Well I’m not too sure where May went, but it got past me without seeing it, so although I have finished Resilience, and this is below, it has become June’s flash! In my defence I have been busy.
I was going to Mslexicon, but the Newark book festival falls on the same weekend, and as that is closer to me and I have managed to bag some space to sell some Dark & Fluffy’s on the Sunday, I’m going there instead. I haven’t been before, but there is a packed programme to look forward to.
Myself and my son are volunteering on the Saturday morning and we’ll be part of the Newark Town Hall front of house team. It looks to be a great event and I hope some of you will make it if you can. It’s on from Friday 12th July- Sunday 14th.
www.newarkbookfestival.org.uk | 12-14th July 2019| @newarkbookfest
There is also Lincoln book festival to look forward to. This kick’s off on the 23rd September for the week and it’s theme this year is V for Victoria. They are running a competition this year in conjunction with Writing East Midlands, and I’ve entered in the short story category. So I’ve been busy working on that. It was submitted just before the deadline, after I changed my idea late on. The story I submitted is called Dunia Kita – Our World. A story with a climate change theme set in Malaysia. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
I have decided to wrap up the 500 words now. I am intending finishing the Rue Stone before the Newark festival, then I really want to plough on with my novel The Wait’s Son, and at least get A Tale of Two well on the way to completion this year, so I’m going to be busy.
So here it is, a year on from when I started this writing journey, the last flash – Resilience.
She had been sat at her desk, in front of her bedroom window for thirty minutes. She wanted to go out, and she could see and hear her friends down below laughing and having fun, but she could also hear Shannon.
Shannon was the new girl in her class, and it had taken her less than a week to worm her way in. She now hung-out with Mercy’s friends, and even more annoyingly was always fawning over Dwayne, Mercy’s on-off boyfriend.
They had been going through a good patch lately, that was until Shannon turned up; she had batted her eye-lids at him and annoyingly, Dwayne had fallen for it.
When Mercy protested, Shannon had rounded on her, planted her hands firmly on her hips and proclaimed.
‘You don’t have a right to him you know, he’s a free agent. Isn’t that right Dwayne?’ The absence of any protest from Dwayne seemed to confirm it.
Mercy felt her cheeks burn as she remembered how Dwayne had just shrugged his shoulders. Why hadn’t he said anything! Her stomach flipped, reliving it again, in minute detail.
Since then, she had been sat here studying for her A levels, which pleased her mum, instead of being down there with her friends. It was the weekend, she should be laughing and joking with them, like she did before Shannon appeared. Annoyed, she slammed open her Psychology revision book hard, and it fell open on a new topic. Resilience.
She half-heartedly read the definition at the top of the page.
The ability to ‘bounce back’ from difficult experiences.
She read on.
‘Resilience exists in people who develop psychological and behavioural capabilities that allow them to remain calm during crises and to move on from the incident without long-term negative consequences.
So, you could be upset, but respond positively and move on.
In a way it was just being cool wasn’t it, and wasn’t that what Dwayne was always saying. ‘Be cool?’
She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Be cool.
She went downstairs.
‘Where are you going love, I thought you were studying?
‘I’m going outside, where I should be on the weekend, and besides, I am still studying.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes really. Do you know what resilience is?
Her mum shrugged.
‘Well, watch and learn, you’re about to find out.’
Moments later, her mum was peeling carrots over the kitchen sink. She could see Mercy talking to Dwayne, and that new loud girl standing at the side of her, looking on with her mouth open. Dwayne was relaxed leaning against a low wall and smiling. She hoped there wouldn’t be trouble. She wanted Mercy to study, and she didn’t want her upset again, not when exams were coming up.
Within a few minutes though, the loud girl had walked away, flicking her hair behind her as she went, and Mercy and Dwayne had joined their larger group of friends and were walking away hand in hand.
So that was resilience; her mum smiled.
Janet Stock 