The two women, lifelong best friends, were standing behind the large clock on the mezzanine level of the railway station when Beverly saw tears welling up in her BFF’s eyes.
“Annie, sweetie,” Beverly said, reaching out and grabbing her friend’s hand. “What is the matter, honey?”
Annie sighed. “Standing here, Beverly, I just feel like life is passing us by and we are falling so far behind the times.”
Written for Sonya’s Three Line Tales prompt. Photo credit: Stijn te Strake via Unsplash
Anita found the bundle of letters and old photographs inside the desk drawer of her late mother’s desk as she and her husband were preparing for the estate sale.
January 11, 1917
My Dearest Theodore,
I still am having trouble adjusting to the fact that it is summer down here in South Africa while you are probably knee-deep in snow back home. The sail across the Atlantic from New York took forever and I’m so glad to finally be on solid ground. I can’t tell you how many times the ship’s captain offered up a mia culpa for the rough seas we encountered. But otherwise, he was quite amicable and accommodating.
I just checked into the hotel and it’s less primitive than I expected it to be. I’m going to take a bath, then go to the salon to have my hair done, and then will be dining with a few of my traveling companions.
All my love,
Marie
*****
January 31, 1917
My Darling Marie,
It’s still a mystery to me as to why, especially in a time of such global conflict, that you would embark on such a trip, but you’ve always been a free spirit. I miss you so and I’m looking forward to your return to me in March.
Yours forever,
Theodore
*****
February 21, 1917
Dearest Theodore,
I missed being with you on Valentine’s Day, but I have been having the most amazing time here in Africa. This week I went on a safari into the bush lands and I even rode on an elephant. It was an experience I shall never forget. Tonight our safari tour guide is taking us all out to dinner to celebrate our successful adventure. I’m exhausted, my dear, but I feel that it would not be proper of me to weasel out of that dinner, especially after Nigel gave me a beautiful native talisman.
Until next time,
Marie
*****
March 10, 1917
Dear Maria,
Thank you for sending me those beautiful photographs. You look very happy. Was that man standing next to you with his arm around your waist your safari guide? Is that Nigel? Did you get the photographs I sent to you of all the snow blanketing the city? We’ve had an unusually cold and wet winter this year.
On another note, I’m sure you’ve heard about how some passenger ships in the North Atlantic have been sunk by German U-Boats over the past several months. I hope that your journey home at the end of this month will be uneventful. By the time you return, it will be spring here and we can enjoy all the city has to offer.
Love,
Theodore
*****
April 2, 1917
Dear Theodore,
I know you expected me to have arrived home by now, but I have totally fallen in love with Nigel. Much to my surprise, Nigel has invited me to move in with him and I have graciously accepted. I do hope you’ll understand.
Best regards,
Marie
*****
Marie,
You brazen hussy. I hope you and your safari man come down with cholera or some other exotic disease. Should you ever decide to return to the States, may your passenger ship have a close encounter with a German U-Boat.
Theodore.
Written for Paula Light’s Three Things Challenge, where the three things are salon, mystery, and elephant.
Also for Teresa’s Genre Writing Challenge, where the writing genre is Epistolary Fiction, or stories constructed as a series of letters exchanged between characters, based upon the image at the top of this post.
Also for these daily prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (mea culpa), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (amicable), Ragtag Daily Prompt (weasel), and Your Daily Word Prompt (talisman).
Welcome to March 28, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.
I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).
Today’s word is “amicable.”
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.
And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.
