I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones.
— from Derek Walcott’s, “Dark August”
At Will
God plants seed at will, giving each an ought to live, thrive under whatever circumstances each finds itself in; be it dandelion seed in sidewalk crack or newborn in winter’s drafty crib with sour milk-smelling blanket.
Social services took her from her oxy-addled mother by Spring and into the arms of Matilda, wife of Mr. Armstrong Rivers, owner of the town’s Rivers’ Drugstore, Savings & Loan, and Cadillac dealership. You see, God had deemed Matilda’s womb as a place where nothing should grow.
While Armstrong did his legalized leathered extortions in town, Matilda set about shaping young Iris. Starched collars, straight backs, needlepoint, hymn memorization, locked closets.
On Iris’ fifteenth birthday, an unfortunate accident: Matilda’s crumpled form, neck awry, at the bottom of the basement stairs.
“Given more time, I know I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones,” Iris thinks.
[144 words]
Kim is today’s host at dVerse’ Prosery Monday. Kim has given us the top line to write a 144-word story.
Tao Talk 
I love the way the opening paragraph draws the reader in, Lisa, the comparison of the ‘dandelion seed in sidewalk crack’ with a ‘newborn in winter’s drafty crib with sour milk-smelling blanket’, and how it leads us to the tragic story of a child who not only lost her birth mother to drugs but also her foster or adoptive mother to a tragic accident. I want to adopt Iris myself.
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Kim, thank you so much for your feedback. <3 I forgot to add the song I thought would be good for this story and will add it in a minute. That also reminds me, thrilled you chose a Soundgarden song that I love as part of the prompt <3
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I love Soundgarden, Audioslave and the solo albums Chris Cornell made. Such a loss.
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<3
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Wow…..kind of an Alfred Hitchcock plot for one of his old tv shows. Very dark indeed…..and sure puts the haves and have nots side-by-side and questions which having is best! A dark tale indeed…..with a sinister use of the line at the end! But the insertion of these words “with sour milk-smelling blanket.” add such a human detail. And then the slipping in of the words “locked closets” really tells the tale.
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Lillian, thank you very much for your feedback. The dark line Kim gave us germinated into a tenacious, dark vine.
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Wondrously bleak, Lisa! Gott love Gordo.
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Nancy, thank you <3
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Poor Matilda! I wonder if little Iris gave Matilda a helping shove.
Thanks for making my brain work!
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Nolcha, I appreciate you taking time with the story. <3
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very intriguing reading, Lisa
much♡love
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Thank you, I tried. <3
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Very sensory and sharp, I loved it.
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Chris, many thanks :)
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Oh, my!
Lisa, you wove a novel here! Bravo!
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Ha ha, thanks, Susan. Even I want to know what happens next ;)
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You drew me right in! Great story, Lisa!
Yvette M Calleiro :-)
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Many thanks, Yvette <3
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A great story, Lisa. You leave us with a cliffhanger and a pretty obvious suspect! Great use of the prompt.
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Dwight, thanks so much!
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You are very welcome, Lisa.
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Love the imagery in this Lisa and great use of the line – giving that sinister edge 🙌
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Ange, I couldn’t resist. Thanks so much <3
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I love how this begins. Good one.
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Thanks much, Someone.
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So much in such a tiny space. Very nicely done. Thank you for posting it.
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Goodness gracious. I am sorry for not pressing a button. I did not mean for this to be anonymous. Still this is a lovely piece of prosery!
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WP can be a royal pain with its little hoops it makes us jump through. Thanks again.
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No problem, you’re awesome!
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<3
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Aaron, thank you very much.
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Oooh this is dark indeed. The first paragraph was an excellent set up! The subtle and not so subtle hints revealed along the way were just enough to know there were many more layers of darkness to uncover here.
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Mish, I’m glad you grokked its darkness.
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A very poignant story Li.
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Sadje, thank you. I felt so sorry for this child, who had no say in what happened to her — until she did, and by then it was too late :( Sadje, I’ve seen kids in my old job become driven insane by what adults have done or not done. It’s haunting.
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You’re welcome Li. Yes, I understood that these are some of the kids you’ve seen in real life. A tragic loss
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<3
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this needs to be longer Lisa. Wonderful intrigue. Thanks.
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Selma, thank you :)
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I don’t know Li, given the same set of circumstances- I might have just been singing on of the Hallelujah hymns she had pounded into me….
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:) She will probably go on to form her own church and compose new hymns.
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Very interesting imagery. Also love the quote at the end.
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Gia, many thanks, glad you enjoyed the quote.
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I was reading away and wow, that took a dark turn, wonderful.
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Thanks much, glad I gotcha.
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