February 8 – Flash Fiction – Fireweed

09 Feb 2018 33 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Charli’s prompt this week:

February 8, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes fireweed. You can use it as the plant, a flower, a metaphor or as the name of someone or something. Go where the prompt leads. Burn bright when you write.

“It’s hard to believe the carnage that happened here a short while ago.” Olivia looked around at the bombsite where once her home had stood.
Across the whole area, pretty purple flowers grew, giving the destroyed street a hazy filter.
“That rosebay willowherb has just taken over. It’ll take an age to clear it up too, before we can even think of rebuilding…” Janet sighed.
“Fireweed… that’s what they call that, across the Atlantic, where I’m from.” Chuck, the GI who had befriended them at the dance the night previously, said. “It sure loves a bit of burned ground!”

 

I’m not great at researching pieces, often just going where my mind takes me with prompts, but with this one, I had to do a little reading first, as I didn’t know much about fireweed, and other than cracking a joke about fire and wee… my imagination was coming up with nothing! Apparently, fireweed was rife where the bombs had razed parts of London to the ground, during World War 2.

https://carrotranch.com/2018/02/08/february-8-flash-fiction-challenge/

33 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Trackback: Fireweed « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

  2. Charli Mills
    Feb 14, 2018 @ 21:28:41

    Congratulations on writing a historical flash fiction! I find research can be inspiring, too. I like how you connected the US and UK versions of what the plant is called.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Norah
    Feb 13, 2018 @ 11:03:31

    Interesting story, Ritu, and I like the way you effected the communication across the waters.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. robbiesinspiration
    Feb 13, 2018 @ 04:33:48

    Great idea, Ritu.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. syl65
    Feb 10, 2018 @ 22:38:02

    Learned something today Sister!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. explorereikiworld
    Feb 10, 2018 @ 20:29:30

    Loved the take!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. pranabaxom
    Feb 10, 2018 @ 15:02:03

    Learned something new. Otherwise I would have thought the same as you suggested – weed that you fire up and exhale not inhale like Bill Clinton😊. Now how does one exhale without inhaling?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    Feb 10, 2018 @ 12:07:20

    Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. dornahainds
    Feb 09, 2018 @ 23:23:09

    Excellent! 😎😎😎😎😎

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Jennie
    Feb 09, 2018 @ 21:54:14

    I learned something here!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Infinite Living
    Feb 09, 2018 @ 21:54:01

    Very nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Erika Kind
    Feb 09, 2018 @ 20:37:25

    Amazing take, sis! Thought-provoking!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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