Saturday, April 25, 2015

Viola A to Z Blogging Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2015
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge

What is it?

I will be Blogging everyday beginning on April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

My theme will be short fictional (well mostly fictional) stories about women.  Each woman’s name will begin with the appropriate letter of the alphabet for that day.
All of the women will have the common life experience of a loss of some type.
I invite you, Dear reader, to comment on how you interpret the loss.

Viola

It was a January day.  The sky was ice cold blue. 
The boardwalk was nearly deserted.   Every now and then a jogger would pass them by,  huffing out a cloudy puff.
Viola insisted on wearing the pink coat with the tulip hood and tassels.  
It was a birthday present.  A surprise package that came in the mail, just for her. 
She held onto the string tightly as they walked along.  She looked up towards the sky and smiled. 
When the nice lady asked her which balloon she wanted, she didn’t hesitate, not even for a second.
“The yellow one,” she said.  “The one shaped like a star.
When they came to the candy store, Viola asked if she could, “Just go look.”  “Please?”  she said. 
She handed the balloon to her mother and said, “Don’t let it go, Mommy.  Not yet.”
Viola’s mother, Wendy, stood by as her daughter gazed longingly at the large shop window. 
It was one of their favorite stops. 
Wendy had her own balloon.   A red, white and blue one. 
After a while, she called out to the little girl, “Come on Vy.  We have to get going.”
They walked a little further to the steps leading to the beach.
The wind was brisk down by the water.   Wendy pulled Viola’s hood up, and tied the tassels under her chin.   She knelt down and wrapped her arms around the child, hugging her tightly. 
“It’s okay, Mommy,” Viola said softly.  “Daddy is going to be so happy when he gets our balloons.”
Viola’s mother stood up and said, “Are you ready, sweetie?” 
“One, two, three.”
They both let go of their balloons at the same time.  
The star dipped and soared.  Viola giggled.  
She had picked the star especially for she knew it would make it all the way to heaven’s night. 

17 comments:

  1. I was wondering if it was this type of balloon. I do feel for Viola and her mom.

    betty

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    1. Yesterday, I was out and saw a star shaped balloon flying and dipping in the wind. Inspiration :)

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  2. Awww. I have a feeling Monday is a continuation? Wendy (or Willa?) just happens to start with Monday's letter...

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    1. Liz, Thanks for catching that little blooper. I had originally named Viola’s mother Willa, then changed it to Wendy. And obviously missed one. I figured I would keep my options open for Monday’s story by having a ready W available. :)

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  3. Sweet- they let that star shaped balloon go.

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    1. I took this photo of the little girl as we walked the boardwalk in Ocean City.

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  4. Aww, that's so sweet. Was the picture your prompt? The story matches it perfectly.

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    1. Yes, the picture, which I took a few years ago, and yesterday I saw a star shaped balloon being blown around on a very windy day.

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  5. This is the sweetest story. Great job!

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  6. Replies
    1. I’ve seen this type of ritual. I would imagine that some it helps with the grieving process.

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  7. Well done! An enjoyable story, although there is a loss, the story is also filled with hope and faith. :-)

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  8. Wow... what a moving story. Well done!

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