(100-word flash fiction)
She has the same dream again. Tiled roofs. Walking under stately arches. Cycling through cobbled streets. Waves of happiness surge through her, rising in a crest of joy until it explodes in a burst of euphoria so great, it shakes her awake and sitting bolt upright in bed.
Only, there is no bed. Just a torn mat on a bare floor. Around her, sleeping bodies. Mice in the corners. Cold drafts seeping in through the refugee shelter’s broken windows.
Holes, where the city used to be. Where the bombs fell. The biggest hole inside her where home used to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entry for Friday Fictioneers, the lovely Rochelle’s awesome gathering where we meet once a week to create fiction to a photo prompt –
PHOTO PROMPT- © Sandra Crook
Just Joyfulness 
Now that’s good.
Thanks! Thanks! 🙂
Dear Joyful,
Well done depiction of a waking nightmare only to be escaped by sleep.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle. There are many who daily live this nightmare….
A stark reminder of what life is like for so many refugees. Nicely done.
Thanks Sandra.
Great story of how things can change in a second and how we can erase thousands of years of history.
So true! Thanks for dropping in and commenting.
I hope they never bomb Dijon. I suppose they will.
Who knows? Hate knows no boundaries … 😦
Nice how you twisted this from happiness to horror.
Thanks Claire!
A wonderful piece of writing. So much in just 100 words.
Thanks Mike.
Oh. I wouldn’t like being at the center of that nightmare. 😦 Yes. I guess that happy dreams can be a nightmare if it’s like this.
Leo @ I Rhyme Without Reason
Thanks for dropping in Leo!
Powerful and moving. 🙂
Thanks Celestine! For dropping in and commenting 🙂
Very powerful, “the biggest hole inside of her where home use to be.” I see an enchanting imagination in contrast to her desolate reality.
Thanks Joy! Sometimes an overarching imagination is required to endure terrible situations.
That’s very true. 🙂
heart-breaking story – beautifully told!
Thanks Ansumani!
Moving stuff and a lot packed into a few sentences.
Thanks Francesca
A very powerful piece.
Thanks Jan.
Sad that she has to come back and awaken to the reality of her life. Good writing.
Thanks Sally!
I’m afraid many people know that feeling you described so expertly. The sharp contrast between dream and reality is heart-breaking.
Thanks!
Her home is destroyed and her hopes devastated. May the emptiness in her heart be replaced with fun and laughter.
Let’s hope so Kalpana
A nightmare that’s occurring too often now-a-days. Sad but extremely well written.
Isadora
Thanks Isadora. Sadly it is occurring too often…
Beautifully written, heartbreaking story.
Thanks Dale
Oh, how tragic. I bet she never wants to wake up. Really well written and captured terror.
Thanks Amy
To sleep perchance to dream. Such sweet escape you have given your protagonist.
Thanks Tracey. Yes, we do sometimes escape reality in dream…
Very well written her joy found only in dreams as reality is just too stark.
Thanks Yolanda. We all have our escapes, unfortunately.
Great story. Horrible when the nightmare is when you are awake. Loved her sleep time descriptions.
Thanks Irene. Awake nightmares are definitely worse….
Skillfully written, Joy. There’s nothing quite so terrifying as waking up from a dream of what used to be only to remember what is.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Thanks Marie. Yes, it could be terrifying …
Powerful description of what many refugees must dream of. And they’re the lucky ones who made it to safety. What a horrible shape part of this world is in. Well done, Joy. ——- Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne
a poignant one!
Thanks! Thanks!