“You said you’d follow me anywhere,” he yelled out above the roar. She stood there shaking. Obviously he didn’t understand the meaning of hyperbole!
Her parents had warned her. Her stodgy father mumbled “He’s a fly-by-night.” Her mother wrung her hands and kept repeating “He’s not good enough for you.” But she loved him. So she followed her heart.
It was romantic at first. Driving cross-country in his converted VW van. Lying on the hood looking up at the stars. Then he got this ridiculous idea. She didn’t think he meant it literally for God’s sake! Who really runs away to the circus??? But here she was. Sequined tights, gaudy tiara, leather grips on her hands. No one left and no one came on the bare platform. It was her turn. And there he was, hanging upside down swinging on that damned trapeze!
Sarah is hosting Prosery Monday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets. However, we’re not writing poems today! Prosery is the use of a given line from a poem, word for word, within the work of flash fiction which can be no more than 144 words, sans title.
Sarah’s line which we must use within our flash fiction is “No one left and no one came onto the bare platform.” it is from Edward Thomas’ poem Adelstrop.
Pub opens at 3 PM Boston time. Come join us!
Ha ha ha! That’s great, Lillian! What a dilemma. She needs to get right down from there and get herself a sensible man. I love the foreshadowing of “fly-by-night” – very smart.
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Glad you caught that fore-shadowing! It was a fun one to write! 🙂
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Oh… at least I hope there is a safety net somewhere there below. Escaping with a circus is the thing parents warn you about.
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As the story was always told in our family, every time my Aunt Helvie got pregnant, my Uncle Bob ran away to the circus. But he always came back … not sure if before the births of their 4 children or after each one….but that was the family lore. He was my godfather and I loved his silly ways dearly.
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I love the direction in which you took the prompt, Lill, with the platform not on a railway station but one for the trapeze artists to stand on! It reminded me of the film ‘Trapeze’ with Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida. I love the irony of her father’s words, “He’s a fly-by-night”!
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Thanks, Kim. Glad you enjoyed….I was bound and determined to have fun with the line because at first it resonated in a more darker side. Yep….the fly-by-night was deliberate 🙂
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I used to want to join the circus! Glad I didn’t! The girl in this story needs an upright man, view I mean.
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Hah! Yep….she never dreamed following him would entail climbing so high and taking a flying leap – literally! 🙂
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Ha ha! She’s making some wonderful memories to look back on and smile.
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Glad you enjoyed….I had fun writing this one!
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Excellent use of the prompt. Like Kim, I could see Burt Lancaster hanging on that trapeze, or many other Circus movies.
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Glad you enjoyed, Glenn! I was determined to take a fun slant on the line….Never saw the movie you and Kim mention. Actually, I’ve always hated circuses!
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Your ending gave me a good laugh. Love has not rational sensibility! I loved it!
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Always happy to hand out laughs….especially in these turbulent times. I was determined to take the line in a lighter vein….so glad you enjoyed.
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Thank you …it was great!
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Made me laugh out loud Lillian!
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Excellent! That was my hope! 🙂 Especially with the last line.
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That’s an awesome write. Makes you think about your words and promises, don’t it?
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Oh yeah…………………”Obviously he didn’t understand the meaning of hyperbole!”
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We can all use a few smiles these days. (K)
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Always happy to hand out smiles. I was determined to take the line on a lighter note….so glad you enjoyed!
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Thanks for the giggle, really appreciated. I loved the twist.
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Always happy to hand out giggles and smiles….especially in these turbulent times. Yep – I was hoping that damned trapeze would bring a smile! 🙂
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Love it! And as for the ‘fly-by’ … oh boy … 😉
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So glad you enjoyed!
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Oh dear! Your skill to twist a rather sad line to an funny tale is beyond my comprehension! Definitely a great one, Lillian!
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THANK YOU! I was determined to take the line into a light-hearted story…had to think on it a while. But so glad to bring folks some smiles — especially in these turbulent times!
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you did it, darling! you did it so well!
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Hilarious take 🙂
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So so glad to make some folks smile today! 🙂 We definitely need a few giggles these days!
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Very entertaining story 😊
Much🌼love
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So very glad you enjoyed! 🙂
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