Rochelle from Friday Fictioneers
gave us the photo below while
Denise from Six Sentence Stories
provided the prompt word “jingle”.
This is my response, a union of two prompts,
in a 100-word, six-sentence story.*
The year was 1939; they were a happy couple.
When she became pregnant the following year, they were ecstatic; their son was born in 1941, the most beautiful baby anyone ever saw – golden curls, plump cheeks as rosy as apple blossoms.
He was a delightful child who brought incredible joy into their lives.
In 1942 the baby was diagnosed with nephritis; incurable, the doctor said and they were left heartbroken.
In the blink of an eye between Jingle Bells and Auld Lang Syne, their baby silently passed away.
The young couple was devastated; they never celebrated new year’s eve again.
NAR © 2023
100 Words
6 Sentences
*This story is true; the young mother and father were my parents, their baby boy was the brother I never knew. Six weeks after their baby died, my father was drafted and spent his entire tour of duty fighting in Europe during WWII while my mother was left alone without a husband, without a baby. It was many years before I understood the ineffable emotional toll this had on their lives and why we never celebrated New Year’s Eve.
This is The Andrews Sisters singing “Apple Blossom Time”
This portfolio (including text, graphics and videos) is copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and not for use by anyone without permission. NAR © 2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
A devastating event. I can not find the words,
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Sometimes there just aren’t any words
for something like this, and that’s perfectly fine.
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So sad and heart breaking scene! Life is unpredictable. I can feel the pain. So sorry, Nancy!
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Dear Nancy,
Heartbreaking story…even moreso in the truth of it. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So very sad, such a heartbreaking loss for your mum and dad.
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Yes, it was. Thank you for sharing your thoughts today.
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What a heartbreaking loss. One we can never imagine. Very brave of you to have shared it.
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Thanks so much. Truly, all I did was write about it; my parents were the brave ones to have lived through it. I appreciate your comments today.
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Oh, how heartbreaking. Impossible to understand that level of grief, unless one has personally experienced it. 💔
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It’s something I can’t imagine. We are not meant to outlive our children. I don’t know how people go on
after a los of this magnitude. Thank you, Michele.
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I don’t know either. Suppose there aren’t too many options, but to move forward, despite the pain. I know and have family who have had to bury their children. Unbearable heartbreak that forever changes a person.
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A tragic loss for your parents, made all the more so by their separation so soon after. Is it any wonder they did not celebrate the New Year’s holiday. So, so sad, Nancy.
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It’s the kind of loss no one should ever experience.
This is truly a parent’s worst nightmare.
Thank you, Denise.
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I am so sorry, please accept my condolences. Even though you never knew your brother, his life and loss impacted yours from the start.
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That’s a fact, Mimi. My mother was never the same after that loss.
Thank you for your very kind words.
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The difficult times faced by our ancestors are heartbreaking to contemplate. I am sorry to read your comments regarding your mother. Yet, — I cannot judge.
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She had a very rough go of it; perhaps I judged her too harshly at times.
I was a kid who missed out on her mother’s tender loving care. That’s all I knew for a lot of years. Thanks for your kind thoughts, Bill.
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How sad a story Nancy. I am so sorry.
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It’s a tough one, Di. Thanks so much.
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❤
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{{{HUGS}}} Thank you for choosing to share your family story. Life can be callous and cruel. Your poor folks having to go through the grief a half a world away from each other 😦
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Thanks, Lisa. Hugs received and well appreciated.
I may not have had the best relationship with my mother
but I understand why she chose to close herself off emotionally.
That was her coping mechanism for dealing with any more pain.
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❤
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I’m sorry for your parents’ loss and yours but thank you for sharing this story. I identify with your mother because I lost my son on Thanksgiving day (in 2007). The holidays have never been the same. I dread the approach and season. Your story makes me consider what my other children and grandchildren see, feel, and experience due to my responses or lack of during the holidays.
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My sincere condolences, Manette. I understand why my mother shut down emotionally; it was to protect herself from further pain. We need to grieve as much as we need to rejoice in whatever happens in life. Thank you so much for you very kind words and for sharing your thoughts.
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Yes, “We need to grieve as much as we need to rejoice. . .” For me, rejoicing through the Holidays has been easier once I incorporated new traditions. It gives good memories that don’t stir old ones.
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Terribly sad.
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Very. Thanks, James.
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Thanks for sharing your family’s story, Nancy. As you’ve already said to me, no time is a good time to go, but some times are worse. At times, words cannot be said to cover what we are trying to say, but we always have our thoughts.
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Always. Thanks for a lovely comment, Tom.
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Heartbreaking. As children, we have no idea what our parents have endured, especially in the midst of war. Blessings to you.
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Very true, Mary. I was just talking to my husband about the same thing. Thanks for your comments.
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This is all devastating! I’m so sorry.
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Thank you. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that this all happened so many years ago. If my brother not died, he’d be 82 years old.
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I know this is painful reality but I thank you for being strong enough to share this story.
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hesistated with the like button and to leave without leaving a thought…
🤍🌹🙏
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I do appreciate that. Thank you.
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It’s a heartbreaking story of how your mother not only losing her child but also, being alone, thinking she may also lose her husband at war.
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You’re absolutely right, Glyn. Back then, married men with children were not being drafted. As soon as the baby’s death certificate was filed, my father was called to serve; so heartless. It was a double loss for my mother.
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The wounds our parents carry. Their children feel them, too, but often don’t have a name for them…
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Not until we’re gone will they have a name for them.
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Oh, so sad N. I can’t imagine how abandoned she felt.
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Truly, D. The depth of her loneliness was something I didn’t realize until I was much older with babies of my own.
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Oh, that’s terribly sad.
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It is, Chris. My parents dreaded this time of year.
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A reminder that not everyone has reason to celebrate New Year’s Eve. So sad.
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You’re so right, Keith. Many people dread the holidays; these are not all happy times.
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Beautiful remembrance of your brother, father and mother.
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Thank you, Frank. This explains a lot about my parent’s personalities –
my mother, ever reticent; my father, ever compassionate.
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Very sad…
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It is. I have seen photos; he was the loveliest baby.
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Very sad. The war years must have been long and bitter,
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From the stories I’ve heard, it was a very difficult time for my mother.
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Life has so many cruel twists, and I always wonder why is it so!!
“The Swing’s Tempo”
Life is full of challenges
Living alone is a challenge
Life’s challenges are there to be hurdled
Don’t let the world bring you down
The trees of life have many branches
Choose your strongest branch
Attach a lullaby swing
And enjoy all the highs
And flow with the lows
Of the swing’s enchanting tempo
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Beautiful verse, Ivor.
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Thanks Nancy
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We are susceptible to noting anniversaries, aren’t we?
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Highly susceptible, particularly during the holidays
when we begin to question this mortal coil.
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Hard to click “Like” for such a sad (true) tale, no matter how well told. Thanks for sharing.
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I know what you mean, Ron, and it is totally understood.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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So heartbreaking, so very sad …..💜💜
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My mother was never the same after that.
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I would think not nor your dad 💜💜
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They both dealt with their grief in very different ways.
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Yes that’s how it was in those days and I guess they never talked about it either . It must have been so hard 💜💜
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They talked about their son twice a year –
the day he was born and the day he died
but they thought about him every day.
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It’s so very very sad 💜💜
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Parents should never watch their children suffer and die.
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Thus began my mother’s life of rigidity.
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Some events never go away.
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It’s said “Time heals all wounds”. Not all.
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What a heartbreaking loss for your parents.
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Something from which my mother never recovered.
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Yes some shocks are hard to bear
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