Today Rochelle gives FridayFictioneers a rich photograph as a prompt for a story of a hundred words (more or less) with a beginning, a middle and an end.
Thank you Rochelle for carrying me away with an intriguing image of the Mohawk River.
Rochelle Wisoff-Field
The River
Another grey day…
The river rushes and yet goes nowhere.
It moves but stays still.
Sitting in a sterile past, prisoner of the legacy he can’t discard, he looks out at the grass on the other side.
Discard is the wrong word.
The Salvation Army could take it off his hands. But he paid for it… from the time he was born!
He’s still stuck in this house choked to the rafters with stuff. He should definitely get something in return…
Tied up value, that’s what it is…
Just a matter of time…
As soon as he sells, he will be free.
unbuttoned or undone 
Dear Emmy,
I felt a little choked and hemmed in reading this. And I mean that as a compliment. It’s funny how possessions can possess us. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed they can.
I know people like this man who are stuck in their family’s history/stories, mired in costly stuff.Unfortunately.
better to emulate Gandhi whose earthly belongings fit in a shoe box, I was told, and whose legacy is huge!
Thank you Rochelle.
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Beautifully written portrait of bleakness.
And one suspects he will never escape.
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I think we have all met folks who feel they have no choice but to live the way they do while wishing it were different.
Bleak it is.
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A sad reality.
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Unfortunately. Thank you for commenting.
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What a sad, sad life…to be tied up by petty stuff. I think we all fall victims to this particular crime, some more than others. Very powerful story.
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Indeed it is sad. That’s the advantage of moving a lot, you realize you can’t take it with you.
Thank you Snow.
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Ah the longing for freedom but tied to ‘the stuff’. Well portrayed.
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Thank you. You have seen it before haven’t you?
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All those things that anchor us down… i can definitely feel their weight…
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Oh a punny one! Thank you, you made me smile.
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Hope he sells soon, and lets someone else find a brighter life from the old river.
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A goal without a plan is just a wish, I read recently. Sounds like him.
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Let’s hope he hasn’t pitched his price too high.
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I think he needs a fire sale! Thanks Liz.
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At first I thought this guy a bit of a hoarder but then I assumed he was simply like so many of us, tied down with our “stuff”.
Very thought provoking.
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It could be both… there is room for that.
In my mind the house is like a museum of his relatives belonging. Valuable at one time but oddities today and not so valuable. We all keep stuff in the garage or the attic/basement that we don’t need, don’t use, don’t want and don’t deal with.;-).
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I’ve always considered that dispensing with possessions is a kind of therapy. I’m in therapy right now, and you’ve caught my mood exactly. Well done.
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There is something very freeing about getting rid of clutter! And spring cleaning is good therapy. Thank you Sandra, your comment is much appreciated.
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I can relate to this, I’m in the process of throwing out what ties me down, too. The mood is great.
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We need to do that every so often otherwise we get stuck. Thank you G.
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Emmy… I am going through this right now.,, So. Much. Stuff. How do we accumulate so much?
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I dunno. We buy things we don’t need, and keep what we don’t want, and somewhere in between we attach a meaning to them that has nothing to do with either their function or value! Why do we do that?
Remember George Carlin?
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So very true, Emmy! I very much remember George. And I love that one!
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I’m imagining a horder who sees value in all of his possessions even when there is none. I’m consumed by the bleakness of it all too. Like he may never be free of it.
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All that stuff is a waste isn’t it?
But again, change is scary. And so is living fully. Until he chases his ghosts, he won’t be free and he attached them to his ‘valuable’ things, so yes, it is bleak.
But it’s his choice.
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All I’m hoarding right now is the artistry of your words, Emm ! 🙂
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Aw shucks, Paul! 🙂 Sweet talking Irishman!
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In most cases, the things we treasure are looked upon as old junk by the next generation. I’ve told Connie she really needs to consider selling off her precious antiques before she dies because neither of our children have any attachment to them and would probably dispose of them for pennies on the dollar. After all, you can’t take it with you.
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True, you can’t take it with you. A very wise woman I knew asked her children which ‘things’ they wanted before she died. She then put little stickers on the back of things and little tags. It made her feel better and relieved the kids of guilt when they got rid of the stuff they could not or did not want to use.
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Prisoner, stuck, tied up…. yes, that clutter in the foreground, a raging river beyond.
Funny, I have a whole long story with the Mohawk River.
One day, perhaps sitting in your patio of an evening, I will tell you all…
🙂
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I can hardly wait! 🙂
The room is still there for you… <3<3
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It’s very true. Your kids probably won’t want your “stuff”. I’ve always remembered George Carlin’s skit about “stuff”. It’s one of the funniest bits I’ve ever seen and so true. We’ve downsized a couple of times and my husband is a hoarder. I have to get rid of more now as he’s unable to go out and collect. My dream is to get rid of a lot before I ever move again. Good piece and well done, Emmy. 🙂 — Suzanne
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