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It takes a real talent to tell a story in so few words. What was…
Endure and Sing
Inspirational piece. Am glad you picked the rat to be the protagonist in your story,…
Endure and Sing
Such a sweet tale - and with a good moral to the story. I thought…
Endure and Sing
Wow! This is a good story! Really good to read to little kids, the moral…
Endure and Sing
Hi Katy, it really does add an extra dimension to hear your story read aloud…
Endure and Sing
In my neighboring country Denmark, we have the classical storyteller Hans-Christian Andersen. Your sweet story…
Endure and Sing
A really nice one with a wonderful story line. I can see why this was…
Endure and Sing
A beautiful story! I was reminded of seeing Paul Potts and Susan Boyle on Britain's…
Endure and Sing
Your story inspired me to keep going no matter how discouraging it gets. At times…
Endure and Sing
Thank you so much for the feedback! I pray that the young readers will be…
Endure and Sing
Thank you for taking the time to comment and convey your thoughts on the story.…
Endure and Sing
Hi Katy, don't we all feel like the rat in your story at times! We…
Vows
I must admit it was the picture of the church, with its grave yard, under…
Between Belonging and Dying
A very powerful story, Daniel. Your writing makes it easy to feel the reality of…
Between Belonging and Dying
Oh my gosh, Daniel. Your story really defines the word superb. You make me experience…
Between Belonging and Dying
A horrendous situation, more so because so many people find themselves going through it. A…
Between Belonging and Dying
What an extremely powerful story Daniel, really well written and with an ending that had…
Between Belonging and Dying
Daniel, this story is one of the best flash fiction stories I've ever read. You…
In Memoriam
It's terrible to lose someone you love and accept that he is not a part…
The Problem with Women
I think Carrie has said it all. We rest our collective case. ?
The Fisherman and the Sea
Under Pink Blossoms
Green Choices
Inspirare
The Spookfest
Adieu
Attitudes
The Missing Candies
The Magic Moment
Give Me Wings So I Might Fly
Whistle Twice for Yes
The Inhabitants
Lord What Fools These Mortals Be
Unwanted
Escape to Paradise
The Problem with Women
Meg in Her Bath
Endure and Sing
A Paranormal Pandemic
Pilgrimage Poetry
People First, software second - Since 1985...
Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!
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The reds in your story remind me of poppies. In the UK they are worn in November to represent remembrance.
I find your story very intriguing, Juma. The choice (!) of the color red as a recurring theme holds the story together and gives it depth and adds symbolic meaning to it. Your thoughts about life, death and choices we have to make, makes me curious to read more that you have written.
Could it be Carl Gustaf Jung’s big, Red Book which lies open in the Learning Room?
Thanks for reading and commenting, Christer. Let me give you a little background on the contest first. In all the ZenGarden contests, we were given a picture of a flower and a related haiku as the prompt. The picture was one of gorgeous red tulips as far as the eye could see, an unforgettable photograph. So, I didn’t really choose the color red, it chose me. The picture seemed to me to imply an entire universe built from one color spectrum, one flower, so I took that as my theme. The four rooms of the house are my idea of a perfect life – Sleeping, Bathing, Eating, Learning. I had a wonderful time imagining each room with its Zen simplicity framing something red. It wasn’t Jung’s Red Book I imagined in the Learning room, but rather a book in which I could write my own characters and words. For some unknown reason, I imagined myself writing poems and brief vignettes in Chinese. In real life I don’t know any Chinese, but I do own Jung’s Red Book, one of my treasures. The dream was one I had many years ago. I’ll elaborate on that in my answer to Eric, since… Read more »
I red (read – ha, ha) an article on the colour Red, and evidently it gives off more vibrations than any other colour, a powerful symbol. Did you Juma actually have the dream in the story? Am I right in thinking that this is a personal story to you, because it is so thought provoking. Choices are never easy, as Christer points out, always personal.
I would like to hear from you – a little more about this story?
Hello Eric – thanks for reading and commenting. You can read my previous comment to Christer for a little background on the contest, the use of the color red, and the framework of the story.
Once I had written about the rooms of the house and the gardens with their immortal tulips thriving through all seasons, I remembered a dream I had about thirty or so years earlier. And yes, I actually had that exact dream with two differences. The original dream just had red flowers, not tulips per se. The second difference was at the end. When I begged the wise teacher not to land, he didn’t say “You always have a choice.” He said, in the original dream, “From above it all looks the same.” In my story I wanted to emphasize choice, so I took the liberty of changing my own dream. 🙂
Yes, this is a very personal story, which is unusual in my writing. Very few of my stories are autobiographical at all, but this one leans in that direction. How perceptive of you to guess that.
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I love your story about red ♥️ because red for me and for my family is our favorite color. Our car is color red with white, our motorcycle is red and black. Everything with red is always our choice. Red for me symbolizes power, luck and wealth.
Thank you for the comment, Lotchie. How interesting that red is your family’s choice of color!
I loved how you used the color “Red” and added a new meaning to it. Another lovely story, Juma!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Katy and congratulations on your recent wins!
I’m really enjoying discovering earlier stories written before I joined Voice.club and this one in particular Juma. Also, reading your comments gives me a clearer understanding. Although I love the colour green, red had always featured in my life. I wore a red dress at my engagement party, a red suit when I was promoted and red hair when I felt rebellious! I dream a lot too, not always remembering them, but you have turned yours into an amazing and intriguing story which is fantastic. Belated congratulations on your win, well deserved.
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Hello Linda. Yes, the old ZenGarden contests were very special and a great source of inspiration, much like the recent Camellia contest we all entered before Christmas. I love the fact that red featured at so many important moments in your life – especially the rebellious red hair! As I said in previous comments, this story is one of the few of mine that are even remotely auto-biographical, and it’s very dear to me. So it means a lot that you feel a connection to it. Thank you so much.