So here’s the prompt for today’s prosery. The line I want you to include in your prose/flash fiction of 144 words or less, sans title, is “I wandered lonely as a cloud”.
Grandma’s Song
Veva walked along the sandy shore, kicking stones, searching for sea glass. She recalled the days, as a child, where colors would sparkle under the bright sun, illuminating bits of glass smoothed by the crashing waves and sandy bottom. Now though it seemed to be such a rare find. This Veva could not understand, with all the litter in the worlds’ oceans. But still she walked, silently. Watching a gull fly by she thought of a song her grandma used to sing to her on those walks on the beach…
I walked along the sandy shore I wandered lonely as a cloud I found my way back to my love
That was all Veva could remember of the words but she could still hear her grandma humming the tune, as if her voice was being carried by the waves back to her childhood days.
It was time to find out what sort of cigarettes Grandma smoked. Her birthday was just the right occasion. Most times she would disappear into the garden to have a quick fag so no one would ever see her packet of smokes.
This time we were well prepared. We set up the cake and the dining room looked a treat as befitting a one hundredth birthday. All the family were present and unbeknownst to Grandma, all had those disposable cameras ready for the occasion.
Out from the kitchen the cake appeared bedecked with the 100 candles all alight and placed before Grandma. Everyone sang Happy Birthday with gusto and all of a sudden instead of blowing out the candles, Grandma whipped out a cigarette and of course as everyone was singing and clapping, no one took a photo prior to the cigarette lighting.
Bhaba if you have been here between us, you would be celebrating your 100th birthday next year.
We would’ve been lucky people to have you around. Bhaba though you’re no more with us physically, I assume you are present with us in your purest form in the minutest existence possible.
I can sometimes feel your angelic presence whenever I go to my parents’ place.
It was a lovely and lively place then. I now miss you more than ever. Any elderly lady reminds me of you. In their smiles, the way talk and get irritated or irritate(just some times) the way they walk doubled but with self confidence… I see you.
They asked her what her secret to a long life was.
She smiled and said it was honest living, a sherry before bed, the love of a good man, and her twenty a day habit.
To the cheers and chorus of Happy Birthday, she leaned forward and lit her cigarette of the day.
As they put her to bed, she chuckled to herself.
‘What’s the joke?’ her carer asked.
‘Nothing really, except I’m only 99!’ 74 words.
Granny said, “I know that I promised that I would quit smoking when I reached 100, but I figure that since I didn’t have my cake yet, that I could enjoy one more cigarette. I started smoking in 1930 when I was 8 years old, and it hasn’t killed me yet. I was not able to legally purchase tobacco at that time, but I used to filch, pilfer, or steal some from my parents, when they weren’t looking. They smoked Luckies and I made some Lucky Strikes on their packs of cigarettes.” I laughed and wished her a happy birthday.
Written for Stine Writing – Poetry, Positivity, and Connecting!, Simply 6 Minutes hosted by Christine Bialczak.
*****For any participants that do NOT like restrictions, please feel free to participate in any way you would like. It is great to read the contributions!****
Set up a timer or sit near a clock so you can keep track of the six minutes you will be writing.
You can either use one of the prompts (photo or written) or you can free-write.
Get ready and write for 6 minutes, that is it! Can you write a complete story? Can you think of a new Sonnet? Can you write 400 words? 400? 500? There are no restrictions on what kind of writing you do, but you should try to be actively writing for six minutes.
After you are done writing, include your word count and then post back to this page #Simply6Minutes or include your link in the comments section. Pingbacks are enabled.
*Feel free to leave your work completely unedited. I believe it is good to see, especially for new writers, that even very seasoned writers don’t write a perfect first draft.*
Have fun, challenge yourself if you’d like, read and respond to others’ posts.
Grandma, you shouldn’t be smoking in the first place and now, if mom sees you she is going to flip out!
Listen, I am celebratin’ my hundredth birthday. I think I earned lighting my cigarette using a birthday candle. Your ma is gonna have to suck it up!
Grandma, why do you think you lived to 100 even though you still smoke?
Well, dahlin’. My lungs were all charred up all those years ago. There ain’t nothing that is going to make them worse now. I’m just lucky. God picks your time and you go with it. Ain’t nothing else you can do about it.
Well, my friend Emma’s grandpa died and she said it was because all he did was smoke cigars.
That’s the problem right there! There ain’t no filter on a cigar. And those things stink. No wonder lungs don’t want to work anymore after having to smell those nasty things. I’m just glad your grandpa never picked up liking cigars. I don’t think I could have dealt with that. They stink.
Mom says that cigarettes are worse. She said the smell gets in your hair, and your clothes, and even your walls! She said that if you smoke all you’ll get is cancer and yellow teeth. Smile, Grandma, do you have yellow teeth?
Oh dahlin’! My teeth are yellow from all those years drinkin coffee
Stine Writing 
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