Walton's Mountain
“It’s been fifty years. Why did we wait so long?,” says John Boy to himself.
To his right, Mary Ellen is softly snoring in the passenger seat.
His responsibilities as English Professor at Princeton, his commitment to caring for Mary Ellen after the accident; marrying his one true love, raising their children, and losing her to cancer has kept him far away.
He understands at a rational, logistical level, but his soul is starving for home.
The highway curves and he sees her, his family’s mountain: strip-mined, denuded of life. He punches it to 100 and makes a sharp turn.
[100 words]
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao-Talk 
Sad but realistic story ❤️💔💜
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Maggie, yes it was. Thank you.
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Seems you can never go back
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Maybe he’ll be back there again but in heaven?
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That definitely took a unexpected turn.
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I’m sure it was for John Boy.
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he’d know that nothing stays the same. he had moved on, and so had the place he called home. only memories remained, lingering for as long as they were remembered.
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I’m sure he expected some changes, but not that extreme. Maybe he can get back to it in heaven…
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Hi Lisa,
Did you take a break? I read your story after a while.
I liked this piece, there’s no feeling like HOME. :)
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Surabhi I took the month of May off. Thanks for reading and your comment.
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