Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and eighty-seventh piece in this series. This week’s is a 481-worder by Teresa Edmond-Sargeant.
Blind Insight
A man who had been wealthy and blind from birth saw the world much more clearly than how some people with sight could see, for he sought only people’s inner beauty, heart, and mind. He sought out beauty beyond the physical aesthetic. He sought out the godly spirit in humans wherever he went.
And he found it.
Through his compassion, his spirit and his love, this blind man gave to all. Whenever there was an organization soliciting donations (and there was never a lack of those entities), the man gave much more than a few dollars. More often than not, he pulled out wads of cash in large denominations from his jacket pocket and plopped down the bills in front of the person accepting the donations.
“I don’t need a tax receipt,” he told the organizations many times.
Whenever a volunteer opportunity arose at a local homeless shelter, a school or at a house of worship, the blind man was there. Whenever he spoke with a lonely homeless man, a child having difficulties in school, or a person of faith in despair, he listened to them, bringing himself in tune with their emotions and offering kind words and advice when asked for it.
The wealthy blind man resolved to take his compassion and empathy for others one step further. He decided to give up more than a few hundred dollars in donations here and there.
Being that he never married nor had been a father when he made his decision, first he went to a sporting goods store to purchase a tent and other camping supplies. Then he went to his bank to arrange the sale of his mansion and all of his possessions in it, a home that was willed to him upon his parents’ deaths.
The blind man was met with gasps, bewilderment and a shower of such questions as “Are you out of your mind?” when he informed others of his plans, but their reactions never deterred him. He made up his mind.
Then, he informed his bank that sales from his house and possessions should be turned over to the organizations where he donated money and volunteered.
After some time of working out the business details including legalities, the bank finally owned the house and possessions inside it.
With his new camping gear, the blind man went out to live in the forest dozens of miles from his former residence, set up camp, and he settled there. Sincere where he lives has consistently warm weather – no outside cold could bother him.
As the man settled into his tent the first night, he looked up at the stars populating the sky and recalled this bit of wisdom from Him: though animals have holes and birds have nests, whatever is next for the man and where he should be — comfortable or not — depends on what He says.
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I asked Teresa what prompted this piece and she said…
This story is the result of a writing prompt I received in an email. Nevertheless, I saw that, to me, what I wrote had potential to be an inspirational flash fiction piece.
Thank you, Teresa. It was charming and very thought provoking.
Teresa Edmond-Sargeant is a journalist, author, poet and editor who lives in Orlando, Fla. Once a staff writer for newspapers in the New York City area, she is now a reporter for a community newspaper in the Central Florida region.
She is the author of her poetry collection “How Fate’s Confusion Connects” and many short story ebooks on Kindle.
Her work was published in The Waywayanda Review by the Warwick Poetry College in Warwick, NY, and the online literary journals The Social Poet, Contraposition and, most recently, Short Fiction Break. Her poetry was exhibited at art and literary exhibitions in New Jersey, and she has done literary readings throughout Central Florida.
Teresa is a member of the Florida Writers Association. Check out her blog at www.teresa-edmond-sargeant.com.
Social media links
- Blog: teresa-edmond-sargeant.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/teresaedmondsargeant
- Twitter: twitter.com/teresaesargeant
- Tumblr: teresaesargeant.tumblr.com
- Amazon author page (where readers can find my Kindle ebooks): amazon.com/author/teresaedmondsargeant
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If you’d like to submit your 6-word or 500-word max. stories for consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here. Related articles:
- http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/14/how-to-write-flash-fiction
- http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/blog/flash-fiction-all-you-ever-wanted-know-were-afraid-ask
- http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/flashfiction.html
- http://www.awkwordpapercut.com/writing-flash-fiction.html
- http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/short-and-sweet-reading-and-writing-flash-fiction
- http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Flash-Fiction
- http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/flash.shtml
- http://www.thereviewreview.net/publishing-tips/flash-fiction-whats-it-all-about
- http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog
- and guest blogs about short stories on this blog: Alberta Ross, Jane Hertenstein, Helen M Hunt, Morgen Bailey, Sarah Grace Logan, Warren Bull.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
I wrote a crime lad lit novella (48,000 words) called Hitman Sam in 2008 and over the years, edited it, left it to marinate, re-edited it, put it back, then finally this year (2016), I edited it again and sent it to my beta readers who were kind enough to give me their feedback which led to more alterations and finally, on November 2nd, it was published!
It is available for 99c / 99p (or the equivalent in your country) via http://mybook.to/HitmanSam (links to Amazon in your country) or directly via Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com etc. but before you rush over to purchase this quirky novella, do read on to find out more about it…
Blurb: Newly-redundant software designer Sam Simpson is looking for a new adventure – a cryptic advert in his local paper gives him that, and more. With two women vying for his affection, going behind their backs isn’t the smartest things he’s ever done.
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This follows on just a month after my crime mystery novella, After Jessica, was published. Yay! Details below…
The second book I wrote, back in 2009, was After Jessica, a crime mystery novella published in October 2016. You can download this novella for just 99c / 99p via http://mybook.to/AfterJessica (which links to the Amazon page in your country) or directly from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com etc.
Tagline: Wind up his late sister’s affairs, Simon gets more than he bargains for.
Blurb: Jessica is an ordinary girl who comes across extraordinary circumstances and pays for them with her life. As well as identifying her body, her brother Simon then has to wind up her affairs but gets more than he bargains for. Who is Alexis, and why are Veronica and Daniel searching for her? Why is there a roll of cash in Jessica’s house, and what’s the connection between Simon’s sister and Alexis?
They stood in the study of the great house, looking out of the large window towards the back patio and the deep woodland beyond. Susan and her brother, Tony, were piecing together the events of the previous night.
with a single story written in ten 6-worders
Armour is on. Let battle commence.
Love is a four letter word.
Chickenhearted Story: (hen) pecked at typewriter
Daughter’s costume trade: “Princess” for “President”
I honestly thought you were female.
Swollen lips. Wheezing. Bad food allergy.
Mummy, what does brazen hussy mean?
He was gassy throughout the day.
I run after you, unsullied soul.
Writer lost the plot, needs inspiration!
Mum-sitting for a week; limits pushed.
Moonless night. Howling dogs. Quick footsteps.
They remind me of Chelsea Pensioners.
Over time, my caress became careless.
Silence moves with ease between gossips.
Forgot puppies surprises needed air holes.
He always volunteered, she reflected bitterly.
‘Sorry no money’ said the atm.
and then some from yours truly… 
