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It’s Friday again and the fun is on thanks to Madison Woods. These days my participation in the Friday Fictioneers has been on and off, due to my involvement in a project which gets me busy on Fridays. I am chancing it this week as I could not resist the prompt.
So dear friends, here we go. Do bear with me if the story is not up to standard; Ghana is in mourning for we have lost our President, Prof. John Evans Ata Mills. May his soul rest in perfect peace. A poem in his honour is here. If you could spare a few minutes, I should be grateful for a read. Thank you.
Aqua Madness
I told her that water is precious in my village; that we have to walk for miles and miles on end just looking for a clean stream to fetch water. Since the drought most of the water bodies in the village had dried up and the one or two that remained bubbly and flowing were polluted with dead livestock.
Sometimes after going days without any we had no option but to fetch the putrid water from the streams and boil for consumption.
My White and lovely girlfriend, Aqua Marie, stared at me as if I was mad. Of course, I was.
To see what the rest of the Fictioneers are up to, do click on the little linky below. Thanks!
Reading Pleasure 
Your writing has such passion, it is a pleasure to read it!
Thank you, Beebee.
I’m sorry to hear about your president. One of the books I blogged about recently, “Wine to Water”,(http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/wine-to-water-a-slice-of-life-in-darfur/) talked movingly about one man’s attempt to bring clean water to people who don’t have access, so this story struck a cord. Hard to comprehend not having drinkable water. We’re so blessed here.
Thank you for your sympathies. Indeed, our country is the richer for his efforts and others like him. Accessibility to good drinking water is something we now take for granted. I wrote this short story as a reflection of what is pertaining in some African countries
Good leaders are to be treasured while alive and mourned when dead. May your country be blessed with another good leader.
Amen, my friend. I’m so grateful for your lovely words.
Thanks for the glimpse into your side of the world. You do it well.
http://www.rochelle-wisoff.blogspot.com/2012/07/snarl.html
Thank you, Rochelle.
This was very moving and so real. I, too, thank you for reminding us that there is an Africa.
Thank you, Phyllis. I’m glad this piece has been of impact to you.
Very well done.
Thanks, Susan
Beautifully written! It paints such a melancholic yet true picture..
Thanks a million for your kind comments. I’m grateful.
Lovely… I like this one. The end is funny.
Thanks, Elizabeth. That little a bit at the end implies some dramatic irony.
Quite… 🙂
Enjoyed this – a timely reminder that something we take for granted is very precious elsewhere.
Too true, Sandra. Many thanks.
Some realities are so far removed from a lot of people that they can never associate with them… I think everyone has been through similar situations… fishes in our little ponds – all of us!
Good work!
Parul
http://faitaccompli.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/bo-peep-in-the-city/
Thank you so much Parrul. Will get over shortly.
Beautifully done, and a reminder of those whose lives are not nearly so easy as our own. Your perspective is always an illumination.
Our own story is here: http://www.lazuli-portals.com/flash-fiction/elixir
PS Glad to see you here this week; I looked and looked for you last week!
Thank you for your lovely words, Joanna. lol! I was busy last week so I couldn’t join in the FFs. Sorry you missed me.
Realistic and evocative. Well crafted story.
Thanks for visiting mine.
http://ebooksscifi.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/kingdom-come-by-ilyan-kei-lavanway-for-madison-woods-friday-fictioneers-100-word-flash-fiction/
Thank you too.
Your story gives life to the lack of clean drinking water in parts of the world. I was pleased to read your comment regarding the positive situation in Ghana.
Thank you, Vb. Ghana is indeed, a beacon in Africa and I hope and pray it remains so.
Sad but true, and people rarely give it a thought.
Lovely piece..x
Thank you, Rosie.
very realistic presentation of a situation so common in many parts of the world.
My sympathies to the loss of your president
Thank you, Carrie. Much appreciated.
I like your story, and sounds so realistic. Thanks for reading mine too, and the positive comments.
Thank you too, Joyce. Glad for your visit.
Oh wow, the struggles of life, especially when it comes to something as important as water – echoes here in your story. Very well done.
http://mahjira.blogspot.com/2012/07/thirst.html
Thank you, Mahjira.
Beautifully written and very moving.
Many thanks Janet.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your country. Your story was beautiful, as usual, and especially haunting, as we are going through a drought here. It’s frightening to see the water sources drying up — we take so much for granted.
–Jan
http://janmorrill.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/fictioneers-flashfriday-gone-dry/
We surely do, don’t we? I’m very grateful for your sympathies, Jan. And many thanks for your fine comments on my story. I’m hnoured.
wow, madness is on my mind today…very interesting
Lol! Thanks Anna.
Dear Celestine,
I live in a desert on the Big Island of Hawaii. That may sound strange, but it’s true. Where I live we may get 10 inches of rain a year and three miles from here there is 150 inches of rain per year. Our ranch is dry and sere in the summer and without agricultural water piped in from the reservoirs in the mountains we would not be able to water livestock or grow anything.
Your story was a perfect illustration of how close we all are to disaster, some (you) more so than others. Your unique perspective on the challenges faced by many in the world shows in the perfect story you crafted from the dust and death that is the part and parcel of communities without a reliable source of clean water.
Since you joined our group I have learned much about Ghana and must thank you for this. Today I learned more.
My condolences to you for the loss of President Mills. I hope his replacement can fill his shoes.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug, I am happy you shared your experience with me; equally I am elated that through this blog you’ve learnt something about Ghana. I appreciate all your lovely comments and look forward to seeing you here more often. Many thanks for your kindness and consoling words, Celestine. Shalom!
Thank you for reminding us what is going on in other parts of the world, such as your Africa. Too often, we get jaded with tunnel vision. My condolences for your country’s loss.
Thank you, Lora. I deeply appreciate your kindness.
I thought the last lines in your story were very striking:
My White and lovely girlfriend, Aqua Marie, stared at me as if I was mad. Of course, I was.
I think that captures the strange relationship between visitors and inhabitants better than anything I’ve read up till now. I studied abroad in Tanzania and I still reflect on that experience as my life evolves. Good job and thank you.
Thank you, Glossarch. Your angle is just perfect. I owe some information on rainmakers in Ghana. Will get bact to it shortly.
Nicely done. 🙂 I was lost at the end, though. Is Aqua Maria a figment of his imagination (the white in the water?)? Or is she real? It was odd to me that white was capitalized, and that it was set apart “White and lovely girlfriend”, not “lovely, white girlfriend.” I presumed there was extra meaning in it, but I’m not sure what I was thinking was correct.
Thanks again for stopping by mine. 🙂
Aqua Marie is real, Stacey, though there is no hidden meaning to the ‘White and Lovely Girlfriend’ I will change it to lovely white girlfriend. Thanks a mil and sorry for the late response
Thanks for clarifying! 🙂
Unsanitary water is a large health issue in many countries, it’s great to see your making people aware through your great, creative writing.
I have nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award, the link is here: http://sphrbn.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/one-lovely-blog-award/
Thank you so much for this honour, Sphrbn.
Lovely, is all I would say.
Thank you my friend
i can’t imagine being without water for days, it really puts into perspective the trivial ‘hardships’ some of us face
It does, doesn’t it? Thanks for coming by.
Haha. I thought this too when I first saw the prompt. How we had to fetch water… NIce story you tell. Great job Celeste.
Thank you, Nifti. I remember even in the secondary school we had to go miles in search of water.
Hi again! I have nominated you for a One Lovely Blog Award. http://myloveofthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/lovely/
Ow, thanks a million for this. Will be there shortly.
Well, given you didn’t think you’d do a good job because of pressure, I think you accomplished it perfectly – what a brilliant story and what an ending 🙂
Ow, thanks a million for your lovely comments. I am glad you found it worthy.
It was excellent and more than worthy 🙂
Water is the source of life. I think we waste too much here. When I see people doing things like washing their sidewalks, I often think of places where whole families live on a gallon a day or less.
~Susan
Well said, Susan. Many thanks for the comments
Hi, I’ve only recently started following you but I wanted to share this with you. I’ve nominated you for the Sunshine Award http://thewhyaboutthis.com/i-belong/the-sunshine-award/, I hope to see you there soon, p.s. I really do like your writing! 🙂
Thanks a million, Penny for this honour. I truly appreciate it. Yeah, I love yours too.
thank you so much!
Love that ending. Of course he was mad. 😀
Lol! Thank you, Kim