Daria startled from sleep, disoriented. She reached out and knew she was lying in dry hay in Volodymyr’s patchwork, yet sturdy shed. Volo had arranged for a boat to pick her up at dawn on the Saksahan, where it would take her to the Black Sea and away.
Her mother, an English teacher, and her father, a physicist, had also been disoriented the night the soldiers threw burlap sacks over their heads and carried them away. Volo couldn’t save them, but he would save Daria and their unborn child.
[100 words]
Note: the character’s names are based on two actual Ukrainian people, Daria Hlazatova, a very good artist, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leader of Ukraine, BUT the story is entirely fictional except that the river Saksahan (a Turkic word meaning magpie) is an actual river in Zelenskyy’s hometown.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the dedicated host of Friday Fictioneers. And today one of my photos has been chosen to write to! Yay!
Tao Talk 
Great story Li! Love it! <3
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Thank you :)
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interesting, theres always ways to escape. Here begins a new escape story too.
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Thank you for reading and your comment, Mason.
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You’re welcome.
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Sad story Li. I hope he can save her.
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Me too!
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💖
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So many people crossing so many rivers at the moment
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Wonderfully done, Lisa. One does what one must to survive.
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Dale, thank you <3
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:) 💕
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I picked a similar theme, as have a couple of others this week. Unsurprisingly, the war is taking over our creative output. Very well done.
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Iain thank you very much. Yes it is :(
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The horrible reality of our days. Ugliness repeated in the name of one man’s insatiable need for power and his dreams of a Gulag Reich.
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Yes :(
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Lovely
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Thank you.
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Your story described well the terror that is happening in Ukraine.
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Michael, thank you.
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Excellent!
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Thanks, Danny :)
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We can’t escape this story. Nor should we. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe.
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1) I now know your real name!
2) Powerful story. I cannot even express my thoughts on what is going on over there.
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Pleased to meet you, Anne :) I know what you mean.
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A timely write, Lisa. Thoughts o th current climate are on many of the writers minds this week. Great names …
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Thank you very much, Isadora <3
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Choices are difficult sometimes.. Nicely done Lisa
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Thank you, Vartika, yes.
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A story for our times. And a great phot this, thank you.
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Sandra, thank you. That was taken “up north.”
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Dear Lisa,
Such a heart wrenching story. It could’ve come off CNN. Wonderfully written and thank you for the lovely photo.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, I see these two figures as representing the creativity and the bravery of The Ukrainian People and feel certain they will prevail. Thank you very much for your support and for choosing my photo today <3
Shalom,
Lisa
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War is hell.
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I hope their escape plan succeeds. A very tragic situation.
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:(
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hope they make it for the sake of the unborn child.
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Me too, thanks for reading and your comment, Plaridel.
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Great story Lisa! True to life now.
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Thank you, Max. I wish it wasn’t :(
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Well done, Lisa. What a world we live in.
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I would love to see the world unite and vanquish this bully sooner rather than later. Thanks, Bill.
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He is not the only one. :-)
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I hope they make it to freedom. Such a timely story, well written and plenty of depth.
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Me also, James. Thank you.
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I’m glad Daria looks set to escape. How tragic though to have lost both her parents. Well penned.
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Penny, thank you for your thoughtful comment. I hope the magpie takes them to safety and that later she finds out her parents are still alive <3
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I don’t know. Volodymyr looks suspiciously close to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
It is such a horrific, heartbreaking scenario over there. I keep saying, “I can’t believe, in 2022, countries are still invading each other.” It is so barbaric, uncivilized, unequivocally wrong.
Thank you for the picture. It was one of those that sparked a story quickly.
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Yes it is. You’re welcome :)
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She’s going to escape – I’m so glad. Such a tragic background to this story. You make the names work very well for these characters; I like how you’ve done that. And the title of your story is great, turning the river into a character too.
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Margaret, thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed the story and I appreciate your feedback.
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I love the title. This story has a lot of hope for such a devastating reality
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Thank you. One at a time…
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