Selena in Sepia
When Frankie left, the color drained away from the world, taking with it all meaning, and Selena lived in a chocolate brown existence, dark as an old sepia tint photo, until spring when sunlight warmed the earth, tiny green shoots emerged, and she shook off the gloom and lived anew.
This is my story for the current 50-word short story challenge. The prompt is “chocolate.”
For this story, I wanted to capture that feeling of needing to find light again after a period of darkness. I am not sure what percentage of people experience this, but I suspect it is more than we think. Especially after a break-up or loss of a loved one, deep sadness or depression can linger and feel like a bland color, or even colorless-ness, surrounding us. But after working through grief, usually we find that the light returns like the change of seasons and the new growth of spring.
Another thing I attempted with this story (as I’m sure you noticed), was to write the entire piece in just one sentence. It was a fun exercise, but perhaps ill-advised. “Kids, don’t try this at home!”
Thanks so much for reading. I look forward to your comments.
