This is the third, the first being Crunch, and the second being Plugged, all written as Six Sentence Stories, the weekly prompt hosted by Denise at GirlieOntheEdge. Head on over to share your six sentence story that uses the word ‘milestone’.
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Mom never said too much when we were both boxing, especially when we fought against one another, but now she’s practically my publicist, promoting my matches so she can promote my brother, updating the press and the fans as to his condition, telling them, “He’s off the respirator, breathing on his own, a milestone, but still in the fight of his life.”
The papers loved her and her unwavering faith that my brother would emerge from his coma, her belief that he would recover, but they also loved the story of how he got there, beaten unconscious by his little brother in a boxing match.
Mom downplays that as much as she can, says things like, “He used to fight with his brother, now he fights for his brother,” and I go along with Mom’s brotherly love story, get in the ring as often as I can to try and help out with the medical bills.
My matches sell out, packed with people hoping to see me lose my temper again, hoping to see me beat another man almost to death, but the fans have been disappointed. I, who was leading in my division, am fighting like a third rate amateur, not hitting hard enough, letting my guard down; I haven’t won a match since putting my brother in the hospital.
Mom listened to the fight in my brother’s hospital room, but she doesn’t say anything about my latest loss; she’s too full of news about him, claims he smiled, another milestone.
Oh, how often we wish we could take something back. Well done!
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Thanks! Yeah, he’s lost his nerve now, so his brother wins again.
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Hindsight 2020. Not a campaign slogan, just a fact . Good one
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“Not a campaign slogan,” you say–but I bet it will become one!
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Oooh, Miss D, this is very deep and dark.
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Miss Robbie, I hope you read the trio. Just a tale of sibling rivalry.
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ah! ‘the sweet science’*
Very powerful Six.
Boxing is, imo, a good example of cultural evolution. Unfortunately the majority, at the present moment in our culture, does not appear to notice the stench and gore that’s an inevitable result of wearing badly tanned animal skins.
* I really just wanted to use the expression, not exactly ‘and then he turned’ when it comes to writing practice.
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Not sure what I think of boxing. Seems a hard way to make a buck. Jack London seemed to know a thing or two about it, it recurs in some of his stories. This is just a small tale of a younger brother whose older brother is always egging him on and telling him he “let him win” when they compete.
Thanks for coming by.
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This is a compelling (ongoing) story. Difficult to read, yet easy to read. Well done! Has “armchair easy” written all over it 😀
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Not quite sure what armchair easy is, but thanks. I never know that a story is going to continue when I write the first, but here we go again. I appreciate the prompt and the visit.
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Great portrayal of emotions that had me at ringside.
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Thanks. I appreciate your coming by for a read.
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Oooh, dark. I will go read the companion tales to get the whole thing now!
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Cool. Thank you for all the reads!
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How sad!
I’ve been behind on my posts to SSS and on my reading of other SSS posts. I just sent back to read Crunch and Plugged. Will we be reading more about these two brothers? I could see these being the start of a book, and not necessarily one about boxing.
My dad used to love watching the Friday night fights on TV years ago. It wasn’t my cup of tea.
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Hi Pat! Yes, it is hard to keep up with everyone some weeks. I am gratified that you went back to read the entire trio. None of this was or is planned, but at this rate I wouldn’t be surprised if the story continues. All depends on the prompts!
Thank you for coming by.
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Excellent addition, that stands well on its own. This aspect of boxing, even when the two contenders are strangers is difficult to swallow.. Very well done.
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Thanks. I think it speaks well for this character that he is disappointing his fans, that he is no longer able to focus on landing punches after his anger got the best of him with his brother.
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I’m always amazed at the various directions the prompts lead writers. You do a great job engaging the reader!
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I am very glad if that’s true. You may remember the previous episodes. Thank you for dropping by. It is truly appreciated.
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