{This is a response to a prompt from Friday Fictioneers, to write 100 words on the photo supplied. This taped door reminded me of hurricanes past, when it was popularly understood, that you should tape your windows and glass doors, to prevent them from shattering. This has, since, been proven to be completely ineffective. It could actually result in worse bodily harm, as it would cause larger pieces of glass to be thrown into a room.
My interest was peaked, by the ornament to the right of the door. I deduced (perhaps incorrectly) that it was a mezuzah, which as I understand it, is traditionally a receptacle for holding specific sanctified spiritual verses from the Torah. These verses have to do with there being but one deity, and with the necessity to remember that, at all times, and to teach ones children to do the same thing. I portray below a non-Jewish person–with her own idiosyncratic beliefs– mistakenly believing the mezuzah to be just another mere superstition, rather than a cherished holy object.
A few words that may be unfamiliar: in this piece, “compact” means a contract or covenant, and “amulet” means an ornament, meant to give protection against evil, danger or disease.
Please forgive me for, and correct me on, any errors. Please pardon any insult or injury I may have caused in my ignorance. I am definitely entering uncharted waters on this one, and thus, have chosen to wade in, only up to my ankles. Thanks for the prompt, and thanks for reading!}
Gwendolyn and Isa did their best, to protect Emil’s condo from the wailing wind.
Taping windows.
Pressing Faith, Hope, Love and Luck, four-leafed, under glass.
Catching luck, like manna, in a horseshoe.
Stashing a rabbit’s foot in Gwendolyn’s gypsy skirts.
Picking up a penny.
Charms kept them safe. Clinking celestial chimes warded off the devilish din.
Stroking the burnt-leather tail of Emil’s mezuzah, Isa’s crystal eyes questioned.
“Is this an amulet, too?”
“No!”
Emil’s eyebrows furrowed, like swirling skies.
“It’s a reminder. Of our compact.”
Sparkly fingernails traced patterns.
“Emil?” Isa gasped.
“Have you kept your end of the bargain?”
Bombay Deco
Interesting story.
Thanks Dawn
Interesting take, Andrea. I wonder if any of the charms work and if one does, how will she know which one? Great story
If you don’t keep the bargain it wont work as a charm
A very unique and original story idea, Andy! I learnt several new things from the story. Thank you.
Oh! I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of these three. A delightful take on the prompt.
Thank you Alicia. They do seem like an interesting trio.
Dear Andrea,
It doesn’t matter what is in the actual photo. It’s what you see. Knowing Dale, I know it’s not a mezuzah which holds a tiny sacred scroll with the scripture from Deuteronomy. Here’s a story I posted last February concerning the meaning of the mezuzah. 😉 https://rochellewisoff.com/2018/01/31/2-february-2018/
Sorry…didn’t mean to go off on a tangent. I love your story. And you’re right, the mezuzah represents the pact or covenant between the Lord and His people.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle Im so glad you liked it.
I think I have a limit set on the number of links in a comment and thats what caused you trouble sorry. I may tinker with that setting. I deleted your other comment that restated this one.
Your piece is a perfect partner for mine! Thanks also for the reminder, that in this exercise, the literal photo is not the end, but the beginning of the process of writing, and that the grown plant, so to speak, may look nothing like the seed!
Gwendolyn and Isa kept more than their end of the bargain – so much to protect Emil. But I doubt Emil was as sincere!
The girls gave it a good college try for sure. If the covenant they are thinking about, is the one, mentioned by the verse inside the mezuzah, to keep the thought of the one god in mind at all times, I think there are few amongst us who could live up to that bargain!
Very nicely done. Sounds like Emil has a bit of fessing up to do….
sadly, i think emil didn’t keep his.
You may be right…
Loved the story, it works, so please, stop explaining yourself!
I saw books in the photo and wrote based on that.
Do I care?
Not a tuppenny whatsit.
Good advice!
Uh oh. Maybe someone stepped on a pavement crack because I think their luck’s run out 🙂
Haha! A black cat did cross…my mind. ??♀️
That was intriguing, and very original.
Thanks gah.
An interesting piece. Thanks for the background too.
You bet Sandra! The rearch is half the fun!
A very original idea indeed. I think a mezuzah is placed on the outside side of the door to be touched when you enter (am I right?). This hanging is on the inside of the front door. I actually thought it was a porcelain figure! Wrong guess. thanks for this little story.
I think you were more right than I, on what the item was. It just goes to show, how easy it is to misinterpret what you see(especially when viewing it in miniature, as on a cellphone!).
Dale (the photographer) said it was actually a bean- or seed-pod doll from Tortola. My bad.
Thanks for the positioning info. My research was too cursory this time, to make my “originality” resemble actual practice to any great degree. ?
My idea was that these were college kids. So I will deflect the blame, for the improper placement, onto their inexperience or lack of attention, and away from my own. ?
Luckily this phenomenon makes for interesting and varied responses to photo prompts. In the end, no one is really “wrong” in fiction. ?
I don’t know anything about mezuzahs, but thought your story was a fascinating take on the photo prompt. 🙂
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you Susan.
All the luck in the world won’t help if they haven’t kept their end of the bargain!
Thanks Iain. I fear what retribution may ensue!
I liked the idea of catching luck in a horseshoe
I tried to gather as many good luck tokens as I could muster,and add in the taped windows, as another superstition, that had no actual positive effect, other than to make people feel more secure.
Emil insists that his mezuzah is in another category altogether, but Isa fearfully reminds him, that this is not necessarily a good thing, since covenants are two- way streets, and unless he has done his part, to earn mercy, then all may be lost to the storm.
So well written!
Thank you Sascha!
Such an interesting take, Andrea!
And, for you information, the “doll” is made from a sort of seed or bean pod we got in Tortola…
So much for assumptions! I guess thats why they call it fiction! Interest photo Dale!
Dale, I saw that as piece of ceramic ware, thus the wide-bladed knife in my story! So glad you clarified that here. Now I see the doll.
That’s what’s cool, though. Don’t you think? I almost cropped it out of the picture (along with my shoe) and then said, no way, lets give these FF a little something extra!!
Every little bit helps!