“What’s it like?”
“You don’t remember? It’s only been a year.”
“No. I really can’t remember. Except that it used to hurt all the time.”
“I don’t hurt.”
“You don’t always feel the burning of the air in your lungs? Your heart banging away inside your chest and never getting rest? All the acid churning in your stomach? You don’t feel all that?”
“I don’t. I’m too busy touching things, smelling things, feeling the grass under my feet like now. I don’t pay much attention to the stuff you mention.”
“I miss it. Even though it hurt, I miss it.”
Thanks to Rochelle for using my photo. I took this at a church graveyard in Red Hook, NY . I wasn’t aware of the figures when I took the picture. It was only when looking at it later that I saw them.
Dear J,
Opposite ends of the afterlife spectrum. Well done and thank you for the wonderful photo. Seemed appropriate for this week.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Really moving. I think I’m going to need my tissues for this week’s stories.
I love how you did that. Subtle and well-crafted. As a side-note, are you sure they were really there when you took the photo? ;-)
A moving story to go with a remarkable photograph. Well done.
Thanks for the pic. Lovely.
Clever piece of writing – love the two sides of the conversation.
Thanks, J. for the great picture that I’m sure will lead to many interesting stories this week. Thanks for the literary look at the other side. Well done. — Suzanne J.
odd and eerie.
Thanks for the picture this week and your interesting story.
Beautifully written. Your picture was definitely thought-provoking and appropriate for today.
Interesting picture. I too didn’t notice the figures at first. The ending was beautiful.
Great take. It’s quite a magical photo. Maybe they weren’t there when you snapped it and then later appeared in your photo. Thanks for sharing it here.
Lovely piece. Great dialogue. Thanks for the photograph.
[…] response to the photo prompt kindly provided by J Hardy Carroll and the hosting by Rochelle who invites us to write a flash of no more than 100 words and link […]
Oh, this is so profound! I love it.
when you love someone, you never forget them. nice job
Ghosts in a churchyard – lovely.
Thanks for the photo. It was one of the more difficult I’ve tackled. Great dialogue in your piece. It gives one plenty to think about.
Great piece. In time I guess we’ll all forget in the same way.
An excellent piece. Thanks for your inspiring photograph.
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That is a really neat photo J Hardy. Even more cool what you didn’t see when you took it!
Lovely, but really spooky that you didn’t see them until after you took the photo. Quit chilling, but what a wonderful prompt!
Nice take on your own photo! Thanks for the photo. It is chilling that you did not see the two figures when you took the photo, but only after. And now you have breathed life (and after life) into them.
I like “death” as seen from two different individuals, two points of view. Thans for a wonderful picture, too.
I’ve read it as a living person speaking to a ghost/dead person. And I’d miss walking in the grass, too. Thanks for the picture, what an interesting story to go with it. Sneaky little ghosts. ;)