Pages

24.5.17

CONCERT - one hundred words - a story for this week.

CONCERT

They spent hours getting ready, filling her bedroom with perfume, laughter and excitement. Sophie borrowed my purple earrings.

Chloe’s dad dropped them off, their precious concert tickets tucked into tiny handbags, mobile phones as fully charged as our girls. They promised not to get separated, not to drink, not to take drugs – all the usual things parents worry about.

Later, I waited outside as instructed – apparently it’s embarrassing being met. I’d been there ten minutes when the bomb went off, and the world was nothing but blood, nails and screams.


I only recognised Sophie by her purple earrings.

...................................................................................................
Looking at J Hardy Carroll's photograph of devastation, I could only write about this week's dreadful happenings in Manchester. How other writers interpreted the image can be found by following the link from https://rochellewisoff.com/
ps. if you would like to read another of my stories, I'm on p68 of Visual Verse at http://visualverse.org/

33 comments:

  1. Well, you can always be replied upon to write something that tugs at the emotions. A few simple words, Lizy, and you do it again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Helen - what else could I write?

      Delete
  2. Powerful and effective. I had to write something related to the horror of recent events too. Dark times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think half of the FF who live in UK wrote something related to Monday.

      Delete
  3. Oh, Liz, so poignant, so sad and, worst of all, with so much truth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dreadful, wasn't it? Thanks for commenting, Helen.

      Delete
  4. Dear Liz,

    Hard not to see Sophie in this heartbreaking story. I won't call it a tale because it's raw and painful truth. Well done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are a few Sophies in the morgues this week, and others in hospital.

      Delete
  5. Dear Liz, This was one heartrending tale. Most of us including I have gone and written about the Manchester bombings. What else can we do but pray for sanity.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have captured the tragedy so poignantly, Liz. I loved the line: mobile phones as fully charged as our girls. The way you have 'personalised' the horror through your characters works brilliantly.

    Susan A Eames at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Susan - I always think of tragedies in terms of people, how they are affected, and how I would feel in their place.

      Delete
  7. So right, bringing this awful tragedy back down to personal stories, to how it affects individuals. Well told Liz

    ReplyDelete
  8. So very sad on a very personal level.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every death counts, whether one, twenty-two or thousands.

      Delete
  9. This is so realistic unfortunately. Well written.

    ReplyDelete
  10. mobile phones as fully charged as our girls Oh! this line says so much. As well as the last line. I just can't imagine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have six grandchildren aged between 25 and 13 - I can imagine it far too vividly.

      Delete
  11. And the tears are again coursing down my face.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The terrible and scary reality of our times - I got goosebumps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The news this morning at least tells us that the police are moving rapidly.

      Delete
  13. Gut wrenching tale, Liz. I wish it wasn't true. My prayers go out to those families.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do hope the great Manchester run today goes off without incident.

      Delete
  14. Devastating... and in some cases it was the mother waiting being blown to pieces, and it's not even possible to comprehend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lost children, lost mothers, all destroyed by hate.

      Delete
  15. it's a real tragedy to see parents bury their children. never again.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Heartbreaking. It's a parent's worse nightmare. Good writing, Liz. ---- Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  17. How horribly tragic, all the more for being real.

    ReplyDelete

Do leave a message before you go!