This week Pegman goes to the Great Wall of China. Feel free to choose from photospheres you find anywhere along it’s length. This link will get you started, or you can venture off on your own. No need to stay with your tour group on Pegman tours 😉
Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by your tour of the location. You’re welcome to write fiction, essay, poetry, or anything you choose. Once your 150 words is polished, you can share it with other Pegman contributors at the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!
Thanks, always, to Karen and Josh for hosting this challenge. Great fun!
I wasn’t sure I’d make it back this week. We’re finding it takes a while to re-acclimate after a long trip. At any rate, this story has been brewing for the past couple of days, so, despite my being late for the Pegman party, I post this for those who’ll read.
The photo I chose.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Word Count: 150
BEYOND THE WALLS
The letter arrived a few days before my thirtieth birthday. I studied the handwriting. It almost looked like I’d written it myself. Was it a cruel prank or a defining moment?
“No doubt this is terrible timing, but I’ve been searching for you half my life. Your Facebook posts about your poor mum’s dreadful automobile accident, told me I’d found my answer…”
Searching for me? I lived in Missouri, thousands of miles from London. This stranger, named Sally Myers-Hempstead, proposed we make a Skype date.
Ron booted up my laptop. “What’ve ya got to lose, Sis? This might be your answer, too.”
What answer? My adoption had never been a secret. Mom and Dad loved to tell the story of how they went all the way to China for their baby girl.
My mirror image smiled onscreen. “Happy birthday, Sondra!”
I managed to whisper. “Happy birthday to you, too, Sally.”
*
*
It does happen…quite a bit actually. These two young ladies, adopted by different families were reunited on GMA a couple of years ago. There are many other stories out there, similar to my bit of fiction.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Dearest Rochelle,
This is the type of story that gives me chills. And you gave me chills big time! I love how you brought forth this particular tale – yes, there are a few out there! And no, you will never get me to diss Facebook because of stories like these!
Lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
The actual story that inspired this one is a set of identical Korean twins, one adopted in France and the other in the States. The French adoptee became a fashion designer and the American, an actress. These stories give me the chills, too, as well as fascinate me. Of course, in digging deeper. Invariably these twins find out how alike they are in mannerisms, likes and dislikes, etc. At any rate, I’m glad you enjoyed my story. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That’s exactly the story I was thinking of! Proof positive that genes play such a huge role in how we act, react, walk…
I did. Very much so.
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What can I say? After seeing Memoirs of a Geisha more times than I can count, how could I not love Samantha Futerman’s story of finding her identical twin. Rather, her twin finding her. 😉
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Exactly! And it is such a wonderful story worth sharing!
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Great story, Rochelle. We have an adopted daughter ourselves. It’s a wonderful thing indeed to have her in our lives.
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Dear Josh,
Your comment makes me smile. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Fascinating topic, Rochelle. Lovely, succinct story. I can’t imagine what it feels like to make that first connection with a twin after all those years…world turned up-side-down ?
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Dear Francine,
I’m with you. If you grew up not knowing you were an identical twin, I imagine it would be jarring. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Makes me wish the laws were more strict about keeping siblings, and especially twins together, but the drive toward a timely “permanency” seems to win out.
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Dear James,
As I mentioned to another reader, so many of these adoptions, particularly in China with its one child policy, were prompted by fear and desperation to save the children at any cost.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The idea of splitting up twins is terrible. I don’t like to be judgmental, but couldn’t the adoptive parents have taken both? If you give birth to twins you’re not given the option of throwing one away!
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Dear Jane,
In most of these cases, the adoptive parents had no idea their child was a twin. Due to China’s one child policy, many of these babies were abandoned in different places. The parents didn’t necessarily mean to throw their children away. It sounds more like Moses in the bulrushes. Thanks for reading. Evoking strong emotion is what we writers strive for isn’t it? 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That makes sense. There was the story of the Australian couple who had a surrogate mother in Indonesia, I think, and it was twins. One of the twins had Downs Syndrome or some disability or other and they said they wouldn’t take the faulty one. They left the handicapped baby with this extremely poor woman who didn’t have the means to give it the medical help it needed. There was a national outcry and the second baby was adopted too, but I’m not sure by whom.
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Faulty one? That would make me cry out, too.
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The couple were publicly named and shamed. They maybe didn’t mean it like that but…
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If they knew of the disabled twin, they should of adopted both. If they didn’t know about her, they still helped a child. I don’t like it one bit – but, Different countries have different laws and customs. Too bad.
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They did know and were pleased that it was twins to begin with until they discovered one was handicapped. That wasn’t in the deal. There was maybe a lynching by social media that went on, and it maybe isn’t as simple as that. Possibly they thought the biological mother would cope with the ‘problem’ on her own. Not a nice story anyway.
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Thankfully, there are some great outcomes due to social media. I just wish it would outweigh the bad. Now, to the story. I love it when these little miracles come together. Your story is well written and gives one a “warm fuzzy” feeling when read. That’s always good.
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Dear Jan,
Social media is a two-edged sword, isn’t it? Happy to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, m’luv. 😀
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I imagine this with a pang. What would it be like to learn you had a twin? How would it feel to finally find your features in another’s face? Wonderfully told and thought-provoking.
Great to see you back! It can take awhile to recover from a big trip for sure.
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Dear Karen,
I can’t imagine what it would feel like to find you had an identical twin raised by other parents. If you check You Tube there are scads of stories like this. These stories made me tear up every time. Happy to pass along the feeling. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
What a heart-warming story! You make me feel that although Sondra at first doubted whether the encounter would answer any questions, when confronted by her twin sister she discovered that it answered questions she’d never thought to ask.
Shalom
Penny
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Dear Penny,
Your summary is spot on. 😉 I’m glad you caught all of my intentions and enjoyed the story. An author can’t hope for more. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Delightful! Sometimes I think that twins who were separated at birth somehow know there’s a missing piece in their lives. To find that twin would, hopefully, be a little piece of heaven.
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Dear Lish,
I’m of the mind to agree with you. There’s something about twin siblings that goes beyond nurture. Studies consistently seem to show this. One set of separated Korean twins learned, after discovering each other, that they’d each failed Algebra the same year. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a beautiful reunion!
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Dear Jelli,
I’ve watched a few of these twin reunions on You Tube and get all shpilkhes every time. (teary-eyed). Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At last, Fate brought them together. Facebook helped too, and skype! Social media does have some pros as well 🙂
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Dear Shivam,
I agree about social media. While it has its drawbacks it can bring people together in miraculous ways. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Seems so cruel to separate twins like that, but I guess the thinking is better adopted apart than not at all. A moving end to your story Rochelle. That metaphorical wall between them just came tumbling down, didn’t it?
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Dear Lynn,
I love it when a reader catches the deliberate nuances. 😉 You are spot on with the wall metaphor. While it does seem cruel to separate twins, it was more of a desperation to give the children a better life. Sad but true and hard to understand in our western world, isn’t it? Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sad, isn’t it, but as you say, better to have a loving family around you. Lovely writing Rochelle
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You always weave a beautiful story, Rochelle!! And a thought-provoking one as well.
These issues are not as simple as what they appear on the surface or what people read in the news. I appreciate your knowledge of the circumstances in China. It strikes a special cord with me. I’ve worked in doing charitable projects within several orphanages in China since the mid-1990’s. The number of little ones who have perished in these institutions is mind-numbingly sad. So, there are times when to save a child, mistakes are made. There are other times when “wrong” is done knowingly. The social issues are deep and complicated. Tragically, the most innocent are the ones who suffer.
Your story and the little girls who were reunited brought a tear to my eye. =)
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Dear Brenda,
What lovely things to say. 😀 Thank you.
What I know about the subject come from what I read and see online. To get such validation from someone, such as yourself, with personal experience is akin to receiving an Oscar. Thank you again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Amazing story… the feeling must have been out of this world for these girls. well told, Rochelle!
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Dear Vivian,
Can you imagine finding out you had an identical twin? Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’d rather not! LOL!!! (double trouble!) Take care 🙂
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Wonderful story. Very heart-warming and brilliantly crafted.
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Your story was very stirring.
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Thank you, Nan.
Shalom
Rochelle
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