#FlashFiveFriday – Warmth
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Mr B and I are taking part in #FlashFiveFriday run by The Indie Exchange.
#FlashFiveFriday is a weekly flash fiction / flash blogging prompt.
The rules are very simple if you’d like to take part:
1) Write for no longer than five minutes OR write no more than 500 words (whichever challenge you prefer!)
2) You must write something new
3) You can prepare your post ahead of time but the time/word limit still applies (whichever you choose to follow)
4) If you add your blog post link to the comments, then please visit some other blogs that week too to show your support
This week’s #FlashFiveFriday post
#FlashFiveFriday – Warmth
Dave
I’m remembering occasions when I’ve been really cold instead of warm. One New Year’s Eve my father dropped my brother and I at home and drove off, assuming we’d be able to get in the house. My mother was out and we’d forgotten our house keys. Being the end of December it was a particularly cold night and we had to wait a couple of hours before my mother did come back. It was agonising knowing we were sitting with our backs against the wall of a warm house.
Another occasion I was at secondary school and it began to snow in the morning. This was cause for celebration as we lost interest in class and willed the snowflakes to keep descending. They duly did and we were sent home early. Result! However, this meant a walk home for me which was about half an hour. The snow kept falling. It was so thick that you could safely abandon the pavements and walk on the roads. Only the desperate drivers committed to the roads now and those that did moved along at tractor pace.
I remember getting home that day to find my brother was already back having been sent away from college for the same reasons. You’ll be glad to know we both had our house keys on this occasion. We had learned our lesson. My brother offered me a cup of tea and it remains one of the most refreshing pots of tea I’ve ever had. I was so cold that I could hold the cup with tea fresh from the kettle and feel no discomfort with the heat against my numb skin. By the time that cup was empty I had just about regained the feeling in my fingers and toes and my hands were a lot less purple.
Donna
Lying in bed last night, in a house distinctly lacking in warmth (the boiler’s playing up!), I thought about what a funny double-meaning word ‘Warmth’ is, as many of the prompt terms have been. I haven’t chosen them for ambiguity or double-meanings in most cases. In fact, it’s often only when I’ve come to write the #FlashFiveFriday post myself that I realise.
I put this down to how strange the English language is. We have so many words that sound the same (saw, sore, soar) but mean completely different things, yet – not content with that – we’re pulling extra meanings from sole words. Warmth can refer to a person’s characteristic of benevolence and kindness, as well as the cosy atmosphere created by a lovely roaring fire.
I love our language and all its idiosyncrasies but sometimes I feel greatly relieved that I learnt it as my first language, rather than trying to take it on later as a second!
Related articles (external)
#FlashFiveFriday: #17 – Music
The Indie Exchange #FlashFiveFriday: Music
#FlashFiveFriday Music
#FlashFiveFriday – Warmth | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
