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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Please be considerate to your fellow writer/readers and keep your stories to 100 words. Thank you.
The crunch is on. I’ve started putting a manuscript together for A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY. So most of my writing energy these days is going into the short stories and excerpts for the book. The following is a tweaked excerpt from FROM SILT AND ASHES that’s cut down from the version that’s going in the next book. That made perfect sense, right?
Genre: Historical Fiction circa 1904
Word Count: 100
DOORPOST
Havah traced the shin, the first letter of the word Shaddai, Almighty on the weathered tube on her door jamb with her index finger. The mezuzah was one of the few things she managed to salvage from the ruins of her village.
She remembered how David, then thirteen, spent hours carving the wood. Careful not to crack it, he hollowed out a place to insert the parchment scroll inscribed with Torah verses. How had it survived? She brought her fingertips to her lips and kissed them, remembering her brother’s face.
“Sweet David, your words have I hidden in my heart.”
*
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Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Siimple, touching, and very human. Good one, Rochelle. And, by the way, your opening quote this week – I glanced at it and thought “yeah, I agree with that” and then I realised why
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Dear Neil,
It’s a great quote by someone we know. 😉 Thank you for that. Glad you liked the story. 😀 Thanks for taking the time to say so.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a powerful story in so few words: Plus again Rochelle I have learnt something, this time about the mezuzah.
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Dear Michael,
Always happy to pass along a little knowledge. 😉 Re my story…Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Interesting information, Rochelle. Good writing as always. I’ll be unable to work on the computer for a time as the Google India server is having trouble connecting to programs. It’s extremely slow and often freezes and can’t connect at all. This has happened before and I just have to keep trying to see if it’s back. Even the customer service for my Wi-fi is messed up. —- Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I appreciate your working through your server troubles to read and comment on my story. I’ll look forward to seeing you back when your WiFi’s restored. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a touching excerpt, Rochelle. I wonder if it’s possible for David to return.
So delicate and beautiful. I admire how you write.
Thanks you for the video.
Best wishes,
Moon
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Dear Moon,
I’m afraid poor David and his dark haired brother Mendel (pic The Cohen Brothers) were both murdered at the beginning of the first book. They live on only in Havah’s heart and memories.
Thank you for your sweet comment. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So sad!
Adorable art works, especially like the portrait of Havah in her blue dress.
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Thank you, Moon. 😀
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A touching story and a new piece of information. I don’t recall seeing any mezuzah around where I live, so new to me. Good knowledge to have should I spot one 🙂
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Dear Iain,
You don’t see many mezuzot around my neighborhood either. The three pictured are a part of my house. Many Jewish people have gotten away from the tradition. Thank you for your kind words re my story. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I first saw a mezuzah in the film Ben Hur when I was small, and remember thinking what a lovely custom and wanting to know if we could have one.
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Dear Jane,
We never had a mezuzah when I was a child. I remember the one on my grandfather’s front door and wondered why we didn’t have one. So when we bought this house ten years ago I insisted on them. We had a regular housewarming and traditional mezuzah hanging. I’m still looking for a small one that I can put up on my office door. And I remember the scene from Ben Hur, too. 😉 Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Once again I’ve learned something from reading your delightful story and then doing a little research with the help of Mr Google!.
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Dear Keith,
Mr. Google has become one of my nearest and dearest friends. 😉 So glad you enjoyed my story. Thank you for taking the time to say so.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A small recovered memento can mean so much. At least she has something tangible, besides only memories, to remember her brother. Nice story. It carries me back to the first Novel, and the epic beginning.
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Dear Jan,
Glad you’ve enjoyed the my novels so much. ❤ 😀
Shalom, m'luv
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Love the detail in this piece, Rochelle.
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Thank you, Josh.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle,
Such a moving testimony to the power of family and loved ones to pass on a chain of faith. I love how personal it feels and universal at the same time, “your words” – both the Torah and David’s personal preservation of it. Hope all of your writing goes well.
Anne
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Dear Anne,
There’s nothing more gratifying for an author than to know her writing hit the target. Bulls-eye! Thank you for such a sweet and affirming comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I take it David didn’t make it.
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Dear James,
Sadly, David didn’t. Nor did the rest of Havah’s family of origin. As for the scripture…that’s exactly where I went. Havah just ‘paraphrased’ it. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah, the discovery of a treasured memory. Your story conveys much with few words. I feel like I already know these characters, and some of the hardships they’ve endured.
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Dear Spaceman,
I love those little treasures that have no monetary value but are loaded with sentimental value. Thank you for your warm and affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’ve enlightened me, Rochelle. 🙂 I wasn’t aware of that piece of their history about the mezusah. Good story. Is your new book, A Stone for the Journey going to be a part 4 to the Havah series, or about another story altogether? Is it released yet? The illustrations and paintings/drawings are always so detailed and well done. They all have such character, adding to the character. 🙂 The best to you in all your work.
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Dear Joyce,
Havah found the mezuzah in the dirt amid the ruins of Natalya in PLEASE SAY KADDISH FOR ME. This particular snippet is found toward the beginning of FROM SILT AND ASHES. Although I put a different spin on it. I guess you could call A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY the 4th book in the series. My publisher refers to it as a companion. It will have the illustrations I’ve been working on and posting as well as excerpts from the three novels and a few new stories the characters have told me. 😉 I am excited about this book for long before I discovered I could write I wanted to be an artist.
Thank you for coming by.
Shalom, my friend,
Rochelle
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You are both; a writer and artist, and good at both. Keep going. 🙂
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I’d like to read the longer story. 🙂 And may the Lord grant you the patience of Job and/or a helpful editor as you put your manuscript together and get it published.
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Dear Christine,
The longer version of this will be in A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY which Is slowly but surely coming together. Of course the even longer version is can be found in my second novel FROM SILT AND ASHES 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I so love these excerpts (modified or no 😉 ) Though I had noticed those little wooden “thingies” on doorframes, and I realised they were on Jewish doorframes, I never realised there was a scroll within. Always learning with you, my friend!
Lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Happy to educate you on the subject of door thingies. 😉 We never had them when I was growing up but my grandfather did. No one ever told me what they were about until I was in my teens. Glad you like my stories so much. Makes me smile. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Door thingies, door doohickeys… very official-sounding, don’t you think? Now, not only do I know what they are called but what they mean!
I like to make people smile 😀
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I loved that story, Rochelle. It left me with the feeling that although David had apparently only lived on in Havah’s memory, he was actually also living in a more tangible way. Good, clever writing.
Shalom
Penny
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Dear Penny,
You’re spot on in your assessment of David. Thank you so much for your comments/compliments. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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As always I learn something when I read your stories. I’ve never heard of a mezuzah before. You put this teaching together in such a gentle and touching framework. A lovely piece of work.
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Dear Eric,
Your words make me smile. Happy to show you something new. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Fascinating insight there, Rochelle. I was quite out of breath! So much information, both factual and visual to provide background to your story. Well done.
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Dear Sandra,
You’ve returned the favour for your comment leaves me out of breath. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very touching story. You are the queen of brevity. I so admire your writings, Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
Your words are so sweet. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Gosh, well I might not have understood the Jewish references, but I got the gist of it. Powerfully done, Rochelle.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan,
That’s high praise indeed. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I learn a lot from you.
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Thank you, Alice. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Poignant excerpt.
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Thank you, Magarisa.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Always a pleasure, Rochelle.
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To have such memories saved in a memento is so much more worth than the thing itself… a great excerpt from your book
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Dear Björn,
It’s often the little things we cherish, isn’t it? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
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Beautiful!
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Gracias. 😀
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Love the way you wove that last line into the story. Touching, indeed.
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Dear Linda,
Many thanks for such a lovely comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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How miraculous the continued existence of the mezuzah must be to Havah, having lost so much. A symbol of the continuity of her faith, of God in a troubled world. Touching too, how it evokes such strong memories of her brother. Beautifully and emotionally written as always.
Thank you for the video – very informative and interesting.
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Dear Lynn,
I couldn’t have hired someone to write a better review. 😉 I don’t know if it’s a tribute to my writing or to your sensitivity as a reader. You caught every intended nuance. Highly gratifying.
The video was kind of a last minute insert. Glad to have found it.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Powerful and touching. A miracle it survived.
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Thank you, Ali. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That’s so poignant Rochelle. I just love how you give us glimpses of your culture in such an interesting manner.
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Dear Anurag,
I’m glad you enjoyed. And I love the way we share our cultures in FF. It’s what keeps me doing this year after year. Thank you for your affirming comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such small things can hold a world of memories.
I must apologise now for not visiting many other blogs this week. I have lost access to my usual browser and everything I need to do is taking me AGES. I may have to visit – and pay – a technician 😦
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Dear Liz,
It’s usually the small things that mean the most, I think. I hope your internet woes are at an end.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle, This was a very sensitive piece. As I read the lines, I figured that David might not be around during this. Then I read the comments and realized that it was true. As usual, well written and thanks for introducing something new to us.
Cheers, Varad
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Dear Varad,
Poor Havah’s family perished. She alone survived. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Georgia O’Keeffe Burns W(T)F,
My dad would classify that as a keepsake. The only memento he had of my grandfather’s was a knife that he kept in a drawer. I was allowed to look at it and touch it, but that’s as far as it went. Perhaps this explains why I get teary-eyed every time I hear the song “The Randal Knife” by Guy Clark.
Enough work, back to loafing
Dudley Do-No-Wrong
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Dear Dudley Do (No?) Wrong,
For me it was a set of Howdy Doody plastic cake ornaments from my brother’s sixth birthday cake my mom would never let me play with. Thanks to her foresight they still exist in my printer’s drawer. Here’s to keepsakes.
Shalom,
Georgia O’Keeffe Burns W(T)F
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Dear Georgia,
At least you could play with them now (if you weren’t so busy working :().
Perhaps we should change my title this week to Dudley Do-Nothing. It’s more reflecting of my daily activities.
Dudley
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I was reading Isa 57 and v8 struck me. Your writing reminds me of it!
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Dear Sabina
Interesting correlation. What I had in mind was Deut. 6:9 😉 Thank you.
Shalom
Rochelle
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Contrasts! Just a reminder!
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Beautiful sad memories. I remember the first chapter where Havah escaped and her family was killed – wasn’t she lucky to keep her mezuzah through everything she has gone through. She would always have kept David in her heart but it is so nice to have something physical to hold on to.
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Dear Irene,
It was one of those “why not?” moments for me when I wrote the scene where Havah asked Itzak to stop on the way back from Kishinev. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A very toughing story, Rochelle and information as always.
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Dear Clare,
Thank you for your lovely and encouraging words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautiful, touching story, Rochelle!
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Many thanks. Sascha. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Gorgeous piece. Great emotion in this one. Such longing.
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Thank you for such a wonderful comment, Laurie.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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people who have passed will continue to live for as long as somebody remembers them. it’s only when nobody remembers them that they finally die.
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Ever so true, Plaridel. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That was so beautiful, poignant Rochelle as well as tragically sad.
Well done.
xx Rowena
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Dear Rowena,
Thank you for your affirming and thoughtful comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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As is so often the case with your writing, it flows simply and beautifully to a last sentence that captures my heart.
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Dear Jan,
Coming from an author I have the greatest respect and admiration for, this means a lot. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I hope wherever David is, he’s continuing to watch over her and she will always have those words in her heart. So touching and filled with love, Rochelle.
P.S: I love the quote you started the post with. Without reciprocity there wouldn’t be any community. People need to talk to each other and visit each other more often.
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Dear Soumya,
Thank you for your sweet comment.
The quote came from our own FF’r Neil McDonald when I struck up a discussion about reciprocity. I get a bit irritated with those who merely leave their stories on the link, neither commenting or even replying. There are some who never comment on mine and, after a while, I stop commenting on their stories. 😉
Thank you again,
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for sharing your Jewish traditions with us! I think the Mezuzah is a beautiful concept of protection and a reminder of God in the home. Like a true sanctuary. It’s tragically beautiful, this story of David and Havah. The word “shin” struck me because it sounds so similar to the arabic letter “sheen”. Your progress on your novels inspire me to finish my own! All the best with your work, Rochelle!
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Dear Fatima,
The Hebrew letter is actually pronounce sheen also. There are many similarities between the two languages. I wish there was more peace between the peoples who speak them.
I’ve only put up mezuzahs in my own home over the past ten years. My grandfather had them in his home.
Thank you for your kind and affirming words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Nice to learn.
Great that she managed to keep it safe!
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Dear Anita,
In the book she found it amid the rubble of her destroyed village months after her family had been massacred. Perhaps it became and heirloom passed from generation to generation. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Your stories never cease to make me understand what the character is feeling. I’m sure she missed her brother, but having the Mezuzah somehow kept his spirit close to her.
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Dear Renee,
She did miss her brother terribly…both of her brothers and parents. She’ll never part with that mezuzah. Thank you for such a sweet and affirming comment. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are most welcome my friend.
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Once again I learn something without experiencing pain. Thank you.
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Dear Patrick,
Learning shouldn’t have to be painful. Happy to not to have inflicted. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love it! I used to have a little pottery mazuzah that hung on our door jamb for decades, salvaged from my Gr. Grands home (stolen, really). Had it up until we moved to KY, then, it was stolen, found shattered in the parking lot after our home was broken into.
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Dear Jelli,
I’m so sorry about your mezuzah…not to mention your home being broken into. I want to get one for my office doorjamb since I spend more time in here than any other room. It needs to be one I can stick up with two sided tape. Maybe the kind they make for automobiles. (Which I’ve never been able to keep stuck). At any rate, thank you for stopping by. I hope you’re feeling better than you have been. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I know what you mean. Where we live now, there’s no place to really attach it on the outside of the door, so I’ll have to put one on the inside. I used to hang the mazuzah right above the “burden basket” just outside the door. Now, though, I think I’ll do it inside so it doesn’t get stolen.
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A poignant heart touching story. A special thank you for the insight into a rich culture 🙂
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Dear Dahlia,
Thank you for such a lovely and affirming comment. I love the cultural exchange that often happens in this group.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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When I don’t understand a word, or a person or the plot in your story, ( I’m not familiar with Jewish culture) I find that by conscientiously reading all the comments I can piece your tour de force all together !!!
You sound very busy and very creative… it must feel good … XXXX
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Dearest Valerie,
It always makes me smile when you make your way to my purple page. Thank you for taking the time to plod through the comments, too.
Lately I’m finding that “retirement” is very busy. When did I have time to work? I’m joyously pursuing watercolour which is something I’ve wanted to be able to do for a long time. The fact that someone actually wants to publish some of them in a book is doubly exciting. At the same time, as a friend told me a couple of years ago, retirement has also been about having lunch and reconnecting with good friends.
Thank you for coming by.
Love and Shalom,
Rochelle
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Touching story. I had never heard of a mezuzah before so that was interesting.
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Dear Subroto,
You see mezuzahs on the homes of the Orthodox. Although they seem to be gaining popularity again. It’s a very old tradition that I love. Thank you re my story. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Loved the story and comments Rochelle. Coincidentally a question was posed to us at our last Bible study. Why were the Israelites instructed to place blood on the sides and top of the door, and not the bottom? I went with, it’s symbolic of walking under authority. Shalom.
With Joy,
Dan
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Dear Dan,
I’d never thought about why the Israelites weren’t instructed to put blood at the bottom of the doorposts. But I think I’ll go with your interpretation. It makes perfect sense to me. 😉 Thank you for your comments and compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a sense of sadness in the writing Rochelle.
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Thank you for reading, Colline. 🙂
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This goes write to the heart. Beautiful
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Thank you for such kind words, Susie. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle – glad your book is coming together (and I bet you have “book head” on some days)
anyhow, I enjoyed your 100 words of fiction here… and it helped that I watched the video first – not sure what led me there- but the 40 second video primed me – and then your piece was more insightful.
and how nice to have the “mezuzah” salvaged – so nice.
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Dear Yvette,
Book head? I like that. And, yes, that’s pretty much where I am. 😉 Woke up early this morning with another story in my head.
I’m glad you enjoyed my story and took the time to say so.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi – and hope your book head yields many good things…
🙂
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Lovely! You do have a way with words and a unique writing voice. @sheilamgood at Cow Pasture Chronicles
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Beautiful story.
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