Here is this week’s entry into the weekly challenge brought to us by the lovely Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Here are the rules: Use the photo as inspiration, write a hundred(ish) words – and share! Here goes my offering for this week – and I welcome your comments again!
– History Lesson –
“Is this it, Grandad?”
“Yes, Tommy, this is it. We climbed up to the roof with buckets of water and bags of sand, and waited.”
“For the, the –“
“The Luftwaffe, that’s right.”
“But why did they want to firebomb the church? It’s not very important!”
“Ah, well. There was a big factory next door. That’s what they were after.”
“So, did they sometimes make a mistake?”
“Yes, so we had to stop the church burning down.”
“But why, Grandad?”
“Well, me and your Grandma wouldn’t have been able to get married here. Where would we be then?”
“And she wouldn’t have been buried here either, Grandad!”
“No, lad. Shall we take her these flowers, then?”
*****
Click the blue froggy to read other writers’ offerings – and enjoy!
Freya Writes... 
Dear Freya,
This is a nice slice of life and is indicative of how fast the time slips by.
Aloha,
Doug
Thank you, Doug. Yes, the sands of time do trickle past exceedingly fast.
Dear Freya,
A poignant moment between grandfather and grandson. Nicely written.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you, Rochelle. It was a much longer piece with back-story, more detail, etc etc. I like how these word limits push us to strip that out (even if it proves to be a difficult task at times!).
Nice one! A lot said through dialogue. Were many buildings bombed in Britain during WW2?
Thank you. Yes, particularly the major towns and cities, places where there were important railway line junctions and harbours, and as I mentioned in this post, where important industrial sites were based. London, Coventry, Birmingham, Liverpool and the south coast ports such as Portsmouth and Southampton were particularly hard hit. My grandad was in a reserved occupation but took his turn sweeping incendiary devices off the top of his factory and the local church.
Lovely story Freya. Captured that piece of history so well.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Nice story. You painted the scene very well; I can picture it in my head.
Thank you, Dave. My grandad did some duties up on various buildings during World War Two, so I had him in my mind when I wrote it.
a lovely story. well done 🙂
Thank you, kz.
A lovely story. Kudos 🙂
Thank you!
That is sweet. You brought out the child’s voice; innocent and curious. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I was communing with my inner child (who seems to be a boy, lol!). I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
Very nice vignette, darling. Quite touching.
Now that’s a word that needs to be used more often ‘vignette’. Thank you 🙂
Sweet little slice of historical fiction with a personal touch. Nicely done.
Thank you, Jan.
Nicely written moment between grandfather and grandson, with good dialogue!
Thank you, Lorri. The men who were forced to stay at home (like my grandad), need to be remembered. They risked their lives an defended their country just as if they had gone away to war.
I agree, wholeheartedly!
What a sweet kid, that Tommy!
Yes, that’s what I wanted to show. Thank you!
Lovely!
Thank you, Sandra!
It’s gentle, bitter-sweet. Moving. Those memories are disappearing fast.
Indeed they are – I’m pleased that you were moved by it.
Ah, that was a very sweet story. I just finished reading Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life, and, although this isn’t what the book is really about, it was one of the best evocations of wartime England I have ever read… Your story fit right in, a lot of death, and a lot of youth…and often a lot of dead youths.
Now that’s a book that sounds like I should add it to my very long to read list. I have a bit of an addiction to novels set in that period. I’m glad my little slice of life fitted in with your mood. Thank you for popping in!
What a great summary of a life in only 100 words… nice to see that life goes on.
Thank you, Bjorn. Life does indeed, go on.