Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Fishy Story - Magpie Tales #15 - May 25, 2010





Alissa sat quietly at the back of the old country church while the priest said the funeral Mass.  There was hardly anyone present, no one she recognized except Alfredo's wife, Rosaria, who cried quietly.  She hadn't been back to Rossville in fifteen years, since the death of her own
mother.  As the priest droned on, she was caught up in memories of the past.  How many nights had she snuck out of her house, terrified, as her drunken father beat her mother.  She would often cry herself to sleep at the Sanchez house and go home the next morning after her father went to work.  Her mother would always make excuses for him.

Though Rosaria and Alfredo were struggling to survive on their little farm, they were always happy to see Alissa and  welcomed her to their table.  Alfredo taught Alissa how to fish in the creek on their land and, many nights, they would feast on trout they caught.   Rosaria taught Alissa to knit and do needlework and sew, things in which her own mother never had an interest.  When she finished high school and went away to college in New York, she felt sadder to leave the Sanchez family than she did her own parents.  They thought she was ridiculous and
"high faluting" to go away just because she had been awarded a full scholarship to Parsons,
The New School for Design.

Outside the church, Rosaria saw her and crumbled into her arms.  "Oh, child, I am so happy you
came.  It means so much that you are here.  Please come home with me because there is a
box Alfredo wanted you to have."

Alissa went with Rosaria to the cemetery and then to the farm.  While she made tea, Rosaria went into the parlor and brought back a sturdy box.  "This is for you," Rosaria offered.  Alissa took it and, looking inside, saw it was full of little silver fish. 

"Oh, my gosh, these are little fishing lures.  There must be five hundred here."  They both laughed.  "I don't know why Alfredo kept them.  He kept saying he was saving them to fish with
you," Rosaria said.

Two months later, Alissa's summer fashion collection debuted.  The highlight and most talked about items on the NY runway scene were amazing pieces of jewelry designed by Alissa Wright, incredible necklaces, bracelets and long dangly earrings composed of brilliant Swarovsky crystals and shiny silver fish.

22 comments:

  1. ashes to beauty...love a happy ending. nice magpie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice Magpie! I, too, thought those fish as lures!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved this story. Maybe I'm a sucker for a beautiful ending or maybe I just like to believe in the magic that happen when people are inspired by love.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brilliant Magpie, Carmen!! And excellently told. Don't you wonder about the stories behind fashion creations like this?

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a sweet story!
    hughugs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:01 AM

    I love this story, Carmen! You're a great story teller. It gives me such a nice and warm feeling inside!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful! It has a remarkably nice tone.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Charming story, with a great ending!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your story-beautifully written.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful story of love and inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Brian Miller - I guess I can't ALWAYS have a happy ending..but, if I'm writing it, why not??

    ReplyDelete
  12. 00dozo - are those fish lures? I am not really sure but, since I'm not a fisherperson, I can't say!

    My poetry book - Life's Journey by Carmen Henesy - is out on Amazon
    ( Poems about the things that have been important to me in my journey through life, some humorous, some sad, some that may have meaning to you as well )
    http://www.amazon.com/Lifes-Journey-1-Carmen-Henesy/dp/1451547366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274652997&sr=1-1

    ReplyDelete
  13. Liss - I'm glad you liked my magpie fairy tale. I like happy endings, too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. willow - glad you liked my tale of your fishies. Your prompts are so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Donna - usually I do poems for these magpies but, lately, I've written stories. It's been fun to do something different.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Icy BC - I am so pleased you enjoy my magpie tales. It's fun doing something besides poetry sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tumblewords - thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked my magpie.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Travelingjoan - I am so glad you always read my work - prose or poetry!

    ReplyDelete
  19. kathew - it's fun doing willow's magpies's. Trying to come up with something creative for her prompts is always a challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  20. ~T~ - glad you liked my magpie. Yours was really great and the ending was such a funny surprise!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, this was great! And a clever way of getting those fish in the story. Loved it!

    (ohmygawd, I noticed you posted a response to every single comment. Please... don't feel obligated to respond to this one. I'd rather have you spend the time writing other stories.)

    ReplyDelete
  22. The Crusty Crone - It is a pleasure to respond to you! I am honored that you stopped by my blog. Funny, I usally write poetry,not prose - though in my long ago youth, I did write a lot of short stories!

    I am thrilled that at the anciet age of 65, I just got my first book of poetry out on Amazon!
    ( Poems about the things that have been important to me in my journey through life, some humorous, some sad, some that may have meaning to you as well )
    http://www.amazon.com/Lifes-Journey-1-Carmen-Henesy/dp/1451547366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274652997&sr=1-1

    ReplyDelete