Friday Flash Fiction
  • Home
    • About Friday Flash Fiction
  • 100-Word Stories
  • Longer Stories
  • Poetry
  • Authors
    • A-C
    • D-F
    • G-I
    • J-L
    • M-O
    • P-R
    • S-V
    • W-Z
  • Submissions
    • 100-Word Submissions
    • 500-Word Submissions
    • Poetry Submissions
    • How to complete the Entry Form
    • Writing Good Flash Fiction
    • Contact FFF
    • Appeals/Feedback Request
    • Technical Stuff >
      • Terms & Conditions
      • GDPR Compliance
      • Duotrope

Perspective, Resilience and Dandelions, by Miya Yamanouchi

4/12/2020

 
Picture
“Life is a perpetual fucking struggle, even to get out of fucking bed,” said Holly, one of the three millennial women sitting cross-legged in a circle on the grass in the gardens opposite their university.

“You’ve been through so much Holly, you’re a fighter, an inspiration,” Carly replied, squeezing her hand.

Aliah caressed a yellow dandelion with her long tan fingers. She’d always been told she had ‘piano fingers’, elegant and lithe. She loved the piano, its sound and presence. They’d had one in the house that her mother played, but she was the only one allowed. Aliah never understood it as a child, why her mother refused to teach her how to play and forbade her from getting lessons. As an adult it had become clear.

Holly continued. “If I didn’t have all these shit things happening to me all the time, I’d be happy. I just need life to give me a fucking break.” She glanced at Aliah. “Like you Aliah, everything always goes so well for you.”

“Life’s about choices. I consistently choose happiness.”

Holly narrowed her eyes. “So my misery and suffering’s my choice?”

Carly, the eternal fence-sitter intervened. “Aliah, I do hear what you’re saying, but I also feel your comment to Holly was maybe kinda invalidating?”

Holly’s chin climbed the air. “Aliah, always full of smiles and fucking sunshine.” She reached for her cigarettes, chin still elevated, eyeing her. “Guess it’s hard having compassion for me, when nothing’s ever gone wrong for you.”

“Holly’s dad’s abusive and her boyfriend’s violent and yells,” Carly began, spending more time looking away than at either of them. “Holly’s resilient, struggling with all that and still facing each day.”

Holly’s father, who still paid all her bills including rent in a brand new city apartment, had missed just four of her piano recitals in 16 years, and had told her in Year 5 that her poetry needed “a little more work.” Holly’s boyfriend had once thrown a cup at the wall when she’d cheated on him with his best friend, and had raised his voice on a single occasion: the day she turned up to his work drunk.

Watching Holly’s index finger circling the cuts she’d made with scissors on her left arm, images of Aliah’s own past flashed in her mind. The routine beatings until she left home at 16, belt brush spoon slipper vacuum, whatever had been closest in reach—her mother’s voice calling her stupid, fat, ugly, a mistake—her mermaid-themed bedroom when she was eight, the year her stepbrother started using her as an experiment for what he’d seen in movies—her ex-boyfriend taking a run-up in his boots across the carpet as she lay on the floor, kicking her in the ribs and shattering her bones—his eyes, pale and vacant as he lunged at her with the hair straightener, burning her labia.

Aliah’s memories were intercepted by Carly. “Some people’ve had it really tough Aliah. Maybe you could try being more empathetic...feeling their pain.”

G
4/12/2020 09:10:05 pm

So much wisdom and pathos in this exceptional piece Aliahs love of life a great awakener

Dave
4/12/2020 09:33:24 pm

What a clever and confronting portrayal of today's society! Well done!

Mary Wallace
5/12/2020 01:25:49 am

So much pain can lie beneath the surface and one can still choose happiness. Beautiful piece Miya.

Sue Clayton
5/12/2020 05:46:00 am

I just wanted to punch Holly and Carly right smack bang in the middle of their millennial faces. I hope this was Aliah's fiction, Miya.

Chris
5/12/2020 09:00:13 am

A sobering commentary on our society where the weak, under the guise of struggle and resilience, are uplifted and rewarded by the ignorant masses and the TRUE resilient, those who have been through life's true trials, are ignored because hey, they are strong, they don't need recognition. What a sad state of affairs where the strength is invalidated and the weakness celebrated. Your story illustrates this very sharply and truthfully. Amazing work and great to see your piece in the longer stories section!


Comments are closed.

    Longer
    Stories

    Longer Friday Flash Fiction Stories

    Friday Flash Fiction is primarily a site for stories of 100 words or fewer, and our authors are expected to take on that challenge if they possibly can. Most stories of under 150 words can be trimmed and we do not accept submissions of 101-150 words.


    However, in response to demand, the FFF team constructed this forum for significantly longer stories of 151-500 words. Please send submissions for these using the Submissions Page.

    Stories to the 500 word thread will be posted as soon as we can mange.

    Picture

    One little further note. Posting and publishing 500-word stories takes a little time if they need to be formatted, too.
    ​Please note that we tend to post longer flash fiction exactly as we find it – wrong spacing, everything.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

Picture
Website by Platform 36