Below would have been my offering for week 88′s Trifecta challenge word, which is ‘band’ except I didn’t use it as a verb – whoops! Too much rushing, not enough time and reading on a smartphone! As you will see from the relevant blog post, the challenge is to write between 33 and 333 words of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose, based on the 3rd definition from the Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary. This week the 3rd definition of ‘band’ is:
– to gather together: unite <banded themselves together for protection>
Here’s my offering below – I hope you like it! Please check here for the other entries!
I’m going to leave this piece as it is though, since it means a lot to me.
*****
– Interwoven –
The sisters stood, arms slung around one another’s waists, motionless in the soporific heat of the summer dusk.
They had done it. They had reached the end of a day which at its start, none of them had secretly thought they would achieve – not without falling by the wayside, not without splintering with exhaustion and despair.
In the middle of the triumvirate stood the eldest, uniting them all. Battered by the implosion that had threatened to shred them all to pieces, she felt old, so very old, as the sun drowned itself in the evening sky. She knew that grey hairs had silvered her dark mop in the past few weeks, that new lines had etched her once-smooth forehead.
Badges of honour, she thought.
Despite everything, despite the tearing at their flesh as they had said their goodbyes, she felt a tiny glint of happiness deep in her chest. She had regained her sister after all these years. She had found a bond with a step-sister she had hardly known, not until recent weeks.
She imagined a band of bright steel, sparkling in the now violet gloom, linking the three of them together. Their separate pasts had made them who they are. Their united futures would honour the man they had each loved in their own, unique ways.
She raised her eyes to the stars above, grasping the lifeline of her sisters a little closer.
Thank you, Dad.
Freya Writes... 
Your story is certainly about banding together in the face of adversity but, I am not sure if you used “band” as a verb in your story. If I am mistaken then, feel free to bang my head with a hammer but, my gut says you might want to check it out just in case I am correct. 🙂
You’re probably right – but the story is important to me (as it is a mixture of sad fact and poetic licence), so I’m not going to change it – since I’m also in the middle of moving home, I also don’t have time… Thank you for commenting though 🙂
No problem. 🙂 Your story is wonderful and heartfelt and, at the end of the day, that is what is important. Good luck, in all regards.
Good luck with the move. Where, if I may ask?
Still in the same town, still by the sea, even in the same building…! 🙂
Nice!!
This is a wonderful piece…even if you used the wrong definition. Glad you posted this!
Thank you, Bryan! A happy accident, perhaps? And I did write it on the train at early o’ clock this morning!
I’ve done the same thing…not wanted to change something because of what it means to me personally. I re-read it after the ending. It changed for me again. Lovely piece! Happy you linked it up and good luck with the move. (Yuck!)
Thank you, Gina! Yes, for me the important thing in this case was that this got written. I take part in Trifecta to practice my writing… Not to win! Thank you for the good luck wishes…!
I loved this.. Every descriptive, wonderful piece of it… Whether you used it correctly or not I feel honored that you wrote it and shared it with us.
Good luck with the move and thank you for the words. (and the linking) 🙂
Thank you, Kir, that’s very kind of you to say so. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Beautiful. Very well written.
Thank you!
This was a beautiful story. The last line, thanks to her dad, was great.
Good luck with moving. It is a time-consuming process 🙂
Thank you, Janna. And thank you for the thoughts on the move. 🙂
What a lovely story, and lovely tribute. I empathize, in many respects.
Thank you, Lorri. It’s a mixture of fact and fiction (poetic licence?).
I find it a beautifully written piece with lots of wonderful imagery. ‘She knew that grey hairs had silvered her dark mop in the past few weeks, that new lines had etched her once-smooth forehead.’ – is one of my favourite lines!
It is also a superb tribute of course and one to be proud of!
Thank you – it’s interesting to know a reader’s favourite lines! I am quite proud of it, even if I didn’t meet the Trifecta mandate this time aorund.
Yes, I had seen the comments about the Trifecta mandate and could see why it did not matter to meet it but I wanted to wait until I was back to comment since I seem to have a knack for spelling mistakes or silly comments when I type on the phone.