
© irene waters 2015
“Nancy, clean your room.”
“No!”
“Nancy, I said clean your room. The cleaner’s coming.”
“Well let her clean.”
“Nancy, go and do your homework.”
“No!”
“Nancy will you please go and wipe up the dishes.”
“No!”
“Nancy will you go to the butcher’s shop for me?”
“No!”
“I’ll give you a shilling extra pocket money.”
“Don’t want an extra shilling.”
“Where’s my dinner?” Nancy asked
“Nowhere.”
“Mum, I want my dinner.”
“Get it yourself.”
“Mum, my room’s filthy. Where’s the cleaner?
“Cancelled.”
“Mum, help me.”
“Go help yourself. Do what you want.”
So Nancy, and her mother,did nothing.
In response to Charli’s prompt :
January 6, 2016 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a rebellion. Is it one a character fights for or is it one another suppresses? Explore what makes a rebellion, pros or cons. Use past or current rebellions as inspiration or make up one of your own.
Respond by January 12, 2016 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
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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.
Oh, dear. Is there a bit of memoir in this flash “fiction”? I do hope the photo is you – it’s adorable even with the sass face. 😝
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Yes the photo was me and my rebellious face gets worse as I get older. Too embarrassed to show them. But it is fiction – my mother always was the winner when I was a child. But into adulthood – she still does plenty where I do not. 🙂
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Sad story – Nancy learned from her mother’s unpleasant way of demanding and neither learned to work together – or to be affectionate and appreciative.
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Yes I think that is right. A real battle of wills which made both mother and daughter suffer.
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Oh that’s funny! And somehow all to familiar, the rebellion of childhood.
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I think all families must experience it to some extent or another. They have to, as the child attempts to make their own decisions on the road to adulthood.
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Command- reject! Always works. Like Sarah I wondered if it was memoir! Love the photo. We all too often only record happy faces don’t we so this is rich in seeing another part of you 🙂
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Recording happy faces… This is so true.
“Hey, what’s that noise?”
“What noise?”
*wheels in my head turning*
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Laughing !
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Lisa I was certainly a rebellious child for perhaps longer than I should have been so it is a bit of faction I guess. My husband would probably say I still do nothing. LOL Yes those non-happy faces often went in the rubbish bin but not with me as I can’t bear to throw anything out. Another one was in your bite size memoir about reading. The scowl on my face is priceless.
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Ha! Great backfire. Mother’s have a way of winning out in the end… 😉 Just love the photo of you Irene, absolute classic, perfect flash of rebellion…
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Yes there is always a way for a mother. My mother had to battle for many years. Looking back I find it difficult to believe I was so difficult. LOL
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😀
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Yes. Great flash. Don’t I recall those power struggles. Sometimes I think parents could try what Nancy’s mother did, but hopefully with better result. I can see your story as a picture book. The ending is very funny! 🙂
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I think every child and every parent experiences to a more or less degree. A picture book is an interesting idea. Thanks Norah.:)
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LOL. How true
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Yes I think most experience it to some extent. Some more than others needing harsh methods. LOL
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Ooh I see and remember a teeny bit of my feisty and petulant self in that photo though I don’t recall the verbal battles quite as much!
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Miriam I’m glad you can remember your rebellious self. I think all children should to a more or less degree. Like you, the verbal would have been a little different. I don’t know that I would have been game to talk to my mother in quite the same way but we certainly had a number of battles of will.
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Yes, I know what you mean.
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