Watermelon

danger & forgiveness: no one without the other

this is a very, very successful flash piece, I'd say. So much going on & revealed in just one paragraph.

fave

Thank you kindly, Elizabeth.

Kathy...this is splendid. Seems like you have been inhaling the potent smoke of childhood's most important flush. I love all of your writing. I think I'm going to cool it on submitting to fictionaut. Want to learn from you and others. This is so wonderful. Fav. PS: Reminds me of camping in Big Sur. Later, people died.

D'Arcy thanks. And you're a wonderful writer. Promise me you'll write about this: "Reminds me of camping in Big Sur. Later, people died."

Your chapbook is must - This is a great piece, Kathy. A touch of James Joyce here - "tapping your fist on your palm while I called you names, telling you I never liked you anyway, ugliestworstmosthorrible brother ever." A wonderfully compressed piece. This works well.

Oh you're too kind always, Sam. Appreciate it.

Beautiful flash. The lvoe we hide behind unkind words, the ones we take for granted. Peace...

oh yes, uh huh

Thanks for reading, Linda and Gary.

Whoever said Joyce hit on something. Dubliners Joyce, of course. The quality of recall, seemingly nuetral but somehow haunted with personal meanings something like nostalgia, also regret. Beautiful.

I'm having trouble expressing the impact this story had on me. The tension here is immediate. Raw. Like the icicles and the make-believe impending deaths, and it keeps building, then the bottom falls out. Except it doesn't because it's equally strange at the end: the placid eating: watermelon. In the dark. Very weird and good story

So, this is what siblings are. Love/hate/love/hate/love. It's not mystical, it's not even blood, it's worse.

Thank you, Susan and James. I appreciate your kind words about this story.

Wow. This is the best of flashfic and poetry mixed together. So powerful and precise. Awesomely nice.

That's a huge compliment, Susan! Thanks very much.

Stunning, Kathy.

Aw, thank you Kari!

I love this. The voice in this is exceptional, conveying a sort of tension that's at a knife point, then you give us an unexpected, delightful ending!

Hey, thanks for reading this one, Christian!

Very effective writing - all image, character & event with no sense of trying, no attention drawn to the writing itself.

Exactly what I want to hear, George. Thank you very much!

Nice and powerful right to the ghostly end.

thanks, Darryl

wow- really lovely, Kath. the images and the all together adjective of the worst brother ever.

aw, thanks Tiffer!

you made to push me over the edge, but grabbed me around my waist before I fell.

to me, that's it right there, the essence of sibling relationships -- nailed and gorgeous.

Thanks so much, Sara!

Yes, yes. Melts in your mouth. But the seeds, the seeds!

Indeed. Thanks for reading this, Jack!

What a touching and true story of a relationship. Wonderful.

Thanks, Kim!

Fav. Nicely done, Kathy!

["'til" is precious. "Till" is preferable. "Until" even less obtrusive.]

This is just beautiful, Kathy. Thank you.

Thanks so much for reading it, Andrew!

You are the undisputed Master of The Micro! Brilliant writing.

Aw, huge compliment that, Ramon. Thank you very much.

so happy you have a book coming. big big applause.

Thanks, Donna! I'm excited.

oh, I remember this one! Always thought it was wonderful. How great to read it again.

thanks, Meg

Wow Kathy! And can't wait to read your chapbook. Yay!

Thanks kindly, Jeanne!

I really enjoyed this piece. And it never changes... the push-pull, love-hate between siblings. Wonderful ending.

Thanks, Cherise!

This is really wonderful.

Thanks, Lori!

Put simply, I honestly treasure every single word of this.

Wow, Sheldon, that makes me very happy. Thanks!

yes, wonderful in every way. very excited for the chapbook, KF.

Oh, thanks so much for reading this, Julie and for being excited about my chapbook. I am too. :)

I remember this one from QF. Excellent piece. Can't wait for the chapbook.

Hey Ravi, thanks so much for rereading this and the kind words.

I can see this in my head so clearly and I can feel it, too:

"...we looked up and saw you at the table, eating watermelon in the dark."

Potent story. It says so much in so few words.

Thanks so much, Melissa!

Somebody must have quietly faved this one recently, but I don't know who it was. Thank you kindly!

Kathy, I just fav'd it, too, as it floated on the newsfeed -- almost silently. I like this story. *

Ann, thank you so much!