This weeks Friday Fictioneers writer’s challenge is the following photo prompt! The goal, write a short, flash fiction story that is 100 words or less! For more information on how you can be a part of this fun weekly writing challenge click on the link above. As always thank you Rochelle for offering a weekly opportunity for writers to improve their writing skills. The photo prompt (thank you Scott Vanatter with permission/copyright- Indira) and my offering today:
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My Gift to You
As a tree my gift to you, I give daily. The beauty of varied and colorful appendages, cloaked and uncloaked during the seasons of change. Branches you climb, games you played, love you carved, memories you’ve accumulated from childhood to present day. My gift to you has always existed, a richer cleaner air for you to breath. My gift to all living things, shelter for lodging, food for nourishment, and recreation for playing. My gift to you is gentle.The shade on a sunny day. The shelter from stormy weather. My gift to you has always been.
Your gift to me …
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Penny L. Howe, 2013
The Why About This 
It will not be wrong to infer that this humanity is due to trees but do we give back to the trees as we take. I think not. Incredible thoughts by you. God bless you. Also, thank you for visiting my blog. Do visit again please
Thank you very much. And I will visit you again, I greatly enjoyed your words and your wisdom, thank you for sharing them with others! Right now I’m on a rather tight deadline re: getting a book completed and the draft to the publisher, hopefully my time will free up soon! Thank you for coming by and commenting, I do appreciate it!
Thanks again. Wish you towering success in your endeavors.
Thank you very much. Best of wishes to you also!
Thank you very much. Best of wishes to you also!
Just like “The Giving Tree,” your story powerfully captures the beauty and wonder of a tree giving so much … and then getting whacked in the end. A moving story you have written.
Thank you very much, I am flattered and honored by your comparison!
This happened in our town.
I’m so sorry to hear that this happened to you and your community.
Penny a great message like yours only comes from a gentle soul. Excellent.
Tom
Thank you Tom. I am moved by your compliment. I do write what I feel inside. I guess sometimes it comes out stronger than other times. Again, thank you.
What an impact this post made on me. I too love trees, in every season.
Thanks LuAnn. Those words were really just hovering there waiting for me to express them! I know you understand that! 🙂 xx
Haha. Yeah, that just about sums it up, doesn’t it? I grew up in the woods, so trees are my buddies. Climbed them all the time. Thanks!
I also grew up in the woods. I’m glad trees are your buddies. I still do (climb them that is!) Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Dear Penny,
There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said. Running around playing catch-up. 😉 Beautifully written. Poignant and I loved the impacting visual ending. Well done.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle, I think sometimes words just come out the way you want them. I love when that happens. The picture, well just couldn’t help myself (I know you know what I mean)! Again thank you for your fulsome compliments, Penny 🙂
Very thought provoking!
That stump at the end – hits hard.
Thank you. I meant to make a point. It succeeded better than I had thought it would!
Yes it really worked well!
Penny your words are beautiful, so poetic. The image at the end felt like I was looking at a murder scene, it was so shocking! Very powerful and very effective piece. 🙂
Thank you very much, the photo was a difference approach. It worked a little bit better than I thought it would though. 🙂
Your story made me want to swear but I won’t, not on here anyway. Punch in the tummy this sort of thing.
Thank you for commenting on my story!
Very well told. I love the contrasts of the two pictures.
Thank you David!
Lovely story – but now I feel really cruel, just for being a human.
I want to be a tree!
Thank you – I want to be a tree too. Just imagine how wise they must be, and they can live (hopefully) a long time! 🙂
Great writing. It flowed along and then such an impact with the picture at the end.
Thank you, don’t you find that sometimes a picture can sum up what we’re feeling?
Very sad, and I see it happen all the time. Cutting down of old trees in the name of progress. I really liked this.
Thank you very much Björn.
Just fantastic Penny ~ touching and your choice of words… beautiful and heartfelt — and my favorite – the ending! xo much love to you angel lady! R
Hi Robyn, I think the ending photo was my version of a thousand word essay. Thank you sweet and dear friend. much love to you, xo
Stunning conclusion to the story! What a wonderful idea, a visual ending. Truly “showing, not telling”!
Thank you Jan. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!
You condensed Shel Silverstien’s ‘The Giving Tree’ into 100 words.
Cities need trees too, officials just need to be aware of how fast something grows and replace it when it gets diseased or to big for the space.
In one of the places I lived a tree’s roots on city property destroyed our sewer looking for water. It seems the city planted the tree and then forgot about it. Then told us we couldn’t take it down. It was found that the aged tree was diseased so it did get taken down, not by us. There needs to be places where growth is diverse as well as staggered in stages so that the removal of one tree doesn’t devastate the landscape.
Thanks for your visit.
HI Jules, thank you so much. That is a huge compliment comparing my words to the brilliance of Silverstein’s well known children’s story. Your thoughts re: conservation of trees are excellent ones also, thank you.
WOW!!! Had to share this…just WOW
Thank you boomie! 🙂
Looks like your poor tree was doubly cursed–first by the hardscape which blocked the water from its roots; secondly, by the chain saw which toppled it. You presented your sad message well.
Thank you, very much!
Really good story that makes you feel guilty at the end! I’m going to try and write something for this picture too for tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes..!
Thank you, good luck, hope all goes well for you!:)
Wow that powerful. Seeing that sawed off tree trunk really got me.
Thanks Trinity, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!
Quite a heavy punch in the end. The truth does hurt though.
Let’s go hug a tree. That’s more fun!
xx 🙂 🙂 xx
I’m with you RoSy! Between us we could hug a pretty big tree trunk! 🙂 xo
Penny,
Excellent! What an indictment. This is heartbreakingly well said. Did you ever read the children’s book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein?
Thank you Honie.Yes I have read the children’s book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. I cannot read it without crying either! 🙂
outstanding.
Thank you Indira!
Ouch! You speak the truth and we will – are – paying for this. And we won’t learn the lesson.
Sorry … about the ouch that is! and yes and yes, well only ‘maybe’ on the second yes. I stay hopeful ann, I really do. Thank you for caring!
You have to have a positive attitude, it’s true. I think it has gone too far to fix, except by miracle. I absolutely believe in and have experience of miracles. 🙂
Thank you Ann. Your last comment has made my day. Just hearing one person (and I know there are really lots more out there) say she believes in (and having experience – me too) miracles is most excellent! 🙂
A very late response. Sorry! Miracles=Love. Love makes the world go round, not money! We really ought to hear about miracles more often. Ann
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Wonderful, Penny. That’s all that needs to be said. I hope the third picture would be of a seedling planted by someone (or lots of seedlings.)
janet
I agree with you janet! Thank you for caring!
Oh my! That takes the image to a whole new level and stops you dead in your tracks.
Thanks Lyn. Sometimes an image can do what the written word doesn’t, sometimes anyway. Thanks again for stopping by and commenting my friend! 🙂
I love the truth in this. There’s so much strength in your message and I hope that we can stop to listen.
Thanks Deana, I also hope it has some small impact. I believe in little steps of positivity every day. Just little ones, to help us move forward to a better world! Again my thanks for your sincere and caring comments!
A great story Penny,very well done
I really enjoyed reading this
Dee
Thank you Dee!
Wow Penny! That was so beautiful. I read it twice. I’m glad Alastair re-blogged this. Hugs Paula xxx
Thanks Paula. It might seem like I have rather strong views on that subject. Well, okay, I do have strong views on the subject! I sincerely appreciate your compliment and caring regard for what I was writing about! 🙂
It felt peaceful and loving. I adored it. Hugs xx
Thanks, I felt those hugs. Returning some to you ((hugs))!
Great piece Penny.
Thanks Emmy, much appreciated coming from you! 🙂 xx
Well deserved… and you give me way too much importance. 🙂
I believe you and I feel the same way about trees. I’ve never met one I didn’t like. 🙂
Yes, we do indeed feel the same way emmy! Thanks for caring and for being you! 🙂
Reblogged this on Alastair's Blog and commented:
I don’t normally blog Friday Fictioneers, but this one has a very powerful message in it.
Ouch!
Brilliantly put Penny. I think this is a very powerful message, so I am going to reblog it.
Thank you Alastair. And thank you for the reblog! 🙂
It is a well deserved very real story.
AnElephantCant hide his admiration
Penny hits the nail on the head
He writes a short story
A search for small glory
While she says what needs to be said
Thank you. There are those things I do have rather strong opinions about. I’m guessing that shows up here pretty clearly! Thank you for your lovely compliment, it is very much appreciated by me! 🙂 xx
Right on the button this one… outstanding…
Thank you bulldog so very much. Sorry it took me a while to get to your interview. I am currently finishing up a personal written project and the publisher is politely nudging me to expedite! I am here, however if you need to run any other ideas by me, as always, your dear friend, Penny 🙂
Oh no, that’s so sad.
I know. It is so hurtful for me to know there are sustainable solutions to the planet’s human growth/economic factors, but powers that be seem not to be heading in that direction! Sigh, I hope for more change there.
a powerful message. a great piece.
Thanks kz!
amazing piece.. thoughtful words 🙂
Thank you for your generous compliment! 🙂
That was very powerful. It reminded me of the gift that the boaters on the Canal du Midi and the Garonne convey on the diminishing stock of plane trees edging the waterways. By tying their ropes to trees, banging into the roots that line the bank and carving their initials on their trunks they pass on ‘chancre colere’ which is untreatabe. Well done.
Thank you Sandra. I am honored to be even considered with these passionately caring boaters!
Penny this is simply delightful and thought provoking. I’m not a ‘go a hug a tree person’, but I do value them, their sustenance, their joy and what they can produce and how they help us in our every day lives and it is sad when much older trees are cut down. Enjoyed your words.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I’m not a tree hugger either. But I will admit to being a science “nut” with some concerns regarding deforestation and the (as a result) dying of so many important living creatures needed to maintain a balance of the planet’s natural ecosystem. especially when there are now better ways to meet our building and energy needs. Again my thanks for your visit to my blog! 🙂
What a lovely piece and such a surprise ending. Well done. 🙂
Thank you Susan, some may think I have some concerns about deforestation on the planet. They would be right! Hopefully, gentle messages can make a gentle difference in mentality about the future and our responsibility. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Very nature conscious. You did what I attempted to do with mine. Excellently done.
Thank you, very much!
Lovely. Too beautiful for words. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Lora, a pleasure for me to do so. Thank you so stopping by!
Reblogged this on little box of books and commented:
Lovely trees! Surprise ending!
I cried!
Me too, while I was writing it. Thank you liz. Special thanks for the reblog my friend!