One Shot: Hope in the Dust: A Story in Two Parts
Title: Hope in the Dust: A Story in Two Parts
Characters: OCs - Muniya, unnamed cabdriver
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Warnings: dustiness
Word Count: 927
Summary: Two short stories that compare and contrast the same theme of finding hope in difficult situations. Two women, two countries, two decades.
Notes: I'm going through all my old documents and posting any stories with merit that I find. This one come from my college creative writing class junior year. That class sucked so much. This is one of the few good things that came out of it. This idea came from a picture in our book of a poor woman sitting in the street in her child in a Mediterranean-looking country.
Disclaimer: Characters DO belong to me, are my own creations, and, therefore, are copyright to me. Any use, personal or commercial, is against the law... and will make me ANGRY.
Part One: Terra
Terra sits in the street, little Speranza clasped in her arms. The sun of molten gold hangs low in the orange sky, and long shadows weave their way through the busy streets. Everywhere vendors are packing up their goods and lowering their makeshift canopies. The heady scent of flowers drapes in the air without wind to move it along. Until the sun dips behind the distant hills, the atmosphere will be thick until the Mediterranean breezes blow in from the sea.
Lazily, Terra watches the hurried people before her as she pushes a mass of thick, black curls off her damp forehead. As she shifts her daughter in her lap her dusty feet move against the cobblestoned street. Their feet are hard from rubbing against the worn stones. Speranza lays her hot head against her mother’s neck and sticks a dirty finger in her mouth. Looking down at the girl, Terra’s face creases with a slow smile.
Her life has been very hard. At the age of fourteen, her parents threw her out of their house for committing an unforgivable sin. She remembers the bitter tears and hurt that never seemed to leave her. For so many years, she has regretted her choice, but over time she has pushed it aside. She has to look forward for her daughter to thrive. Every day she works at the factory trying to create a better life for her child.
Terra sighs gratefully as the sea breeze finally cools her face. Speranza jumps up, and Terra watches her, smile still on her face. Speranza is her hope, her future, her life. She will never know what her mother has sacrificed for her. Terra’s purpose is to make certain that her daughter never has to bear what she went through as a young girl. Her brow furrows as she loses herself in the past, but her daughter’s voice brings her out of the pain.
“Mama, guardi il fiore!” Speranza points excitedly and clutches her patched yellow dress with her other hand. Terra looks to where she is pointing and sees the tissue paper-like flowers of a bright, pink bougainvillea. The deep, rich pink petals tremble in the light breeze, contrasting against the white-washed building.
Terra stands on the rough street and smiles at her daughter, “bella, no?” Speranza grins in agreement and runs back to her mother. Their hands clasp, and Speranza pulls her mother along the cobblestoned street towards home.
Part Two: Anne
Head high, Anne walks along the newly-paved road grasping Janie with one, tired arm. Her purse hangs limply from her shoulder, and she carries a heavy suitcase in the other arm. A hard wind swirls the dust against the pale blue sky. The late summer sun beats down mercilessly on the flat landscape of dry crops and weeds. Finding solace in the cooler air, a hawk drifts listlessly far above. Sand fills her boots and gets in their eyes. Biting her cracked lip, she blinks the stinging sweat out of her red-rimmed eyes.
Anne has been walking for five miles now, coming across only dead fields and abandoned farmhouses. Finally giving up after years of faithful service, her Model-T broke down in the vast nowhere of Kansas. She had stared helplessly at the engine for a few minutes while Janie played in the dust on the side of the road. They had plenty of gas, but the sputtering that had been going on for the last few hours finally ended the life of her old car. With nothing else to do, she grabbed one of the suitcases and her purse with her last few wrinkled dollars. Her daughter walked beside her, doll clutched in her hand. Half a mile later, Janie had to be carried and her head rested against her mother’s shoulder.
Blinking back tears that came from the sun, Anne thought about her past. One morning as she made Janie breakfast, her husband told her the whole world had crashed. Her own life soon followed along. He lost his job, they lost their house, she lost her husband, and with its one final groan, she lost her car. Now the tears were making streams through the dust on her face, and she blinked them away impatiently.
She doesn’t want to cry. When her whole world leaped out from beneath her, she didn’t cry. Now as her feet rub against her dirty shoes, grief overwhelms her on she only wants to sit down and weep. Little Janie squeezes her tighter around her neck and she feels so heavy. The suitcase is dragging her arm down. Yet her feet never stumble. Her stubbornness is the only thing moving her forward.
A mile later she sees the hazy outline of buildings ahead. She prays that this town is not empty, and that she can find a place for her daughter, and maybe help for her car. As they get closer, her steps quicken, and she sees people in the town and a car pulls out of a driveway. Janie feels her excitement and lifts her head, blinking in the sunlight. “Ma, look at those pretty flowers!”
Anne smiles at the sunflowers, a sign of life beside the grimy road. “I see them, love. Aren’t they beautiful?” Finally, in town Anne carries Janie for the last few steps to a diner and sits inside. A waitress quickly brings them water and she sends a man to tow the car into town. Tears of gratitude welling in her eyes, Anne leans back against the chair and rests.
Note:
“Mama, guardi il fiore” means “Mama, look at the flowers.”
“Bella, no?” means “Beautiful, no?”
Terra is an Italian name, meaning earth, Speranza is an Italian name, meaning hope.
Characters: OCs - Muniya, unnamed cabdriver
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Warnings: dustiness
Word Count: 927
Summary: Two short stories that compare and contrast the same theme of finding hope in difficult situations. Two women, two countries, two decades.
Notes: I'm going through all my old documents and posting any stories with merit that I find. This one come from my college creative writing class junior year. That class sucked so much. This is one of the few good things that came out of it. This idea came from a picture in our book of a poor woman sitting in the street in her child in a Mediterranean-looking country.
Disclaimer: Characters DO belong to me, are my own creations, and, therefore, are copyright to me. Any use, personal or commercial, is against the law... and will make me ANGRY.
Part One: Terra
Terra sits in the street, little Speranza clasped in her arms. The sun of molten gold hangs low in the orange sky, and long shadows weave their way through the busy streets. Everywhere vendors are packing up their goods and lowering their makeshift canopies. The heady scent of flowers drapes in the air without wind to move it along. Until the sun dips behind the distant hills, the atmosphere will be thick until the Mediterranean breezes blow in from the sea.
Lazily, Terra watches the hurried people before her as she pushes a mass of thick, black curls off her damp forehead. As she shifts her daughter in her lap her dusty feet move against the cobblestoned street. Their feet are hard from rubbing against the worn stones. Speranza lays her hot head against her mother’s neck and sticks a dirty finger in her mouth. Looking down at the girl, Terra’s face creases with a slow smile.
Her life has been very hard. At the age of fourteen, her parents threw her out of their house for committing an unforgivable sin. She remembers the bitter tears and hurt that never seemed to leave her. For so many years, she has regretted her choice, but over time she has pushed it aside. She has to look forward for her daughter to thrive. Every day she works at the factory trying to create a better life for her child.
Terra sighs gratefully as the sea breeze finally cools her face. Speranza jumps up, and Terra watches her, smile still on her face. Speranza is her hope, her future, her life. She will never know what her mother has sacrificed for her. Terra’s purpose is to make certain that her daughter never has to bear what she went through as a young girl. Her brow furrows as she loses herself in the past, but her daughter’s voice brings her out of the pain.
“Mama, guardi il fiore!” Speranza points excitedly and clutches her patched yellow dress with her other hand. Terra looks to where she is pointing and sees the tissue paper-like flowers of a bright, pink bougainvillea. The deep, rich pink petals tremble in the light breeze, contrasting against the white-washed building.
Terra stands on the rough street and smiles at her daughter, “bella, no?” Speranza grins in agreement and runs back to her mother. Their hands clasp, and Speranza pulls her mother along the cobblestoned street towards home.
Part Two: Anne
Head high, Anne walks along the newly-paved road grasping Janie with one, tired arm. Her purse hangs limply from her shoulder, and she carries a heavy suitcase in the other arm. A hard wind swirls the dust against the pale blue sky. The late summer sun beats down mercilessly on the flat landscape of dry crops and weeds. Finding solace in the cooler air, a hawk drifts listlessly far above. Sand fills her boots and gets in their eyes. Biting her cracked lip, she blinks the stinging sweat out of her red-rimmed eyes.
Anne has been walking for five miles now, coming across only dead fields and abandoned farmhouses. Finally giving up after years of faithful service, her Model-T broke down in the vast nowhere of Kansas. She had stared helplessly at the engine for a few minutes while Janie played in the dust on the side of the road. They had plenty of gas, but the sputtering that had been going on for the last few hours finally ended the life of her old car. With nothing else to do, she grabbed one of the suitcases and her purse with her last few wrinkled dollars. Her daughter walked beside her, doll clutched in her hand. Half a mile later, Janie had to be carried and her head rested against her mother’s shoulder.
Blinking back tears that came from the sun, Anne thought about her past. One morning as she made Janie breakfast, her husband told her the whole world had crashed. Her own life soon followed along. He lost his job, they lost their house, she lost her husband, and with its one final groan, she lost her car. Now the tears were making streams through the dust on her face, and she blinked them away impatiently.
She doesn’t want to cry. When her whole world leaped out from beneath her, she didn’t cry. Now as her feet rub against her dirty shoes, grief overwhelms her on she only wants to sit down and weep. Little Janie squeezes her tighter around her neck and she feels so heavy. The suitcase is dragging her arm down. Yet her feet never stumble. Her stubbornness is the only thing moving her forward.
A mile later she sees the hazy outline of buildings ahead. She prays that this town is not empty, and that she can find a place for her daughter, and maybe help for her car. As they get closer, her steps quicken, and she sees people in the town and a car pulls out of a driveway. Janie feels her excitement and lifts her head, blinking in the sunlight. “Ma, look at those pretty flowers!”
Anne smiles at the sunflowers, a sign of life beside the grimy road. “I see them, love. Aren’t they beautiful?” Finally, in town Anne carries Janie for the last few steps to a diner and sits inside. A waitress quickly brings them water and she sends a man to tow the car into town. Tears of gratitude welling in her eyes, Anne leans back against the chair and rests.
Note:
“Mama, guardi il fiore” means “Mama, look at the flowers.”
“Bella, no?” means “Beautiful, no?”
Terra is an Italian name, meaning earth, Speranza is an Italian name, meaning hope.