© irene waters 2016
“Will you add me to your circles?”
“Sure. What do you want to be. Friend, family or acquaintance.”
“I can choose?”
“Sure.”
“Family then.”
“You sure? “
“Yes. Why?”
“Just thought you’d prefer to be in my circle of friends.”
“Okay. Put me in that circle then.”
“But you’re special. I don’t want you in my circle of friends. No I want you to myself.”
“Well create a circle with just me in it. A circle with just you in it.”
“Oooh I like that. I have you to my self. I can circle you with my arms.”
In response to Norah’s prompt for Charli’s 99 word flash.
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) 
Every child wants to be the only. Wonderful story, captures it perfectly.
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Thanks Sharon. I have to admit I struggled with circles. All I could think of was there’s a hole in my bucket. Apart from that nothing would come. This wrote itself.
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What an interesting flash. You’re right. We belong to many different circles, and sometimes the circles overlap – family and acquaintance, or family and friend. But to be in that inner circle that no one else shares is very special indeed. I didn’t think of it as mother and child, as Sharon did. I thought of it as lovers.
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I probably also thought of it as lovers when I wrote it and was interested that Sharon saw it as a child which works equally as well. I guess without any background behind it leaves it open to whatever interpretation the reader places on it. I found this prompt quite difficult as immediately dear Henry came to mind with the hole in his bucket and I was at a loss. A google request to be added to circles allowed me to move on at the last minute.
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I definitely thought of Google circles as I was reading your piece. Hadn’t thought of Dear Henry’s bucket now. That’s a hoot!
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Irene and Norah, I just read it again (actually, about the fourth time) and I still think it’s mother and child. Irene, I know you wrote it, but you could be wrong. (LOL – I could be a bit of a pain.)
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I’m honoured to think you would read it 4 times Sharon. I admit I can be wrong and to tell you the truth I don’t think that it couldn’t be a mother and child. I can see that it very well could be. It fits easily and quite beautifully. I started off not thinking of anything in particular but if asked I would have said lovers only because google circles were in my mind.
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Thinking on. I don’t think it matters who it is. Maybe I was purposefully ambiguous and you could make it what you yourself wanted. But whatever the characters as Kate pointed out it was a story of love.
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Of course you are right. You’re the writer.
I like Norah’s comment. It’s inclusive.
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Oh I love this Irene…makes Google Plus sound so much better…my kind of circle 🙂 ❤
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Yes I have never understood google circles either. Thanks Sherri. 🙂
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A story of love and giving permission to create our own circles and choose how many we have in them. Fantastic take on the flash!
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Thanks Kate.
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