“You can only grow the seeds you’re given, but you must recognize them first.” –-Layoran saying
Photo credit: Chris RubberDragon
Sorra flopped onto the bench, shaking it. “It’s not fair. Abber is already handsome and clever and all the girls like him, and now he gets an apprenticeship in town.”
Harn shook his head. He’d been expecting this. “Life is like that.” He pointed to the quiet windmill over their heads. “Sometimes Sambar sends wind, and the corn grinds easy. Sometimes there’s no wind, but Sambar sends oxen. And when he sends neither, you get up and grind the corn yourself.”
Sorra wiped his eye. “So Sambar shortchanged you too?”
“No, son.” Harn put his arm around Sorra’s wide shoulders. “Sambar sent me you.”
“But I’ve still got nothing. Nothing at all!”
Harn thought about the girl down the road. The one who came around every day, yet hadn’t shown any interest in Abber and his fancy ways. Good makings for a miller’s wife. Someday Sorra would realize that a kind eye and a strong heart were more attractive than a pretty lip.
Soon, Harn hoped.
“Oh, we’ll see. For now, come help me push.”
Word count: 175. Submitted for this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers challenge. Thanks to Priceless Joy for hosting! See the original photo below, and click here to read the other stories or submit one yourself.
Photo © TJ Paris
Tales from Eneana 
175 words, you amaze me how you do it. And here’s me congratulating myself on (first draft) completing my next story (Chronicles of Mideer, starts mid June) at just 28k words!
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Thank you Crispina, coming from you, I blush! And you have another one coming out? You’re the one who amazes me — how on earth do you write such beautiful, rich stories so quickly? And when can I see any of your brilliance in print? I’m awful about keeping up online — I want to be able to buy your books and put them on my bedstand and then write rave reviews on every site out there!
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I am flattered. Though I’d say The Chronicle probably won’t be as richly layered as my usual work. It was quickly written, and as yet it’s only first draft. I shall edit on upload, and that’s it. For me that’s quite raw writing. So experimental. As for publishing, I have explained it before. But . . . well, my health is so much improved, I don’t react badly to stress anymore. So who knows what the future might hold.
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I think I missed the explanation before, but I’m happy to hear that your health has improved, and even happier to hear you might be considering publishing in the future!
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Also, 175 words is demonstrably easier than 28K. Just saying. 😉
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Maybe. I think there’s more skill in keeping it tight. You have to really think how you’re going to get it across in so few words. In that respect it resembles poetry. Yet poetry I can do. Odd, isn’t it.
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For me, I just have to start at a completely different place: the simplest scene possible, and then ask which tiny extra hints can I add from there. If I start thinking about a “story”, bam, it’s 8,000 words in the first draft and the first ten chapters of a novel by the second draft.
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I really loved this very much.
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Thank you, so nice of you to say so! 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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A good moral in this story about not comparing yourself to others being it a job or looks. Sore is young and still has much to learn it seems. But he might have nice girlfriend in his future 🙂 Great job Joy. I’ve been missing your tales 🙂
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Thanks Amanda, glad you liked it! Yes, I’ve been busy with work and (at least in theory) spending my writing time on my Camp NaNo work. Which I’m behind on, uh-oh. So I’m trying to focus. But this windmill photo, and the magic book from last week’s Friday Fictioneers, both really caught my eye.
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What a great story!!
@Samantha/samratkel from
Shadow Realities
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Thanks for reading Samantha!
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I sense quite a bit of envy in Sorra’s part but he will find that Harn is right. Hopefully, he will soon realize that the girl down the road is interested in him! Great story, Joy!
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Yes indeed; it’s hard to be the less gifted brother, poor guy. But he’s got a good role model, I’m sure he’ll figure out how to grow the “seeds” he’s been given. Thanks PJ!
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Yes, he will. Great lesson!
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What a heartwarming beautiful story.
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Thank you, Jacqueline, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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A lovely and well told story, Joy, with a wonderful life lesson embedded into it. We should all try to make the best of the attributes we have got.
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Thank you Millie, I’m so glad you liked it. Funny, but I find I’m adopting these sayings from my stories without even realizing it. This is the latest one I find myself using — “Okay, time to get up and grind that corn myself.”
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