Looking at the picture, she couldn’t believe it was so serene a day ago. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue with tiny powder puff clouds. It was surprisingly warm for Spring in the midwest. A welcome relief from winter’s blast. She’d been smiling and enjoying the wind chimes. A camera flashed; or had it really been a camera, she’d never know for sure. It didn’t matter now, the damage was done.
Beyond the houses, in the small piece of sky she could see, her eyes followed the column of cloud up, up, and up until it branched out like an umbrella, becoming a large mushroom. It’s appearance, the beginning of the end.
It had been all so serene just last week.
C. 2014, Starfire McQuinn. All Rights Reserved.
(134 wc, hope that fits within the guidlines, now.)
JunkersFictionCorner 
I liked your story. Good Job!
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Oh dear! That’s not good, a mushroom cloud. 😮 Great story! Yes, it is within the guidelines. Was it not last time? Sorry, I don’t remember.
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I had to go back and edit out 100 words. I was initially at 218. heheh..
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It turned out well after your editing. 🙂
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I always have to edit out words! I write what I want to say, then take out what doesn’t contribute to that. Yours came out fabulous! First I thought twister, but then it seemed more ominious than that.
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It shows that people will still be taking pictures rather than running away.
Great story you have written, and that was quite an ending!
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Good story… scary to think this kind of thing can happen any time, anywhere.
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I like the way you used the mushroom cloud to tie in with the flashing of a camera. Even in dare circumstances we often times visualize something entirely different than what the real thing is. Nicely done.
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Indeed, we do, Lucky. I was remembering a conversation I had with a survivor of Hiroshima. She likened it like the flash of a camera. I was just a little kid at the time, but the experience the survivor shared will remain with me always.
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It can all change just that quickly; in a flash!
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Great descriptions of the sky and mushroom cloud. I like your sentence about whether or not a camera flashed.
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Scary how quickly it can all change. Great story. 🙂
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What a dreadful way to have so serene a day completely shattered! The comparison to to a camera flash works really well and the last line is excellent. Well written story. 🙂
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What a contrast. Was that a nuclear explosion or a tornado. Tornadoes are ripping through the midwest right now.
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I live in the midwest, we’ve had warnings all week.
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I used to live in Indiana, I have friends that’ve been posting about it the last few days.
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This is probably how the end will come – just after everything seems so perfect 😦
Ellespeth
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Mushroom cloud? Definitely not a good sign. This is a beautiful story and goes to sho not every day ends the way it begins .
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Wow! This piece is riveting as such destruction and murder are horrifying. No warning, but that wouldn’t have been anything “better.” 😦
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