"Red"

I have a few current reading/writing obsessions.  I remain Poe-sessed and my fondness for Fitzgerald has never waned.  But, thanks to the joy of the intrawebz, you can now find little gems like 6 word stories (try it!) or even bits of prose where the author* is describing the color without naming the color.  I use these two trends as writing prompts daily.  Feel free, as always, to leave your own versions in the commentary (do NOT, however, feel free to steal my own work and pass it as your own...I will find you).  So, today, because I'm watching Red Sox baseball (DAMMIT.SOX.) and because it's been a whammer-jammer of a weekend, I present you with:  "Red".

"Red" Erica S. Rhodes (C)(2016)

It's the color of her favorite flower, petal after petal where she would whisper, “he loves me”, “he loves me not”. It was the color of the little drop of blood that would drop down if she snagged her finger on the flower's thorn. It was the color of the hearts she drew with their initials inside. It was the color of the lipstick she wore on their first date, turned to a softer pink when it smudged across his own lips. It was the color of the single flower he would bring to every date, her favorite flower, he always was a great listener. It was the color of passion, the color of her long feminine nails as she did decidedly unfeminine things. It was the color of the Ruby baubles he would buy to placate her, to distract her, perhaps to woo her. It was the blush to her cheeks when she realized she wasn't the only one. It was the color that darkened her soft grey eyes as she screamed and cried and lashed out. It was the color of the pills she took to stay in Wonderland and the color of the wine she chased it with. It was the color that dripped from her wrists and stained her bathwater, when Wonderland disappeared. It was the color that dripped across her skin. It was the color that was written on the white tile beside her body, “I loved you”.  ESR-8/21/

*Why yes, yes I am a published author now.  Thank you so much for noticing.  Those interested can read the response piece (To Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour)here (beginning around page 121, make sure you scroll to the end to read my bio):  The Leather Bound Journal!  My next three (!!!!) pieces will be available in the same creative magazine in the Spring of 2017.  Until then,  you may see me out and about the local NE writer's scene <3