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The cabin in the trees...

7/22/2020

23 Comments

 
Author  Suzanne Burke  offers another photo prompt and invites readers to respond through prose or poetry. Her “Fiction in A Flash Challenge” image for this week is a tree house. As I thought about the photo, I imagined a child looking out a window, and so my story begins. 

Picture
“Grandma, I see a cabin in the trees.”

“You’ve not seen it before?”

“No. Was it there?”

“Yes. Your granddad built it.”

“He did? Why?”

“When he got home from the Vietnam War, he decided to build a house in the trees.”

“But, why?”

“He said he wanted to be near the birds.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your granddad kept hearing things that he didn’t want to hear.”

“Like what, grandma?”

“Explosions, gun shots, yelling. At first, he’d climb into the trees and sit there by himself.”

“What did he hear up there?”

“The birds. He told me he never heard a bird sing when he was in Vietnam.”

“And, he missed them?”

“I suspect so, but I also think their songs helped him with the other things he was hearing.”

“Can I go up to the cabin, grandma?”

“Well…I guess so. I’ll go with you. I haven’t been up there for years.”

The child grabs hold of her wrinkled hand and walks with her through the grassy field behind the house to a clearing. She brushes aside the overgrowth as she steps onto a suspension bridge. They silently walk across the bridge to the cabin. Once inside, she takes a deep, slow breath. Not much has changed, she thinks.

The child rushes to a pile of papers and picks up an old photograph. “Grandma, grandma. Look what I found.”  

“Oh my. I’ve looked many times for this old picture.” Pointing to the three men in the image, she explains. “The middle one is your granddad. The other two were his best friends. They never came home.”

“Why not?”

“They were killed in the war. Sometimes your granddad thought he could hear them when he sat outside. Shall we go out to the deck and listen?”  

The two walk outside the cabin to the old metal chairs, now covered with mold and bird droppings. Grandma uses her apron to wipe them off.

“This is where granddad sat?”

“Yes. Sometimes I joined him.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Nothing and everything. Let’s be quiet and listen. You just might hear him whisper.”

The child looks over to grandma. She has closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards towards the sky. Following her lead, he shuts his eyes and listens. After a while, he smiles.

“Grandma, I heard it.”

“What, child?”

“Everything.”
trees speak in the breeze
while birds sing nature's glory
be still and listen
​


23 Comments
Suzanne Burke link
7/22/2020 14:27:51

This is such a moving take on the image, Gwen. It touched me deeply. Thanks so much for your contribution, as always, my friend. ❤

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/22/2020 14:31:12

Thank you, dear Soooz. Your prompts are always so thought-provoking. Big hugs... ♥

Reply
Miriam Hurdle link
7/22/2020 19:35:01

This is such a touching and emotional story, Gwen. I love it.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 10:28:20

Thank you, dear Miriam. ♥

Reply
Karen Ingalls link
7/23/2020 04:29:24

Gwen, this is a very sweet story which brought tears to my eyes. I also loved your Haiku poem which was a perfect addition to the story.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 10:29:06

Thank you very much, Karen. ♥

Reply
john howell link
7/23/2020 07:46:13

So moving, Gwen. Your dialogue broght this story to life. Well done.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 10:30:31

Thank you, John. I appreciate the thumbs up. :)

Reply
Jan Sikes
7/23/2020 08:09:02

Oh my, Gwen! This moved me to tears and I got goosebumps. Well-done! Wow!

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 10:31:04

Thank you, dear Jan. ♥

Reply
Jill Weatherholt link
7/23/2020 11:05:07

This is absolutely beautiful, Gwen. Such an emotional piece. Well done! xo

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 11:32:54

Thank you, dear Jill. Blessings ♥

Reply
Mae Clair link
7/23/2020 12:07:02

Gwen, this was fantastic! The ending gave me goosebumps. So very beautiful.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 16:38:11

Thank you so much, Mae. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. ♥

Reply
Vashti Quiroz-Vega link
7/23/2020 15:52:40

What a sweet and touching story, Gwen. I also loved the haiku at the end. Bravo! <3 xo

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 16:38:45

Thank you, dear Vashti. Big hugs!

Reply
Joan Hall link
7/23/2020 16:03:05

This is beautiful, Gwen. And it could hold true for so many Vietnam Vets.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/23/2020 16:39:39

Thank you, Joan. I think you are right about the Vets. They carry a lot on their shoulders. ♥

Reply
Donna Connolly link
7/23/2020 21:27:36

Beautifully written, Gwen. I felt like I was there.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/25/2020 09:15:19

Thank you so much, Donna. Hope you have a blessed day. ♥

Reply
D.L. Finn
7/27/2020 00:19:36

Beautiful Gwen. I loved his answer, everything. Perfect touch finishing with the Haiku.

Reply
Gwen Plano
7/27/2020 08:23:08

Thank you so much, Denise. ♥

Reply
Mark Bierman link
7/28/2020 05:55:11

A heart warming and thought provoking story, Gwen. Well done.

Reply



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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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