Six months volunteering in a Nepalese orphanage doesn’t fill the void inside me. The wide, bright, smiles of the too thin children, the fierce hugs and the progress we have made does not make me feel whole again.
I spend the summer in the USA, teaching sports to disadvantaged children. I am surrounded by the whoops and hollers of my team mates. My heart aches with loneliness.
In Cambodia, I dedicate myself to Wildlife Conservation. The elephants stride, trunk to tail.
‘Beautiful, aren’t they.’ I turn towards the voice.
Clear amber eyes lock onto mine. My pulse skyrockets. This time, I just might stay.
Written for Friday Fictioneers. A 100 word story inspired by a photo prompt. Read the other entries here.
fabricating fiction 
Dear Louise,
You had me feeling your MC’s emptiness despite her attempts to fill it with good things. Beautifully told with a hopeful ending.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I am feeling like a bit of hope today. Thanks.
Well-paced and beautifully told. Well done.
Thank you Sandra.
A well written story with lots of detail but not at all cluttered … love the ending.
Thanks very much.
Beautiful, and powerfully written. The emotion in this is like a punch to the gut, it’s fantastic.
Thanks very much Carol.
Dear Louise,
I like your take on the prompt this week. Moving from the literal boat to metaphor works well. The hopeful ending plays out nicely with just a hint of mystery to leave your reader engaged and wondering by the final word. Well handled.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Thank you Marie. I like a bit of hope!
An un-tethered soul finds peace at last. Nicely done.
Ah. Nicely put Alicia.
Oh, the desperate need to fill that void…you captured it so beautifully, it is truly heartbreaking.
Thank you!
You can search the world over, but the universe sends you what you need when you need it. Nicely written piece.
It certainly does and you can never run away from yourself.
This is so sweet and sad at the same time. Very well done 🙂
Thanks Rachel.
I think that you may search the whole world.. but some things you will not find, they will find you.
Absolutely.
sweet write… I have a young friend as a missionary in Cambodia… she would understand this piece
Thanks for reading.
I loved this and I agree with Rochelle. I finished reading yours with a smile on my face. 🙂 < me
Thanks.
I really liked the hopeful note that ended the story. I also liked the compassion that was woven through each sentence.
Thanks very much Kirsten.
Fantastic. You constructed a great image, the lonely seeker, looking for something to fill the void… nice.
KT
Thank you.
Hopeful and lovely, Louise. The idea of searching the world for something– all the while filling others with hope, and reaching out– to finally feel a connection. Really nice.
It’s good to see you having a hopeful day, amidst the gray. xo
Thanks. My writing is more hopeful now.
Dear Louise,
A very satisfying story and one that steers clear of the boatman so prevalent in this week’s offerings. Thank you.
Aloha,
Doug
Thanks Doug.
Elephants are my favorite animals so it doesn’t surprise me that the narrator would choose to stay after working with one! But my guess is those clear amber eyes didn’t belong to an elephant but to someone walking on two feet!
Absolutely. I would stay for the elephants.
i love happy ending. well done.
Me too! Thanks.
I like your figurative use of the picture. It reminds me of a good friend of mine who has drifted all over the world like this, teaching and volunteering. Maybe she hasn’t found the right person yet either. 🙂
There’s someone out there for everyone. Thanks for reading.
Lovely, she (?) sounds like she deserves some happiness of her own after helping so many and maybe she’s finally found it. There’s hope there at least!
I hope so! Thanks.
beautifully told love story. Also having worked in a developing world country beside aid workers your inference that the aid was secondary to a lack in her own personal world rang true. Loved it.
That must have been an amazing experience. Thanks Irene.
She has been drifting, for sure. I’m glad she has found someone to drift with. Beautifully told.
Me too. We all need an anchor. Thank you Margaret.
I loved this, the hope after the search 🙂
Some folks can ground us like that.
Searching, searching. Hopefully! Beautifully crafted.
Thanks Patrick.
I like the hope of a romantic future that is found in this piece. I would definitely read more.
Thanks Joseph. I would like to expand on this.
A lovely broad take on the picture, and you managed to have us travel the world in just a hundred words.
Thanks Claire.
I really unique take and leaning towards hope. I like this a lot.
Thanks Amy!
Beautiful take on the prompt. Her emptiness and loneliness is really well portrayed and I love the hopeful ending. 🙂
Thanks very much.
I love the voice here, and how the use of present tense takes me along on the journey.
Thank you Melanie.
Dear Louise, “Everybody needs somebody sometime!” is just as true now as when Dean Martin sang it. Wonderful, meaningful story and well written! Thank you for the entertainment! Nan 🙂
Wonderful song. Thanks Nan.
I’m wondering what the end of the first paragraph is about “…does not make me feel whole again…”
Those amber eyes sound gorgeous.
Ellespeth
Thanks Ellespeth. I did have a back story in mind. Far too many words though!
Thank you for this tiny journey. Tracey
Thanks