This 97 word story is for the Friday Fictioneers prompt.
PHOTO PROMPT © Marie Gail Stratford
She sat by the door though the wind had risen, tearing the leaves, yellow and dry, from the trees. She had waited since the first crocuses flowered in spring, and the air turned mild and warm. He had said he would be back with the roses, so she waited through the summer while the blackbirds sang and the trees spread shady branches. She waited as the first berries grew red in the hedge and the geese flew south. She waited until the last petals fell on the last rose, and she closed the door to her heart.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
Really love the imagery here!
Thank you!
Sigh! I feel for her.
Your beautiful story read like poetry to me. Loved how you described her long wait.
Thank you, Moon. Some women seem to have spent their whole lives waiting.
there is a sense of loss in the image, isn’t there?
The rose is so emblematic of summer, when the petals fall, it signifies the end of something pleasant.
Many of us have interpreted the photograph as embodying loss and tragedy and you did this so well Jane. A lovely walk through the seasons towards her locking her heart – really lovely
Thank you 🙂 We have always had old-fashioned roses. They are the best, the most scented, but they only flower once. Here, they flower early and by May they’ve all finished. I hate knowing that the roses are over.
Yes, a good old fashioned rose that smells lovely, is good for pollinatirs and lasts all summer – that would be ideal 🙂
We just have to accept that roses aren’t like mobile phones—they can’t do everything 🙂
Terribly sad, beautifully written.
Thank you, Iain 🙂
A dark moment in someone’s life. So well told.
Thank you, Michael. I suspect it was quite a common occurrence.
There is so much sadness inspired by this image in so many of the stories. We don’t like things to end.
That’s very true. Especially not the roses. There is so much symbolism riding on them.
Beautiful poetry in your writing – I loved this story.
Thank you, Jilly 🙂
Dear Jane,
I love the imagery but find myself hoping she can move past this disappointment and find someone worthy of her loyalty. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you, Rochelle, I’d like to think she closes the door and opens a window.
Awww, so beautifully expressed.
Thank you 🙂
There is only so long one can wait. Methinks one tour of each of the seasons is more than enough. Time to open another door.
This was beautifully written, Jane.
Thank you, Dale. Some people wait a lifetime. But you’re right, even one tour of the seasons could be too long.
For me, anyway 😉
🙂
Beautiful
Thank you 🙂
I pray she did not throw away the key 🌹
Some do, some don’t. I hope she had a second chance.
Yes I’d like to think so💜
🙂
Of course we know we should never just be waiting, but it’s sometimes hard to override the hopeful heart…I too wish for a fresh start to her life. Planting new seeds. (K)
We have a great capacity for hoping despite all the signs that tell us there isn’t any.
We do. Over and over.
I think it’s a hallmark of humanity.
Like a prose poem, Jane. So sad, but I also hope, like Kerfe, that she plants new seeds–and something beautiful grows from them.
I’d wish that for her too. No one should have their emotions controlled by someone else.
Closed the door of her heart. Oh dear. That is so sad, when there are so many others who might be able to open her heart. I’m hoping she grieves, but then blooms anew in the spring 🙂
You’re right, hope blooms. Maybe there will be someone else 🙂
Wonderful flow to this one, so beautiful and sad, and then the perfect ending. I’d like to think it’s a hopeful ending: closing her heart to the man who never returned is the first step to opening it to someone else.
Exactly right. You can’t pass from one to another as easily as changing your shoes, not unless you are completely fickle and unemotional.
Well put.
Elegant. Beautiful description. Perfectly judged flow. Well-rounded story. Strong conclusion. Lovely writing, Jane. I hope your MC is prepared to unlock her heart if the right person can offer her love.
Thanks Penny! I hope she is too, but it’s never a dead cert, is it?
Awwe, that was so beautifully written, but so sad.
Life is sad often. I’m glad you liked it though 🙂
You showed time passing so well through the seasons’ effect on the flower.
Thank you, Alicia. The passing of time is marked by the opening and falling of flowers.
So many are waiting in vain… this describes a harsh reality for too many
It is. Waiting on circumstances beyond our control.
Beautifully written and so sad. I love the poetry and the detail.
Thank you, Sascha. I can’t believe we’re going to make a good job of ruling the planet.