I had to continue the story I wrote for this week's Monday Mixer about Rosa, the woman hidden behind the curtain. This flash fiction takes us back and explains about the fire...
The cause of the fire was never investigated thoroughly.
They were entertainers on the fringes of society, outsiders
left to determine their own justice.
It was claimed the fire was an accident. A paraffin
lamp knocked over into a baby’s crib. How likely was that to be deliberate?
With maternal compassion Rosa inevitably bent over the fire
only to find the crib empty. The child had already been rescued and was safe in
the arms of his father.
Shrike was hailed a hero.
When a second figure staggered from the flames minutes
later, all attention focused on her.
Rosa alone saw her husband’s look of fury or at least
imagined it scorched onto her blackened eyes.
From that day on she was kept hidden away, obscured from public
gaze behind a curtain, but it was the loss of her beautiful singing voice that
really made the world a poorer place.
Will we find out more of Rosa's story? Well that depends on how future writing prompts inspire me.
Enigmatic Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI do hope the future prompts inspire you. Wanna read more of Rosa's story! :)
ReplyDeleteso many questions... will have to read Rosas last tale
ReplyDeleteBitter and beautiful. Leaves me with the impression that Rosa is hanging between two worlds, unable to retreat back into the first, unsure how to emerge into the next. Love this!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful when inspiration spurs us right into a story? It sounds like perhaps Rosa wasn't supposed to make it out of the fire? I too have questions, so I vote for more of her story, please. :))
ReplyDeleteCan I run over Shrike with a big truck? Can I? He does not strike me as a nice person.
ReplyDeletePatience Marcus - I haven't decided what fate is going to befall this horrible little man yet - but if he gets run over I promise I'll write the scene so you are driving the truck! ;-)
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