Welcome to Tuesday ... Welcome to Tuesday Tales ...
Time for a new story. This one has no title, yet, and has been on the back burner for a few years now. I think I posted one or two excerpts, but I felt lost in the story at some stage, so hopefully with prompts and some feedback I might finish it.
Today's prompt is MIRROR
Enjoy - and feel free to leave a comment. And don't forget to click the link below to go back to the main Tuesday Tale site for more stories by very talented authors.
I couldn’t believe it when I found Grandma’s diary in one of
Mum’s boxes amongst books, magazines, records, and even a mirror, a few weeks
back. It was a bit like a “wow” moment, and I remember staring at it for a
while. A while that could’ve been a few seconds, or a few minutes. Who knows? I
carefully touched it and gently traced the outside before I opened it.
Wondering what I would find, or read, perhaps discover. Then I rolled my eyes,
thinking, for God’s sake, it’s just a
diary.
But it was Grandma’s diary! I think I was around ten or
eleven when grandma died. We flew to Germany for the funeral. It was a big
event, and I met a lot of people who introduced themselves as uncles, aunties,
cousins, and the likes. I had no idea. Well, I was only little. Or young, even though little as well. So Mum hid
this treasure from me all my young life. I’m not ten anymore, as you would’ve
guessed. Yes, I have just turned thirty-one. Lost the love of my life, after we
had been together for about three and a bit years, but most importantly, I lost
my Mum. It took a while longer to accept those news. All of a sudden she was
gone. No, it wasn’t cancer. It was her heart. Bang! One day she was happy,
complaining I still hadn’t settled down, the next day – gone!
I carefully open up the diary and flick through a first few
pages. An old sepia coloured photo falls into my lap. It shows a woman with
long hair. I assume it’s blonde, but it’s hard to tell with the lack of
colours. The woman is smiling and squinting into the camera. She looks
beautiful, even in the old-fashioned daggy clothes. I study the photo and
notice she’s very skinny under the clothes. Her hair is tight up in a ponytail
which hangs across her shoulder. She’s got beautifully shaped eyes and from the
sepia colour I can only assume they’re of a darker colour in real life. Her
smile is genuine and I wonder about the reason is behind the smile. I hold the
photo a bit closer and notice some freckles on her face. I smile. Just like me.
And then I turn the photo over and read in Mum’s handwriting: Hedwig Maria Stein.
It’s my grandma! I turn the photo again and have another close look. Mum always
said I reminded her of Grandma. Especially my eyes. So I assume Grandma had
green eyes like me. I hold my hand over her eyes on the photo and check out Grandma’s
mouth. It’d be nice to think I’ve got full lips like her. And I cannot believe
what I’m seeing. I squint as I move the photo even closer. Grandma even has the
small gap in her front teeth like me. Cool!
Click her to read more Tuesday Tales
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Well done. I can see her doing excatly what you describe. Now, I need to know more!
ReplyDeleteThank you Susanne. Glad you liked it.
DeleteThank you Vicki.
ReplyDeleteHow delicious that she found such a treasure from her grandmother!
ReplyDeletethank you, Flossie.
DeleteCan't wait to find out what treasures are in that diary.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joselyn.
DeleteNothing like an old diary to fill in your family history. And such a bonus to discover you resemble your grandmother. Nice snippet.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jean.
DeleteFun story! I love stories with old diaries. I can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteThank you Trisha. I'm glad you liked it.
Delete