Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Utopian Dreams Writing Challenge #WEPFF *FCA*


Denise and Yolanda over at the "Write, Edit, Publish" blog are hosting a writing challenge with the theme of Utopian Dreams.  Please click the button above to see the full details and a list of participants!

~~~oOo~~~

MY ENTRY

It had been an awful year.

My husband of 37 years had passed some six months ago.  I hadn’t really wanted all the memories of the old homestead but had agreed to keep it in the family, providing our children and their families help keep it up.

So, six months go by and it was either bit someone’s head off for puttering around the ‘sad, old widow woman’ (OLD!) or get away from it all for a while.

So it was that I had touched down in Scotland.  I did not consider myself to be on Scottish soil, however, as my feet had only touched metal, concrete and paving so far.  Yes, I’m a purist that way.

Several hours, and many miles later, I pulled into a little unpaved lot at my B&B lodging in Deen-on-the-Sea.  It was a true village, with nary a traffic light in sight.  I opened the car door, breathing a sigh of relief that I had remembered to drive on the right - er, correct, meaning the left side, of the narrow roads.

I closed my eyes and savored the moment, the feel of Scottish dirt under my feet.  It was almost a religious experience.  I don’t know where I got this powerful yearning for Scotland, but it was there.

As I approached the front door, a sturdy woman of maybe 10 years my senior opened the door wide and greeted me with a smile, “Ye must be Maggie Kennedy from America!  Welcome to Deen-on-the-Sea!  Come in, come in!”  “That I am, Mrs. MacTavish…,” I started.  Mrs. MacT interrupted, “Och, Jean is good enough, Maggie!  We don’t stand on much ceremony here!”

Jean took my soft case and placed it behind the desk before motioning me to follow.  “There’s enough time to put your things up later.  Come and have a cuppa.”  She lead me through a door by the desk and we entered the picture of a small village tea room.  “First one’s included in your welcome package.”

When the bells at the door tinkled, I realized that there was also a street entrance.  The tea woman called out a greeting to the newcomer, “Hey there,  Annie, how be ye and yer Bertie?”  “Tolerable well, thanks, Sally, and I see we have a visitor,” Annie responded, looking from Sal to me.

“Yes, she’s booked into the rooms for a couple’a weeks from the Colonies,” Jean added.

I smiled at the British term for the United States.  I stood, extended my hand first to Annie, then Sal, “Maggie Kennedy from Lexington, Kentucky.”

Annie stood by my small table and I motioned that she was welcome to join me.  She smiled, sat and said, “I thank ye and welcome to our seaside village.  Have ye ever been to that Derby race they have there?”  “Oh yes,” I answered, “My husband and I used to go every year since we were married.”

I took a sip of probably the best tea I’ve ever tasted and swallowed, taking a slow breath before I continued, “This was the first year in 38 that I did not attend.  I didn’t have the heart.”  Jean explained, “Maggie is a recent widow.”

Annie tut-tutted and patted my hand, “Don’t ye worry, Mrs.  I’m sure he’s up in heaven right now, happy to see you chatting with new friends.”

In the next moment, the bells above the front door jingled once again. Was it by pure chance, fore-ordination or careful planning by some dear-hearted village yentas, but in walked a man who could well be on the cover of a Highlands romance book for women of a certain age. I loved my husband with all my heart, and could never see loving another in quite the same way. But I couldn't have called myself alive if I didn't admit my heart started to thump a little faster upon seeing him.

Who would have thought my own healing place would be in a small village in Northern Scotland?

~~~oOo~~~

They've asked that this button be displayed after the post, to give folks a heads up as to how detailed you would like them to be in any comments:


Word Count:  664

26 comments:

  1. LuAnn, what a delightful story. From sadness to potential happiness when a gorgeous guy walks into the room. Hope is always a good thing.
    Thanks for joining us this month for WEP. And thanks for sharing this story which was enjoyable to read. I love your setting and the Scottish accents and the characters. They add a reality.

    Merry Christmas. Happy New Year!

    Denise :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Denise! I appreciate your kind words! Thanks for co-hosting the challenge and drawing that line in the sand so I would actually sit down and write! :O)

      Delete
  2. Moving on. Remembering. And hope.
    This is beautiful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, EC! Sometimes the things we don't want to do are the very things we need to do. Funny, I could say that about writing! *lol*

      Delete
  3. Hope is such a powerful healer. A charming story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Olga. I am feeling very encouraged for my first participation in the #WEP challenge!

      Delete
  4. What a wonderful, loving, and engaging story. I enjoyed reading it. It shows that hope never dies and that life not only goes on, but for those who are opened to new adventures, life is willing to catch them up.
    Have a very Merry Christmas and a beautiful walk over into the new year.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat Garcia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind comments, Pat! The best times of my life have come when I have been afraid to go outside my comfort zone...but did it anyway.

      Delete
  5. I loved this story. To have a second chance at love is so thrilling and needs to be written about more often!

    Thanks for participating in the WEP Utopian Dream Challenge with this lovely entry.

    Wishing you a joy filled holiday and a prosperous New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for co-hosting the challenge, Yolanda! I appreciate your comment and look forward to participating again in the New Year! :O)

      Delete
  6. I'm glad she has another chance at finding happiness. Hope is crucial to be able to go on. Enjoyed reading, especially the details of the setting.

    Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2017.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nilanjana! All the best to you and yours as well! :O)

      Delete
  7. I love the idea of second chances and the adventure of a stranger in a strange land. You couldn't have chosen a more perfect place than Scotland for this encounter as far as I'm concerned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree on the Scotland question, Lee. It's always my #1 answer to "where do you want to visit most"? :O)

      Delete
  8. You never know when another chance at happiness can show, or where it may show. Like how she went from lonely to a glimmer of hope again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pat. It's like seeing a sign on the highway that says, "Next services XXX miles" where the XXX is a number that has been scratched out. So 'gather ye rosebuds while ye may'.

      Delete
  9. To lose but to win
    how's that for a tail
    I'm betting in Scotland
    you might stay for a spell

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'd love to go to Scotland. That would be a true Utopian Dream for me. I enjoyed your little tale.
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words, Nancy. Luckily, there are several yearly Highland Games within a day's drive. It's not a substitute, of course, but it's a nice option until I can actually get to Scotland. :O)

      Delete
  11. A very nice entry. Great job with this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate your visit! I'm enjoying the writing challenges I find online. It's funny...a couple of years ago I had not even heard the term 'flash fiction'! *lol*

      Delete
  12. I've got Scottish background as well, but have never been there. I liked the ending where things start to look up. Now I'd like to know what happens next. . .does she stay, or does she just have a fling? Well done, you've got us wondering.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All this Scottish goodness! Maybe she'll let us know, DG! ;)

      Delete
  13. Great story of love, hope and even a little romance. I realy enjoyed it. so many were dreams turned to nightmare, while your story was light hearted - sadness and longing turned to hope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Far! I suppose I wrote it to bolster people's spirits...including mine! :O)

      Delete