Quakers often speak of holding somebody in the light – meaning to give them hope, peace and respite from their anxieties and suffering.
So I took this as my cue for Friday’s Fictioneers’ Flash Fiction. Once a week a picture is posted by Rochelle on her blog and the challenge of no more than hundred words to tell a story.
“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel!”
“Oh, please, I hate that expression.”
“You’re such a pessimist.”
She huffed. “Am not! I’m a realist. You never see my point of view.”
“Stay right there.” He walked away from her, his outline fading into the gloom.
She squinted, trying to make out his striding figure, then he disappeared. “Where are you?” Her voiced bounced off the concrete. “Don’t go…I was kidding. I never meant to say never. Hello?” She shivered.
A scratch. A spark. A flame.
The end of the tunnel lit up. “See,” he called out. “Always hope.”
The Quiet Writer 
Love the optimism. 🙂 And the way to convince the realist of the optimism. 😀 There’s always hope.
Leo @ I Rhyme Without Reason
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There is always hope, we’d be lost without it.
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You need optimism in your life.. maybe with the help from others.
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A little help from friends is important when conquering doubt.
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Lots of wisdom here. And a great way to demonstrate the point.
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Thank you. I’m often fighting with pessimism, so could do with a little optimistic nudge.
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Loved it.. And you reaffirmed my thinking.. I have always believed in the Light at the end, and glad to see it there.. 🙂 Nice one..
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Light is important in my faith. Hiding in the darkness is often the easier option when facing the unknown.
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Good story, nicely optimistic.
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Thank you. I try hard to be.
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There’s a fine line between realism and optimism. Me? I prefer the former!
Rosey Pinkerton’s blog
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I’m grounded in realism, but sometimes I think it holds me back from the adventurous side of life. We all have our preferences.
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A teaching moment well taught.
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Thank you. I’ve never thought of myself as a teacher, still very much a pupil.
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Hmm, strikes me as rather a cruel lesson, proving only that he is a bully who has to be right.
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Possibly, I prefer assertive, as I’m not one of those types, so I’m writing in the opposite vein to how I feel. When I lose hope, I need friends about me to show me the way back.
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Without hope, where would we be. He might have scared her, but I think it was worth it. Great story.
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