Impact by D. Avery
She read about his death in the paper. After twenty years apart she wasn’t notified as a wife would be. After twenty years together she knew that him stepping into the path of a bumper sticker bedecked Subaru was not a random act.
He hadn’t always been a misanthrope and she wasn’t convinced that his time in Viet Nam was entirely to blame for his ongoing issues.
He’d prayed every day for forgiveness for the lives taken and the lives altered and scarred. She wondered, did the activists that’d lined up to spit on returning soldiers lie awake nights?
The Six Sentence Story prompt is “random”. The Weekend Writing prompt is “misanthrope”, in 99 words this week. Thank you Denise and Sammi.
A powerful, moving Six. Heart rending on multiple levels. How easy to judge those whose shoes we haven’t walked in. How simple to not think of how many lives might be affected by a single person’s actions. Agony and suffering walk silent among us.
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Thank you. Yep, sometimes writers have to give voice.
And thank you for being so generous! Double six and then another! And no hangover!
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Oh dear; so good. So poignant. So moving. So many people will never know how those returning felt. This is awesome
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Gulp. Thank you.
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Good question at the end. We all have things to repent of and keep us awake at night.
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Yep. Righteous isn’t always right.
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Powerful!
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Thank you.
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Nicely done, D.
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Thank you Ann.
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Yep. That hit the spot. A powerful piece.
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Thank you.
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Vietnam altered all our lives. Those that went and those that did not. As war always does, continues to do. (K)
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Yep. War causes conflict.
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Great question. I have my doubts.
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I do wonder if those that spat have regrets and remorse for their actions. They forgot that the soldiers returning from duty deserved compassion too. Demonstrate at the capitol, not against those already burdened by their service, a service most were drafted into.
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Yes, it is sad. It seems that our individual rights must be protected but the individual rights of others are not to be respected. There must eventually, I hope, and sooner rather than later, be the realisation that we are all in this humanity thing together and we must respect each other’s rights, not just demand our own. What good is winning if the cost means that others lose?
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You wrote on a topic of great interest to me (I think I’m addicted).
I know a lot about it, what is called “PTSD,” suicide, and failed marriages among vets in general, but especially by in-country Nam vets. Great flash you wrote, but OMG, there is so much more. Nicely done. D.
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Thank you very much. I’m glad as a writer if this rings true, sad as a human that it does.
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Indeed. The human condition is just a bloody chocolate mess, but I keep trying to understand us.
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Dear D,
Very powerful! A novel in 99 words. Multilayered and well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow, thank you.
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Very powerful and sad story!
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Thank you.
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very touching. Guess it applies to soldiers of all countries.
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those of us who lived during that time will recognize your 6 sentences and remember a lot. Good writing does that. thanks.
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Thank you, it’s gratifying to hear this was an effective piece. I am a bit on the young side for actual memories but have certainly heard and read stories. Realizing there’s many sides to a story is a timeless bit of learning.
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