She stared at the empty album, wondering again what kind of flower decorated the cover before her mind tried to find the word for the color then thought about the emptiness again.
Round and round like the seasons. In and out and back again. Peach. It was peach, that hue. Pink. And the flower, a rose. Or carnation. Daisy. The emptiness. Pink. Flowers. Like spring. With things that are alive trying to sprout from things that look dead.
The album was closed but she knew they took the fading photos—black and white memories she was starting to lose.
May 6 Prompt: Spring (Write a story that is a snapshot of spring.)
Lemon Shark Reef 
What a poignant spring Sarah. Searching for the ghosts of memories, of colours, flowers and people. I think you portrayed dementia really well here. I loved the line “With things that are alive trying to sprout from things that look dead.”
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Oh, thank you! I was afraid it might be difficult or confusing (or irritating) to read this. I thought of describing her situation but really wanted to write it in the way that she was going through it. Thanks. 🙂
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It worked really well. 🙂
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I’m so glad. Thank you. 🙂
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Your flash isn’t so happy and peachy either. Dementia is sad. At least it seems that way to us. I always hope that maybe there are other ways of seeing it. I think with the subtlety of this flash you touch on memory in general and its fading. Loss always seems sad.
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No, my flash is definitely not happy and peachy. I tend to start out with something nice for Carrot Ranch but it often turns on me.
It’s devastating, really. Memory loss, strokes, dementia, mental illness, whatever it is that’s holding her hostage is awful. I had never thought about it being viewed differently. There is definite loss here, I know.
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The focus on trying to remember the names of colors and flowers acts as a substitute for the lost memories inside. This makes your flash more poignant than if you focused on the photos. I know what dark halls peaches & cream would lead you to in your imagination! 🙂 But your writing is sharp and that is beautiful.
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Thanks so much, Charli. 🙂
Yes, there is so much energy focused on trying to catch fleeting thoughts and memories of mundane things that I didn’t get to the photos — but I didn’t want to. At that point, it didn’t matter who (or what) was in them.
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Not a happy flash, but I loved the way it flowed. Beautifully tragic!
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Thanks, Pete. The flow is definitely something I worried about while writing this. It made sense for the character but thought it might be choppy to read. I so appreciate your comment.
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Absolutely gorgeous!!
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Thank you!
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Love this line: ‘With things that are alive trying to sprout from things that look dead.’ You are a beautiful writer Sarah, and I’ll keep saying it ❤
(And I'm sorry in being so late…)
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Aw, thank you. ❤ Much appreciated. I'm not sure there is a "late" in commenting. Not at Lemon Shark Reef, anyway.
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Well, that’s good to know, thanks Sarah! I’m telling myself that the only pace I can go is the one I can manage, so I’ll stop with the ‘late’ and just enjoy the swim when I get here…no Great White’s at Lemon Shark Reef 🙂 ❤
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I LOVE this: “the only pace I can go is the one I can manage…” I need to tape that to my computer.
No Great Whites here. Just me. The cute, little (sometimes salty) Lemon Shark. I don’t bite.
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Salted lemons do wonders for the taste buds 🙂 ❤
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