photo prompt © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Closet Clutter. Clocks and candles, carpet bags and cosy slippers filled the cupboard to overflowing. Aunt Maisie hadn’t cared as long as the rest of the house was pristine perfect, untouched and unsullied. Jennie leant on the door, remembering how she’d squashed herself into the cupboard, comforted by the mess, when Aunt Maisie had told her she was making the place look untidy. “You’re a waste of space” she’d said. Now Aunt Maisie was dead. Her space was being sold. Jennie flicked through some papers.There’d been nothing of Maisie’s life in the house, perhaps she’d find it in the closet.
In response to Rochelle for both the photo prompt and hosting Friday Fictioneers.
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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.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Good one Irene, clutter also shows life 🙂
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Thanks Irene. I agree. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they decorate and from their clutter.
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We all have closets (or lofts/basements/garages) like this – and you can find out a lot about a person from what’s hidden away in there. Nicely told.
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Thank you Iain. I pity whoever it is that will finally clear out my closet.
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Clutter means memories. Nice on
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Or just a lot of junk you don’t know what to do with. I like memories though….
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It is often those messy spaces that show our real lives. Nicely done.
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Thank you Claire. When there is nothing visible elsewhere it has to be in the clutter. When it is visible elsewhere – perhaps the clutter is just junk.
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Dear Irene,
We all have those cluttered corners. I’ve shown my to the world this week. 😉 I wonder what she’ll find in the closet. Nice one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for sharing your clutter. I don’t think I would be game to share mine – it is an entire room rather than just a clutter. You never know what you might find.
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It doesn’t sound like a very happy relationship. I’m surprised she wants to find out more about Aunt Maisie.
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Perhaps she wants to understand why?
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You’ve made Aunt Maisie sound rather cold and unlikable. I wonder why she was so desperate to keep the house pristine? I wonder if there’s a metaphorical closet, as well as the actual one? You’ve piqued my curiosity, Irene! You’ve also written a piece that sounds good when read out loud. Well done.
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I’m glad I’ve piqued your interest. I think Jennie is hoping to find out why also. Thank you for telling me it sounds good when written out loud. I have noticed a few people giving the option to listen rather than read.
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I like the resonance of Cs in your first sentence. Hopefully she’ll find something to make her like Aunt Maisie a little.
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Thanks. That is what jennie was hoping for also.
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I don’t like aunt Maisie but I love your story . Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how flawlessly perfect the exterior is, if the interiors are so unclean.
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Yes – you hit the nail on the head. We all have it (the clutter) both in the head and in the house. And you see just how unclean it all is when you move – all those hidden spots covered with stuff for years.
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Love it… so much said in so few words…
gramswisewords.blogspot.com
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Interesting story – I hope she finds the essence of Aunt Maisie in the clutter.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you Susan. She is hoping to.
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Like drama reveals character, closets are not mess building but life revealing. I enjoyed this flash of life, Irene.
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Thank you Kelvin.
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That messy space could well turn out to be a treasure trove. Nice one.
Click to read my FriFic!
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You never know. Thank you
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So often a pristine-kept place hides the real stuff… maybe she will find answers in that mess
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It has to unless the person doesn’t do any living and that would be a sad life.
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Great alliteration in this piece. I hope Maisie finds something she can use.
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I think she is hoping for some understanding of her Aunt. Thanks.
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Maybe she will find something to explain her aunt… some dark secrets maybe.
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Perhaps – she hopes
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Yep, you have piqued your readers’ interest, including mine. Whatever Aunt Maisie was hiding/presenting, she ended up dead, inevitably, but the complexities of lived lives continues, perhaps to be untangled in that closet. Nicely structured, it does read well.
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Thanks D. These flashes give you germs of ideas. Time will tell if anything develops from it.
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I hope it does. This is a grab you kind of piece. Let it grow, let it grow… Can you hear me singing that to the Frozen tune?
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Sad story. Well told.
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Thanks Dawn
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I felt for the narrator- liked the understated tone, describing a poignant story of her growing up unaffirmed. An affective story.
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Thank you. I’m glad you found it affective and thank you for noticing the understated tone – that made my day.
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