This is my response to the Friday Fictioneers prompt for January 23. The challenge is to write a 100-word story inspired by the photo prompt. Play along by writing your own, reading others and/or commenting on the flashes we fictioneers create. The photo prompt this week comes from Georgia Koch in Italy. My story weighs in somewhere around 100 words (maybe 98 or 99), but an exact count is difficult as my word processor insists on counting ellipses and asterisks as words (and I refuse to do a manual count).
Copyright Georgia Koch
Dream Boat
“The water is wide. I cannot get o’er. . . .”
Jacque caught David’s gaze across the music room and rolled her eyes. He grinned between bass notes. “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” was the Scottish song Jacque preferred. At least those lyrics made sense. “His hair is such a gorgeous shade,” she thought.
***
“. . . but love grows old, and waxes cold . . .” Jacque stopped, realizing she had been singing the tune aloud as she signed the divorce papers. David’s black hair had turned silver, and the lyrics to “The Water Is Wide” made a lot of sense today.
Rather than make you endure a high school choral rendition of anything Scottish, I’ve found a video of the Indigo Girls:
As to the color of my true love’s hair, check out this performance by Celtic Thunder:
Being MG 
Lovely story. Sad, sweet and a tad bitter at the same time. You surpassed yourself.
Thanks, Sandra. Having grown up in the Midwest, I don’t have much experience with boats. Fortunately, my Celtic heritage held out for me on this prompt.
All my best,
Marie Gail
David’s hair black hair – should this just be David’s black hair ?
A lovely swoop through time, from love found to love lost – through song. Cheers.
Alicia,
Ah, yes. Duly noted and repaired. Thanks!
Marie Gail
Perfectly captured emotions, very touching.
Thanks so much!
The songs of our lives. What a great idea for this prompt.
Thanks! The absence of any reason to get in a boat in my home state of Kansas gave me a bit of pause upon seeing this prompt. I’m grateful for songs that have familiarized me with things distant and foreign. 😉
All my best,
MG
I think if you live a song you should always listen to it all the way to the end. Lovely way of conveying a whole story.
So true, Bjorn. It struck me, upon listening to “Black Is the Colour,” that the high school girls who swoon over that song clearly haven’t listened well.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Fantastic stuff, MG, you have given such a flavour of their love and told such a long tale in those few words.
Thanks, Jen.
I feel like I have “been there”.
The story is more common than we’d like to think. I’m glad it rings true. Sorry if it hits too close to home.
Marie Gail
I love that second song, MG. I’ve never heard it before.
Unfortunately, your story is how a lot of love stories end. There’s a lot of sad lines in songs that people skip over sometimes. Nice piece.
-David
Thanks David! I’m happy to have introduced you to some new music. As I recall, the version we sang years ago referred to the true love as “he.” As to not paying attention to all the lyrics of a song–I’ve found that strange as I am such a words person, but it does seem that many are not of the same bent of mind.
All my best,
MG
I’m always a sucker for lyrics in a story and you’ve done a great job of dancing back and forth, as we move through time. Add in a video (or 2) and it’s a home run! Nice job Marie Gail.
PS) loved the Celtic song, and HUGE fan of Indigo Girls… but Sarah Mclaughlin and Jewel, Icing, baby!
Thanks, Dawn. I was surprised how quickly this one came once I thought of the first song. Glad you also enjoyed the videos.
All my best,
Marie Gail
MG, very emotional and true to life. We oldsters can especially relate to it. Well, at least his hair turned to silver instead of fell out!
Dear Perry,
He does have that going for him, doesn’t he? Real, live people may or may not be alarmed to learn that I told this story all these years after having sung one or both of those songs in high school chorus. I can neither confirm or deny these possibilities.
Thanks for riding along this week!
All my best,
Marie Gail
Dear Marie Gail,
I’m a sucker for a story that gives a glancing nod to the prompt as you did with your title and then sails off in another direction.
You’ve written a novel in a hundred words or less, ellipses notwithstanding. 😉 Beautifully told and the music adds the exclamation points.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks, Rochelle. I am truly flattered.
All my best,
Marie Gail
I used to be a dreamboat, but now I’m more of an over-inflated raft that leaks little spurts of air from the backside regularly. Fortunately, Connie hasn’t traded me in for a newer model–yet.
Beautifully crafted story, Marie Gail.
You make me laugh with that description of yourself, Russell. At least you have memories of your dream boat days. 😉
Cheers!
MG
Dear Marie,
This was excellently written and a delightful departure from the norm for the prompt. Thank you for writing it.
Aloha,
Doug
And thank you for reading, Doug. When a prompt doesn’t land directly in my area of experience, the departure tends to happen this way. I’m glad you enjoyed the journey.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Aah, memories of the better times, nicely written.
Thanks, Sally.
Love fades away like morning dew 😦 Sorry for the frowny face, your story really did make me happy. Skillfully written and I love how you blended it together so perfectly with the song. And the song… I’ve never been a big Jewel fan but I love the Indigo Girls and is there anything sweeter than Sarah’s voice? Thank you for the gift of that video and here’s one in return for you.
Thank you, Michael. Another rendition much better than the music I remember from high school chorus. It is a lovely song.
All my best,
Marie Gail
A beginning and an end. I like how you’ve linked their lives to the song lyrics. I wonder which songs would describe the life in-between?
Good question. I suppose we would need at least an extra 100 words to explore that, wouldn’t we?
Thanks for reading and commenting.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Loved what you did with the prompt and where that tangent took you.
Thank you, Irene. I enjoyed the process of crafting this one.
All my best,
Marie Gail
A beautiful but melancholy story. Lovely use of the songs.
Thank you, Margaret. I have often enjoyed Celtic music. Many of the old songs have lyrics than span time and culture to speak to the human condition.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Clever meld of songs and prompt. Sad things became rocky for them.
Thank you, Patrick. I imagine it becomes rocky for all couples at some point. Since our heroine is still singing, it seems the divorce might not be such a bad thing–at least for her.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Very poignant, the music tracking her life like that. At least she is still able to sing as she signs the papers.
Dear Sarah Ann,
Thank you. Yes, I think this may be a rite of passage of sorts for our heroine. Live and learn.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Great take on the prompt. I love how you use the songs. 🙂
Thanks, dear Fairy. I’m glad to have you along for the ride.
All my best,
Marie Gail
You did a lovely job of setting the mood of the writing with lyrics of the song. It is sad that she is having to sign divorce papers, but it is also a new beginning for her.
Thank you, Kirsten. There is always hope. Glad you liked the music. It seems my life has always moved to the strains of one sound track or another. I assume others have a similar experience.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Music has played a major role in my life as well. I remember lyrics from songs i learned in elementary school, but cant remember what i went into the kitchen to do a few minutes ago 🙂
Absolutely lovely Marie Gail! I love your story which goes with the boat and I love the song. Jewel & Sarah add a wonderful touch to the song. Nothing prettier. Thanks! Nan 🙂
Thank you, Nan. Your reading and your comments are always appreciated.
All my best,
Marie Gail
I enjoyed your pairing and the Indigo Girls connection!
I mean your story and the pairing with the Indigo Girls! whoops!
Thanks, Emily! I hadn’t heard that particular arrangement until I did a search on Youtube for something to accompany my story. I’m a fan of the Indigo Girls and Sarah, so I hoped my readers would also appreciate the piece. Looks as though I chose a winner. I think I’m going to do a better job this year of adding videos to accompany my stories since my readers seem to like it.
All my best,
Marie Gail