Final Photo

Posted on by areadingwriter

There’s something missing.

After a slow thorough scan of our almost-two-decade house—“Mom!!!”

The last photo dad has captured before he turned into unrecognisable pieces, is missing! I grew old admiring that heartfelt, solitary moment between the soldier and his dog. Now it’s missing!

“What happened!?”

“Dad’s final shot is missing, Mom!!!”

“No, son. It isn’t. I took it down.”

“What? Why? I tho—.”

I’m too confused to think and speak, while my ageing mom looks so close to tears.

“You’re only two when your dad left for the war. He snapped that photo seconds before the soldier and the dog was blown apart. He actually… survived.  But… he never came back. He looked for the soldier’s widow, found her, fall for her. He left us, to be with her.”

—

Word count: 130

©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Photo credit: Pixabay

In response to Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers (FFfAW) March 15, 2016.

Rules:

  • a flash fiction challenge (stories in 100-175 words or less)
  • each story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end
  • no serial (continuation) stories
  • include a pingback to the challenge post

Thank you for a beautiful prompt, Priceless Joy! ❤

Read more short stories here:

Published by areadingwriter

I read because I write. | I write because I read.

63 thoughts on “Final Photo”

  2. Oh what a surprise. He fell for the wife of the soldier whose picture he was taking! He left his family for her? You want people to have happy lives but you also want them to be just and fair to others in their life affected. This is not always so I guess. I feel so bad for the wife he left, for the child he doesn’t know. Great twist.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Wow this is very powerful and sad. You have a lot going on in such a short story, strong actions, emotions and thoughts! You certainly captured the essence of the flash fiction rules. Well done!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh Deb. Your words just made me smile this wide:
      ^__________________^.
      I am not sure if this has happened in real life as this is just a product of my brain’s what-if’s. But I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. That is really sad. His son always thought he was killed in the war but it was the man he took a photo of. Then, to add insult to injury, his father fell in love with that soldier’s wife and left his family! Great story, Rosema! Quite the twist at the end!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you! Yes, PJ. Really sad and unfair for the wife and for the son. In his quest of making the widow happy, he forgot about how his family would feel. He tried to fix the widow, but he destroyed his own family.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Awww… that’s one of the saddest scenes there is. I wanted to ask a lot of questions. Why would he choose her? What happened in between? What about their love? How could he easily forget?

    But I could feel that the answers would hurt his mom even more. 😦 😦 😦

    Beautiful, sad story Rosema…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those are question I would love to hear answers from him.

      Honestly, I am not sure in anyway if this ‘imaginated’ story do happened in real life. Though I hope it won’t. Because I can never imagine the pain it will bring to a wife.

      Thank you, Maria. And sorry, I have made you sad again. -_-

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I hope it never has to happen to anyone in real life. 😦
        You’re most welcome, Rosema. The picture does entail a sad story. Well told on your end. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  9. It can be odd the way war brings out unrealistic behavior not normally done at other times. It must have something to do with the impermanence of life during war. I like your title and the twists you created with the photo prompt, Rosema. Nicely done …
    Isadora 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Isadora! Thank you so much for your thorough thoughts about war. Yes, I guess the war affected ‘his’ mind resulting him to look for the widow and leave his wife. War indeed has a lot of implications beyond our imagination.

      Thank you so much! ❤

      Like

  14. OMG! I actually burst out laughing! You had me thinking that it’s a tragedy! Then ‘boom’ … I thought he would have died. But he didn’t. He left his wife for another’s wife. He’s utterly sick! I pity both women. Did he fall for the soldier’s wife out of pity? This is a great piece of work! Well done, Rosema! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Rosema, did you and your boyfriend break up? I didn’t realize you have been feeling down. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better. I want you to be your happy and cheerful self! You are a very special young woman that deserves to be happy and have the very best things in life.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Awww. You really out some happy tears in my eyes, PJ! ❤
      I am really really really okay with my boyfriend.
      I've been just so down lately with the pressure of my job. -_- I never realized I am still that fear-full young lady until a big event under my shoulder was given to me. And it drained me. I vent my fear and anxiety through poems… and it surely helped.
      PLUS the words I have been receiving from you! Thank you… really! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Like

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