(Photo Credit: Joy Pixley)
“For a desert to bloom, willpower needs to meet love”, the words of Ash reverberated in Venky’s ears. This year the summer was particularly harsh. The sun seemed intent on bearing down on anything and everything that moved and shook on Mother Earth. Venky did not mind this much because it was keeping in tandem with his current state of mind. Anger tinged with anxiety; hopelessness mixed with hurt.
The blazing sunshine neither roused a cheer in him nor scalded him. While no brightness was potent enough to dispel the darkness of the soul, no heat was powerful enough to brand a scarred one either. As Venky mechanically went about watering, trimming and weeding the rough outcrop at the ranch, yet another favourite quote of Ash assailed him, “the merits of society can only be appreciated from the outside-in.” This was her logic underlying the move to buy the ranch and live ‘Off-grid’.
Her enthusiasm was infectious, her effervescence contagious and her exuberance transferable. She was the tide that could lift all ships. But she was also a roiling hurricane that could wreck. And wreck him, she did.
Now, for Venky, while willpower was in abundance, there was no love.
(Word Count: 200)
Written as part of Sunday Photo Fiction. Write a story of around 200 words based on the photo prompt given (above). Hosted by Susan Spaulding. For more details visit HERE.
To read more of the stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
13 comments
Oh, Venky, so melancholy. What must we do to cheer you? Perhaps if the thunder-cloud opened and the desert should bloom?
Regardless, I like the story.
Ha ha! Thank you so much for the concern. Just trying my hand at a genre which I was skeptical of employing my hand at. Will shift to the more cheery type soon.
And this is confusion, for your protagonist is also Venky, and it wes to him (primarily) that I was referring, Though I wasn’t sure how much your protagonist’s mental state was a reflection of his creator. And thus, by extension, I referred to you.
Does that make sense.
And if it was a form still experiemental for you, then I will say you’ve gone some way to mastering it. 🙂
All I can say is that you are extraordinarily intuitive. The protagonist and its creator are both sailing in some troubled waters as we converse.
I send you good, supportive vibes. 🙂
Always! Harbinger of hope! 🙂
Well, my daughter used to call me a multi-coloured octopus. Which is pretty close to a rainbow!
Ha ha ha!
Not what I expect when I drop in, but very well handled none the less..
Thank you so much!
With Venky’s willpower and Ash’s love they can do miracle.
Thoughtful, melancholy, philosophical. Venky’s mood and feelings as a reflection of weather is something I am familiar with. The drought of his soul will one day end.
Thank you so much!