Prose

To Hang The Moon

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for the dVerse Prosery Prompt by Amy Woolard:
“What does it matter that the stars we see are already dead”

“What does it matter that the stars we see are already dead? What does that even mean, Margie?”

“Oh, Nell. If I have to explain it to you, it loses its gravitas, its pathos, doesn’t it?”

“Gravitas? Pathos? I’m sorry .… when were you named chief cook, bottlewasher and poet laureate?”

Margie gave her friend a dismissive eye roll before turning her back, busying herself with little scraps of paper on her desk.

There was a time the two were like sisters, cherishing a bond they never found with anyone else. Now they barely recognized each other; their conversations were stilted to the point of being painful.

And it all came down to Nicole, a newcomer in their exclusive inner circle …. a renaissance woman and Margie thought she hung the moon.

“I miss us, Margie”

Intense silence. Spoken words were never as wounding.

NAR©2024
144 Words

Prosery – Amy Woolard

This is “Sisters Of The Moon” by Fleetwood Mac

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49 thoughts on “To Hang The Moon”

  1. Nancy, been there done that where a wedge is driven between two friends that I thought would last forever, beyond this life. You capture the awkwardness and pain here very well and in so few words. 

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      1. It is a fabulous and sometimes mysterious experience, the act of writing. Putting yourself in that place of creating and allowing releases and reveals incredible details and connections that might otherwise remain dormant. You’re very welcome, it is my pleasure to read your shares.

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    1. It’s surely a lonely, uncomfortable and bewildering position to find oneself in. I like your use of the term ghosting; there’s no other way to describe becoming invisible to someone seemingly overnight.

      Thank you for your very gracious comments; I am most appreciative.

      ~ Nancy

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  5. You met this prompt head-on and slam-banged it into a crushingly painful vignette. Every word of dialogue, tone-setting, expresses the discord, Nell’s hopeless feeling of abandonment. Who hasn’t been here? So well crafted, Nancy. Wonderful storytelling.

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    1. This was something I really needed to hear, Dora …. an affirmation, of course, of my ability to craft a story but more so that Nell is not alone in her feelings of betrayal and abandonment. Yes, we have all been there and it’s wonderful not to hear ‘everything’s fine’ when clearly it’s not.

      Sincere thanks for your most gracious and complimentary comments; I greatly appreciate them.

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      1. I remember when my daughter was around 11 or 12. She was ‘best friends’ with two other girls, and they were always getting tangled up. I looked at her one day and it was like a hundred other situations all merged in my mind at once. I told her Three never works, and I always remember that.

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        1. Excellent and wise advice; hopefully your daughter took the message to heart. These things often sneak up on you and suddenly you find yourself ghosted; it’s mean and childish and incredibly hurtful.

          Thanks for sharing your personal memories and thoughts, D.

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  10. This is perfection, Nancy. A friendship that starts with three is one thing; when it starts with two and a newcomer arrives, it almost never works. I was once that newcomer. I have also been the one left behind. Fantastic story, my friend.

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  15. Oh wow….so painful, I know. You write with such a natural gift, Nancy–so clear to understand, never an extra unnecessary word…it all just flows like a nice cool creek…even if the story is scary like the last one!

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    1. The ones from the heart are the easiest, don’t you think, Vee? We’ve all experienced this to some degree. It’s a wretched feeling, one of hopelessness and helplessness.

      Thank you for your excellent comments. It’s a great feeling to have my work appreciated!

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      1. Yes, heart poems come easily–even if we weep our way through them. And you’re most welcome–indeed it’s a great feeling when comments reflect appreciation for my writing gift. Blessings to you.

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        1. This has been a weepy week for my family; I’m glad to be back writing and trying not to write too much about our recent heartbreak but the sadness has a way of leaking out. I know in time that will let up; until it recedes naturally, it is my source of comfort and therapy.

          Blessings gratefully received and reciprocated. 🙏🏼

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