Thomas Charles Henry

The place where my writing lives.

The Garden – Friday Fictioneers

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Thomas Charles Henry

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Time for another Friday Fictioneers entry. The challenge is to write 100 words based on a weekly photo prompt chosen by our host Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Check out her blog for more information by clicking here. Thank you to all who take the time to read, like or comment.

2016 04 08

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

The Garden

Going home wasn’t an option, too many questions waited for him there. He was on his own.

Taking great care not to be seen, he made his way back to the place they’d first met. It looked different now, sort of empty and lifeless. Diggory shivered. He regretted teasing Ava about the fairies. He regretted a lot of things. He’d give anything to see her again.

Overcome by a weight of responsibility more than his 12 years could bear, Diggory sank to his knees and wept: his bitter tears landing in the dust of the garden where no fairies played.

30 responses to “The Garden – Friday Fictioneers”

  1. davezart Avatar
    davezart

    love it

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Thank you!

      Like

      Reply
  2. wmqcolby Avatar
    wmqcolby

    Awww. Sad. Well-done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. neilmacdon Avatar
    neilmacdon

    I loved the “garden where no fairies played”. It condenses so much

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Thanks. I enjoyed writing that line. Glad you enjoyed reading it!

      Like

      Reply
  4. creatingahome Avatar
    creatingahome

    This is sad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Graham Lawrence Avatar
    Graham Lawrence

    Young love. Very poignant.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. rochellewisoff Avatar
    rochellewisoff

    Dear Thom,

    You told us a bittersweet story of regret in so few words. Achingly well written.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Thank you Rochelle. Very kind!

      Like

      Reply
  7. Sandra Avatar
    Sandra

    Very moving. And beautifully done.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar
    Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    Sometimes heartbreak come early… I cannot help but think about Narnia when you use the name Digory… but I thought he was attached to Polly..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Hi Björn. Because of my intended genre there is a touch of a homage to C.S. Lewis (and J.K. Rowling) with the use of the name Diggory. However mostly I chose it because it is said to mean ‘lost one’ which seemed to suit my character very well. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  9. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    So much left out, yet so much imaginary give to the reader.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. IfeomaO Avatar
    IfeomaO

    Reminded me of the bridge to terabithia…I enjoyed the way you told this story.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Thank you! I haven’t read The Bridge To Terabithia. I might have to now!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. spicedmullings Avatar
    spicedmullings

    Loved it! Profound in its simplicity

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. mickwynn2013 Avatar
    mickwynn2013

    Great stuff and very moving

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. jellico84 Avatar
    jellico84

    Oh, love it, in a sad way. What a story about the passing of childhood fantasies. So sad, indeed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Snow's Fissures and Fractures Avatar
    Snow’s Fissures and Fractures

    Beautiful and heartbreaking, you painted his pain so well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. ansumani Avatar
    ansumani

    The regret of a young soul is well captured here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Dreamer of Dreams Avatar
    Dreamer of Dreams

    Oh, I was deeply moved by this story, and the endless regret of your protagonist. Poor kid. That last line, “Overcome by a weight of responsibility more than his 12 years could bear, Diggory sank to his knees and wept: his bitter tears landing in the dust of the garden where no fairies played,” just slew me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Wow, thank you! That’s great feedback!

      Like

      Reply
  17. gahlearner Avatar
    gahlearner

    That’s so sad, and beautifully written. I wonder if he’ll ever see Ava or the fairies again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thom Carswell Avatar
      Thom Carswell

      Thank you! I hope he will. The prompt inspired me to return to a Narnia-esque fantasy story I began creating in my head when I was 19. I got a bit muddled with where I wanted to go with it and as a result never wrote a single word of it until now. Perhaps it’s worth revisiting again.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. gahlearner Avatar
        gahlearner

        I think it is definitely worth it, it is an intriguing scene that brings up many questions.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. madamewriter Avatar
    madamewriter

    Faeries have a way of bringing life and hope. I sure miss believing in them. Great story!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. jwdwrites Avatar
    jwdwrites

    Very good story that left me curious about Diggory and also about what happened to the girl. I hope she didn’t do anything stupid. I also thought of The Magician’s Nephew, as I have recently finished reading the chronicles of Narnia to my eight year old son.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. heidibusbybrown Avatar
    heidibusbybrown

    Beautifully written, I felt his pain! Fab take on the prompt 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  21. patriciaruthsusan Avatar
    patriciaruthsusan

    This tells something about the difficulty of growing up when you realize there aren’t fairies. The girl was probably a poetic type that liked to think fairies existed even though she knew better. Diggory, like many boys, sees things in a realistic way and hurt her feelings. His home doesn’t sound like a welcoming place so he doesn’t know where to turn. It’s very sad. Well done, Thom. —- Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. Murder – Friday Fictioneers – Thomas Carswell

    […] The Garden – Friday Fictioneers […]

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