The Best Holiday Ever
The Best Holiday Ever
Chateau or Tepee? Mountains or beach? No contest; the half-term my sister was born and it rained all week.
Dad away, on business he said, we shut the curtains and had an indoors holiday. Mum lovely in peachy slip, wild curly hair and pink lipstick; sister swaddled like a tiny milk-bottle. Porridge for lunch, baked-beans for tea; silly games, daft jokes.
And nighttimes, floating off to dreamland on the wide, high raft of the big bed as my brother sang a lullaby, so sweet the tears trickled down our Mum’s cheeks and onto the dark head suckling at her breast.
M J Lewis ©2016
This is completely fictional (and I have strayed far from the prompt!) but I will say, in this wild wide world of extremes and excitement, tucked away in my store of memories are many of the simplest pleasures of life.
Thanks as always to the amazing Rochelle. For a stroll on the sandy beach of Friday fictional delights click here. Thanks to C. E. Ayr for the photo.
I like where it took you.. must have been the grey clouds… I think if you are with family and fantasy, rain clouds cannot get you…
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Rain clouds and family can create a special little bubble. My son once complained when it didn’t rain on a Scottish holiday – we hadn’t had to stay inside and play Monopoly.
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Dear Miranda,
You stayed just close enough to the prompt. 😉 It’s a prompt not an illustration. Very sweet story with lovely descriptions.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I think this particular prompt has taken writers in all sorts of directions this week!
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I had to read this 3 times. Not because I didn’t understand it but because it was so lovely.
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Thank you so much!
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I think you did wonders with the prompt.
I absolutely love this.
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And I’m enjoying this comment – thank you!
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Very nicely done indeed. Some beautiful images there.
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Thank you Sandra.
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This is lovely, full of beautiful moments. I wonder though, if mum’s tears really are caused by the tears, or the fact that dad ‘said’ he’s on a business trip. I like this moment of doubt.
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Very well spotted – perhaps all is not well?
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Lovely. It’s not where we go, it’s who we’re with. It sounds like they’re in for a rude awakening with Dad, though – the narrator seems to know or suspect that Dad’s business trips… aren’t 🙂
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Perhaps that family bubble is about to burst…
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I think the prompt took you to a delightfully dreamy place. Nicely done.
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Thanks Alicia!
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You really described the narrator’s feelings and memories in such a vivid way. I wondered about the father who could be away when his wife gave birth. The child would see this vacation as ideal while the mother might see it as very tragic.
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Indeed – the two characters would see the father’s absence differently.
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Seems they are very happy even with dad away. Or is it because?
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Definitely maybe because.
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Such certainty can be quite threatening to the average person.
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I can just picture it all. Lovely descriptions. The big boat for a bed and the mother’s description, and the the swaddled head at the end. Brilliant writing.
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Sorry, I am off on some of the details. I meant raft. I only have my phone to blog with and I didn’t have your story in front of me. 🙂
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Thanks Amy. 🙂
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Beautiful. Your story swept me up and off into the scene. I love how you’ve sown the seed of doubt about the father, and Mum’s tears, side be side with the picture of a blissful family time.
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Such lovely comments – really appreciated!
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I loved this story. You painted the scene so beautifully.
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Thanks Russell. 🙂
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Some lovely wee details in here – nicely done.
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Thank you kindly!
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Sweet story, Miranda. I’m sure somewhere in the world something similar has happened at sometime. Lovely descriptions. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Glad it worked for you. Thank you!
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