She was standing on the shoulder of the road. The gravel was littered with bits of broken glass and cigarette butts. She kept her eyes cast down to protect them from the glare of the sun. At the sound of approaching tires she’d look up and wave to flag down the passing motorist. She’d already walked 10 miles and her feet were sore. They were so sore that her will to continue was slipping away along with her flagging spirit. There was not a sound to be heard but her quiet breathing. She had to keep reminding herself that the quiet would make it easier to hear an approaching vehicle. She shuffled a few more feet, paused to listen, and took a couple more steps. The limestone cut that the highway made through the hills laid bare the history of the earth. There were wet spots on the rocks where the water was seeping. She leaned against the rock and felt the coolness on her back. She could see the clean lines where the rocks would separate with only a single blow. The memory of the flag stones stacked as a border around the garden rose up in her mind, a red flag warning her that there was danger in that reminiscence. With a start, she heard tires humming on the pavement. She spun to face the oncoming vehicle, a truck waving a large Confederate flag in the truck bed. She hesitated but did her best to flag down a ride. The truck slowed, stopped, and slowly backed up to come even with her. The man behind the wheel looked her over and leaning toward the open window spat a stream of tobacco juice hitting her square on the chest. He gave her a cocky grin showing his yellow stained and rotting teeth, before spinning his tires and speeding away. She did her best to wipe away the spittle but it had soaked into the fabric making a nasty stain on her shirt. As the day ebbed away, she walked away from the road and into the brush along the fence line. This gave way to a lightly wooded area just over a rise. Stepping into the trees she startled a couple of deer. They scattered flashing white flags to warn all the others of the danger approaching. Finding a tree wide enough to lean against, she lowered her body to the ground. She did it slowly, the way you lowered the flag at the end of the day. Folding her body into a compact triangle she resembled nothing more that a folded flag presented to a widow at a military burial – a white shirt, blue shorts, and a red bandanna tying up her hair. That’s how they found her, folded against the tree. The sheriff’s deputy pushed little flags into the ground to mark the positions of the shell casings. They loaded her onto a gurney and covered her with a white sheet, ironic because she had never surrendered and waved the white flag…
This is my little contribution to Calmkate’s Friday Fun – where she asks “get creative about what ‘flag’ mean to you post and add a link back”.
I live in Indiana and our state flag has gold elements on a blue field.
The meaning behind the elements are simple and straightforward: the torch represents liberty and enlightenment; the 13 outer stars represent the original 13 colonies; the inner five stars represent the 14th through 18th states. The largest star above the torch represents, the 19th state, Indiana. – Historic Indiana
I love how you’ve woven flags all through this, also the surprise ending. “That’s how they found her” and “to mark the positions of the shell casings” were powerful statements. Made me wonder what happened. Homicide? Errant shot of a deer hunter? Well done, Muri. 🙂
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Ha! Joan it seems you have a great imagination! I’m pretty sure it was homicide. Whether it was accidental or not is the question. At least she was asleep and never knew what was coming….
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So many things could of happened to her for it to end that way. It was a shocking ending.
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Thanks! I wanted to leave some of the elements of her story vague to allow the imagination of the reader to fill in the blanks!
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Your welcome.
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🙂
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Well done with what you’ve done with the flag concept, and for making it intriguing:)
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Thanks Brizzy! I try to make my stories interesting…
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Per usual your ability to tell a story. I thought you were starting a new one. 🙂
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Thanks Bonnie! I do enjoy a story – to read and to spin. I might start a new one one of these days – probably when the weather gets nasty and I can’t go outside!
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well flag me down and hoist me up … ya sure done incorporate so many dang flags in this one missy!
Love your story telling and the mysterious ending 🙂
The link doesn’t work … thanks for joining in the fun Val
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So glad you liked the many flags in this one. It did get my creative juices flowing! Anyway I checked the link and it works. I put these as future posts and with the time difference I think that messes with things.
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ah could be but when I clicked it again just now it still says “oops page not found”??
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What was her crime? I am wondering if she could out alive. Can you tell more about her looks, age, etc. color of hair or not? Fun stuff.
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Hehe! I’m so glad this intrigued you! You as the reader can fill in the blanks – we all look at things through the filter of our own experiences and emotions. Sorry for the sad ending. She does not live…
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So true. I am amazed sometimes with my blog what readers focus on. It tells me more about them and their needs or experiences than anything else….I can apply the 5 w’s-who, what….like a reporter…with a need to know, yes it did intrigue.
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I agree – the 5 Ws was a technique from my 6 Sigma training. It had merit unlike some of the other things that abound in “lean” work environments…
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sorry if she got out alive.
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Very mysterious story.
My stepson, his wife and kids live in Indiana. Once they got used to living in the midwest (he was born and grew up in California) they got so they love it very much. 🙂
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Indiana is a nice place – except for the very “red” politics. I have thought briefly about relocating to another area but Indiana is home and always will be…
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I guess my family there is bluing it up a bit. 🙂 Unfortunately (for now) my step-daughter-in-law can’t vote, but she’s working on that. They live in Carmel.
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I hope she can get registered!! We need all the blue votes possible! Anyway I’ve been to Carmel. It isn’t too far from Fishers where we have friends and is just on the other side of Anderson from my hometown of Muncie… If you ever go visit we HAVE to meet!
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She’s from Germany and is working on getting her dual citizenship. 🙂 Definitely if I make it out there we do have to meet!
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Right now that may be a daunting task – with 45 in office I don’t think he wants to let any one have citizenship!!
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She’s had a green card for 20 years and is married to an American guy and they have two kids. AND she’s working with an attorney. I think she’ll get it. I hope so.
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Sounds like she should be able to become a naturalized citizen easily… I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
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Please do!!! Thank you.
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You are very welcome!
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Well done. Hard to read the end, but well done. Our gothic Midwest writer. 😉
(I was born there, in Indiana. I was 6 mo. old when we left, for Kansas.)
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Too bad that you are no longer a Hoosier… I know the ending was stark but it is a sort of flash fiction exercise so it was always going to have an abrupt ending.
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I like your story, Val
This recalls me your writings on Xanga !
love ❤
Michel
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Thanks Michel! I haven’t written a story in awhile. Maybe it is time to spin another tale!
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Ah! You really played around with flag to write an intriguing story! I thoroughly enjoyed it, Val.
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Thanks tons Punam! The prompt made the wheels spin. I generally don’t do the daily prompts unless they spark an idea. There are so many out there but Kate’s are at the top of my list.
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Yeah, some prompts get our wheels churning! You are so welcome.
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🙂
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Val, in a word, riveting!! An exceptional piece of writing!
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Loads of thanks Lance! I’m glad it caught the interest of so many!
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Very deserving… you’re an exceptionally talented and gifted writer!
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Thanks for the very nice compliments Lance. I write mostly to keep my brain sharp…
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That will certainly do it… plus, your heart young! Always an esteemed pleasure, my friend.
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I love your take on the prompt of kate…and your story telling technique is brilliant…i love how you ended it..leaving it all to the readers’ imagination…
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Thanks Mich! The prompt was good and the words flowed easily – maybe my brain is working overtime due to the pandemic and the isolating…
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🙂🙂🙂 its really brilliant Val
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Thanks Mich! I’m thinking I might do another story in a serial format… I haven’t done one in 3 years of so.
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That is a brillint idea Val..i will be looking forward for that..
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Great story! And that guy in the truck! Ewww! Thank you for your post, Valerie!
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Thanks Cherie! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this post! (Yes, there was a lot of “eww” in this story.)
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LOL You’re very welcome, Valerie! But without the eww, the story wouldn’t have been as interesting I don’t think. You have talent. Keep it up! 🙂
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Thanks Cherie. I always wonder if I’m striking the right balance between interest and ick… Glad to know I got this one was right.
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It was perfect, Valerie! ❤
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🙂
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A lovely and poignant read, Val. Thank you for the information about the Indiana flag.
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Thanks Zakiah! I’m tickled that you liked it. The Indiana flag is fairly simple as state flags go – some are very busy with lots of color (that all means something). Makes me appreciate 3rd grade when we had to learn (and memorize) the elements of the state flag! At least there isn’t a Latin phrase that had to be memorized!
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This is a Reader’s Digest version of several of the stories you have written in the past. I have a nasty feeling about Mr. Chaw being involved in her demise.
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Perhaps but this was a one off for a writing prompt. No more to come… I will leave the rest of the story to your imagination!!
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