Setting off at dawn Joshua and Darryl picked their way up the side of the volcano in silence.
“I’ve never met anyone with such a revolving door as Rhonda. The other night I saw Henry and Peter both visit.” Joshua broke the stillness of the morning, puffing out the words venomously as they neared the rim of the volcano.
“Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“Just think you should know you’re sweet on a woman with ….”
“Look at this slag,” Darryl interjected pointing at the scoria remaining after numerous volcanic eruptions. “look at those colours. Beautiful……. like Rhonda.”
In response to Charli’s 99 word flash fiction where she asks:
March 2, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) include slag in a story. Slag is a glass-like by-product of smelting or refining ore. Slag is also used in making glass or can result from melting glass. It can be industrious or artistic. Go where the prompt leads.
Respond by March 7, 2017 to be included in the compilation (published March 8). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Unfortunately, in Australia, there is probably a more common usage of the word slag which I have also incorporated in my flash this week.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
How apt – a ruptured relationship between divergent forces. Ash floating down everywhere.
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Yes there were ruptured relationships and beauty seen in the tr…..ash.
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Nice turn-around. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and everywhere we care to find it. Well done.
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Thank you Norah.
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Very clever, Irene, combining the double meanings in a single flash – I loved it.
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I thought perhaps I’d been too subtle. Glad you got it. Thanks
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It is interesting that simple words translate differently and that folks can be blinded the same way the world over.
I didn’t know about scoria…but found this to be interesting: Scoria does not have a lot of uses. In fact the name is derived from a term for waste. However it can be used as an interesting decorative stone with some reddish color. Some of the large Easter Island statues called Moai have scoria stone in their designs.
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Particularly interesting when we are speaking the same language. Even within Australia there are different names for things but I wonder if the differences are becoming fewer now that we are on the internet and being exposed to all the different meanings.
Thanks for that info on scoria. I didn’t know that the statues on Easter Island had it in them although our volcano on Tanna i certainly saw the red/pink scoria.
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I didn’t know what scoria was…so I looked it up. There is some red sands from the Sahara Desert in old coral – Nature is amazing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windley_Key_Fossil_Reef_Geological_State_Park
We went there a few years back. It is hard to see the red in the coral. But at one time the old coral was mined for building fronts, like marble.
If you go to the Hurricane Monument link and down a bit to the actual photo labeled ‘Relief and dedication’ of the monument you can see the reddish hue.
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Thanks for the links Jules – I think I need glasses to really pick it up. We did have scoria though around the volcano and many of the flows had that reddish hue.
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It’s not easy to see when it is right in front of your face either. Nature is amazing though. When we had temps up in the 80’s last week I saw a crayfish in my creek… a mini lobster!
Just thinking of spring and the variety insects… especially the ones that find me tasty! Eeek. 🙂
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Should have grabbed him for dinner. Plenty of repellent needed by the sound of it. 😎
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Oh, he was just a little thing – only saw the one. I’m not a big fan of shell fish 😉
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Oh, brilliant using both definitions. Excellent flash. Love this scene and analogy.
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Thanks Sarah. Glad you liked it.
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Great playful use of the word! I laughed at the “revolving door” phrase, too! I think you are the only one to use scoria, as well. I’m curious…in your adventures, did you ever find any?
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Absolutely – around the volcano on Tanna and again in Iceland.
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Ooooh!
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😊
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