photo © Georgia Koch
“What the…”
“She refused to come without her boxes.”The men worked quickly loading them into the small boat and then helped the heavily pregnant girl aboard. They pushed the boat into the water and rowed away from shore. The leaking, overloaded boat made slow headway across the lake.
Maria felt warm fluid mixing with the cold. “The baby’s coming.” The men rowed quicker. Leaving one fluid for another, the baby was born. One breath, one cry before slipping into the dark water.
Maria screamed.
The captain whispered, “Better off a prisoner in the castle now she’s a prisoner for life.
In response to Friday Fictioneers
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
A good story with a grim birth. Sounds as if this happened during C Dickens’ period.
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Yes that kind of era. The prompt brought to mind the story of Eliza Fraser who gave birth in the long boat after their ship sank. The baby drowned. It has left haunting visions in my head and the prompt picture set them off.
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A grim tale indeed … though well told! Georgia.
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Thanks Georgia
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Dear Irene,
What a terrible way to give birth. Strange scenario indeed.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Prompted by a woman Eliza Fraser who gave birth in a long boat after the ship she was on sank. The baby drowned. The whole scenario has haunted me ever since and the photo prompt immediatlely retrieved it.
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Wow, that was dark.
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I’m not normally that sombre. the photo prompt brought to mind Eliza Fraser who gave birth in a long boat after the ship she was travelling sank. The baby drowned in the water in the bottom of the boat. It has stuck in memory haunting me. Hope it doesn’t now haunt you.
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You are not normally that sombre, which is what prompted my comment. I hope you got that off your chest!
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I hope so too
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I take it the captain isn’t exceptionally fond of young.uns
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I don’t know. The overloading caused a lot of water to be in the bottom of the boat. I think it may just have been a tragic accident. We’ll never know. I think that’s why it haunts me.
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What a tale! Thanks for the back story – but this was one where I want more! Te picture is definitely evocative!
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There is definitely more back story but I have started and stopped this piece here. Perhaps it is something to come back to a little later. A bit dark for me to want to continue with it.
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I like that you are exploring the Eliza Fraser story. I find that short fiction allows for that kind of processing when an historical idea has taken hold. Grim and gritty! Good writing.
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Thanks Charli. It seems to me that flash suits darker writing easier than humour. It is so easy to just finish someone off dead on 99 words or 100. I am going to make a concerted effort to do a happy 99 words for your 2am flash prompt… but we’ll see.
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What a sad ending for her and the baby. Ironically, I used “Maria” in my story today too.
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Just read your flash. Its great but just as sad. Poor Maria seems to be copping it well and truly.
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She certainly does. Sad times for her indeed.
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Oh what a sad end to a story The drowning baby and her destiny.. and still I come out asking myself more questions which is good.
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Questions are always good
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creepy! And so sad.
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Will attempt something lighter for 2am flash
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I’m juts back from a few days unblogged so will catch up on your flash shortly!
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Hope you had fun in the snow. I believe it was very cold and windy the last week.
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Cold yes, wind not too bad We had fun anyway!
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Very gripping and heart-rending tale. Didn’t understand the last line though – am I missing something here?
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Thanks Sandra. What I was trying to convey in the last line was that Maria had been a prisoner in the castle. A physical prisoner. Escaping the castle but having to live with the death of her baby Maria would be a prisoner to her thoughts for the rest of her life. A mental prisoner. I’m not sure that I have explained it any better now but hope so.
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Ah, I see it now. Sorry, I was being a bit dense.
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Not at all- it is good to see where an improvement can be made to make it clearer. Thanks.
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This story leaves me cold and sad – that’s a good thing. It means you’ve done a good bit of writing. Alicia
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Thanks Alicia. It leaves me the same way. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Irene
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Dear Irene, Such a sad birth and even though the mother escaped, she lost her child and now she has to live with that! Poor girl – too much sadness! Great story though! Nan 🙂
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Thanks Nan. Yes I think physical captivity could be preferable to the captivity which chains you from the inside. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. 🙂
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