Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Gargleblaster: Progress




 

         Kara raced through the meadow chasing butterflies.  She spent hours picking wildflowers and creating imaginary games.  Life was so easy then.   Twenty years later she stared at the concrete jungle that replaced the fairyland of her childhood as a lone tear fell.





Note:  This 42 word fictional story was written for the Yeah Write Me #170 Summer Series Prompt "Where have all the flowers gone?".


57 comments:

  1. Hmm, nostalgic vibes!

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    1. Mridubala, I am pleased you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  2. A sad story seen so often in so many parts of the world. The price we pay for progress.... :(
    But I am sure there is a better way to think of progress than this. Thanks Kathy for writing about this.

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    1. Beloo, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by and for your comments! ♥

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  3. I hear that said about where I live, which was once open fields.

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    1. theuncheshirewife, it is amazing how quickly things change! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  4. I am with Kara, hate to see nature destroyed for construction of more buildings and malls. Lovely story.

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    1. sulekkha, I am so pleased you enjoyed my little story. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  5. Indeed, the concrete jungle that is erupting everywhere has destroyed beautiful nature.

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    1. Rajlakshmi, it certainly is. It is a good thing we still have parks where nature is preserved. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  6. It's a familiar story that places from our childhood change, but there is something universally sad about nature being replaced with concrete. The bitter part of me thinks that Kara's tear is just going to add to the run-off.

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    1. cynk, I have to agree with you on that one. Not long ago I went past the house my Grandparents lived in. It was so sad. No one was living there anymore and it looked deserted. When my Grandparents lived, their always were rows and rows of flowers and a huge garden. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  7. Seems to be happening all over, so called progress

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    1. Pat, It surely is. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  8. It's sad that all the decent paying jobs are located in the concrete jungle.

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    1. JoJo, thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  9. Aww. I know it's titled "Progress" and it is meant as a commentary on increasing indultrialization but I can also read it as a comment on growing up, maturing, and reflecting on one's childhood free of adult obligations.

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    1. MyOwnChampion, WOW...you got all that for those few words?? Damn. I must be getting better at this!! HA HA HA HA HA I was going for the growing up, maturing, and reflecting on one's childhood angle!! Thank you for stopping by and making me feel much more intelligent than I am for a moment. I am loving it! ♥

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  10. That is exactly how I felt when they put up an apartment complex over a field of bluebonnet flowers! I like your take on the prompt.

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    1. TMW, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  11. I feel that way about my hometown, which was very small and quaint when I grew up and is now filled up with condos and strip malls.

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    1. Marcy, my hometown has changed too. The old neighborhood where I grew up is almost unrecognizable! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  12. The price for development, crisply written!!

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    1. Reshma, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  13. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot!" Here they're putting high-rise buildings on top of those parking lots, so not only do we have no paradise, nobody has anywhere to park to work and live in all these buildings they're putting up!

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    1. Stephanie, great point! Either that or a parking garage and that can be quite the eye sore too. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  14. This is sad, mostly because there is truth to it. It seems we relinquish the joy we experience during childhood to the responsibility of adulthood.

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    1. jannatwrites, very true. Thank you so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  15. Back into the childhood. Yes all the flowers were there.

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    1. habibadanyalbarry, yes along with all those dear departed family members that were such integral parts of our lives once that we figured life would simply stop if they were no longer in it. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  16. Oh, this is a sad reality, everywhere!! :(

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    1. Shilpa, unfortunately it is. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  17. Aw! Hold on, Kara. Let me go get my cement chisel. We'll restore it, I promise! (Love this, Kathy.)

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    1. Crystal, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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    2. Kathy, anyone who can pull off a flash fiction piece in that few words deserves a badge. Seriously. A badge. Made of cheese. =)

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  18. Poignant and universal. This also got me thinking, where have all the butterflies gone?

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    1. ink4lit, they are probably where the flowers are. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  19. I wish I would have taken advantage of the summer more when I was a kid. Now I sit in my office staring out my window, wishing I could just be tanning. Such is life...

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    1. thehalfandhalfblog.com, isn't that the way of it? We never appreciate anything or anyone until they are gone and out of reach. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  20. Maybe she can build a nice flower bed on her balcony! :)

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    1. Jen, now that is a good idea! Thank you for stopping by and for your comments! ♥

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  21. :(
    that is just sad!
    and yea, I haven't seen too many butterflies either! hmm.. :-/

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    1. pixie, this summer since we have put up a new pool we have seen so many butterflies flocking to it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  22. Very true, Kathy.
    Sadly, there are no flowers...
    That's why in my latest post, I have wished for Superpowers...

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    1. Anita, superpowers would sure be nice!! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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    2. True Kathy. Wish we really got superpowers! That would be great :)

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  23. Life can be an experience of extremes. Sadly.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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    1. Rob-bear, it sure is! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  24. Yup. Growing up can surely suck, sometimes. There are many advantages too though. ☺

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    1. Debbie, agree with you 100%! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  25. vishal, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  26. Oh thats sad... And sadly happening so often... Too bad:-( Hope she can recreate that flowery memory somewhere else:-)

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    1. Eli, now that is a wonderful idea! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  27. Nice snippet, Kathy. You need to join our Weekend Writing Warriors hop. We post eight sentences each week and share critiques.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2014/08/weekend-writing-warriors-83.html

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    1. Joyce, that sounds interesting!! I may just have to give it a go. Thank you so much for stopping in and for telling me about it! ♥

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  28. Sadly this is happening around us! :( This was again a lovely write Kathy!

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    1. Aditi, I am not big on change. Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments. I am so pleased you liked it! ♥

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