit her blog to check out more pictures.
FRAGILE FANFARE
PHRASE – an unorthodox alarm clock
OBJECT – ladder
The tour guide ushered the holiday group through the section of the gallery that housed a variety of stained glass pieces. To one side of the room, a guy on a ladder inspected a particular glass window to determine accurate historic value.
She stopped, mesmerized by the beautiful work of art. It boasted a seamless multi-color stained glass pattern in shades of red/orange/blue/green.The swirling colours and rich vibrant luster danced before her eyes. A myriad of thoughts ran through her mind, as it wandered off at a tangent.
How fragile is that glass?
Can it break easily?
Into solid pieces or a million shards?
That can cut deeply?
Or would it simply shatter?
Her vision blurred.
A few isolated things penetrated her thoughts. Somebody’s cell went off… the sound of an old-fashioned telephone. A reminder from the guide that all phones had to be put off. Two young girls in the group giggled. The tobacco smell of a bearded man who stood to her right… overpowering… smothering. The man on the ladder that reached all the way to——-
She closed her eyes. A flood of memories threatened to burst forth from a confined place, deep in the recess of a sensitive teenage mind.
Time shifted, hovered, neither here nor there, suspended between two worlds…
Ladder leading to the attic.
Telephone jingle on the radio show that always aired around noon.
Wood-smoked smell from the outside barn.
Somebody’s hand at her elbow. We seem to have lost you for a moment. Are you okay? The tour guide’s voice broke the spell.
Her palms were moist.
She shivered.
Jelly legs.
Thumping heart.
What was the matter? NO. Not now. She couldn’t allow this… not after all the progress…
It had been years since the last panic attack. She put on a smile. Smoothed her skirt.
Her carefully designed facade was at risk.
Did she look as fragile as she felt?
What does fragile “look like”?
Breathe.
Smile.
People depended on her.
The shards left by swirling emotions threatened to cut her to the core. She refused to be held captive by past events.
Having come this far, she had made her way from the bottom of the economic ladder, struggling, one rung at a time, to reach the top.
She was almost there.
Ooo. Very good internal dialogue. I am so impressed with the variety of writing you come up with for these photo prompts. I want to do this some time. When I first saw the photo, I thought of jellyfish!
Play off the Page
Thank you, Mary.
I’m trying to stretch the writing muscles… see what I come up with.
So many things lined up to take her back to a traumatic moment in her life. I agree that the internal dialogue was great. You could really feel her anxiety.
I haven’t experimented much with internal dialogue… it’s been really interesting… and fun.
Wonderfully done. Great mesh of internal dialogue. Love that picture prompt too.
This one was quite a challenging picture prompt….
Wow, that was powerful. I have a friend who suffers from panic attacks and you nailed it.
Thanks Alex!
wonderful and strong story- the image of Chihuly’s glass work is perfect for this story. Thanks for dropping by my blog- your comments are much appreciated! Cheers and Happy A-Z’ing
Thanks for identifying the artist.
Nice to connect via the A to Z Challenge.
That was a beautiful and eerie story. Great job.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee’s Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Thanks for the ongoing support, Patricia! 🙂
Letting us see what made her tick was excellent.
I wasn’t sure in which direction to take this one… but then it seemed to take on a life of its own. 🙂
Powerful! My sister suffers from panic attacks and one of my friends and you explained what happens during one of those attacks perfectly.
I’ll admit that I was a bit concerned about accurate portrayal of the emotions, but I’m so glad I got it right.
Really great story. I love all the fragmented thoughts, it really adds to the tension.
Thank you, Sara!
I’m really enjoying your “tree” stories… so creative! 🙂
Strong description of a frantic moment. Like someone above, I thought of jelly fish when I saw the picture.
Thanks Shannon!
Hi Michelle – this was brilliant all the emotions, the back-tracking of young days .. the tension of the ladder … and then the shards of glass threatening to cut her emotions to the core. I see Chrys .. agrees with your portrayal here .. so well written .. cheers Hilary
This one was quite challenging, Hilary. I’m glad it turned out okay.
I really want to do justice to Diane’s photos.
An old fashioned telephone ring brings back memories…. Love the colours in the photo.
It’s a stunning visual!
I have panic attacks from time to time, though not as many as I used to. What does fragile look like? Kinda looks like me, though no one can tell my looking.
I’m glad to hear that the attacks have decreased… 🙂
I think behind every strong exterior is a hidden fragility… some people just know how to keep it in check.
Take care, Nadine.
Great description using a variety of senses. I could picture her thoughts from the past.
I’m trying for the multi-sensory approach, but I don’t want to “overcook” it…
Loved the description. Knew exactly what she was feeling! Fragile…aren’t we all fragile in our own way?
Yes, we are, to different degrees…
I just mentioned it on one of the above comments.