Dead roses in winter, withered and defeated.
The Grand Armée reduced to an icy hell. The villages they entered had nothing to offer. They had stripped them bare of what little they had on their way to Moscow.
Starving, frost-bitten and dog-tired, he stumbled on. To drop now meant certain death. No comrade would burden themselves with a brother-in-arms. Every man for himself.
A terrifying shriek. Inhuman. A horse sacrificed for meat. Others had turned to cannibalism.
The eagle flew on the breeze, the tattered flag a symbol of the army’s shame. He would return it to Paris. What else was there to do?
Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Also linking to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge for today: Retreat.
65 responses to “DEAD ROSES”
Bleak and atmospheric, Iain. I like where you went with this prompt
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Thanks so much Neil.
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Excellent Iain.
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Thank you Di
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You captured the despair well, Iain.
Une histoire très forte, mon brave
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Merci, mon ami.
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Dear Iain,
A bleak scene well constructed. Good job.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle
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Reminds me of the winter scene in Ridley Scott’s The Duellists.
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Good film!
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Such despair. Brilliant!
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Thank you!
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I could feel his despair. Wonderfully written atmospheric piece!
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Thanks so much Dale 🙂
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A very desolate and bleak atmosphere perfe4ctly created here. I wonder what the beast is that slew the horse. Being in Russia the Almasty know also as the Yeti, maybe?
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In times of desperation, all men turn to beasts. Thanks Mason.
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Yes, I believe they do!
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Hopefully, his determination carried him to his journey’s end. A chilling piece in more ways than one.
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Thanks Keith. I wonder what was left for those that did manage to make it home.
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You have packed this with hard-hitting images that really tell the story. The sacrifice of the horse was particularly vivid and harrowing.
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Thanks Penny.
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I’ve seen that movie. 😉 Powerful prose!
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Thanks so much Susan
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This conjured up those haunting TV images of Russian troops in WW2 – well done.
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Thank you Liz
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Dark and filled with despair but oh-so-good.
Be Safe 😷 … Isadora 😎
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Thanks so much Isadora
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Great atmospheric piece, Iain. War is an ugly business for all except the fat cats lining their pockets with gold.
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Thanks so much
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You’re very welcome.
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Your story was one of despair and determination in the midst of such horror. Very well written, Iain.
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Thank you so much
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Christ that was brutal, desperation leads folk to wretched paths I guess. Good stuff Iain
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Thanks, brutal is the word, can only imagine what it was like to live through something like that
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Quite, I’d be absolutely rubbish at survival if i’d been born even 30 years before I actually was!
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Vividly told, Iain. Especially as it was not bound to one time, not one war, but the existential realities of soldiers sacrificed to the hubris of their ‘leaders’. And the terrible costs of war galore. Well penned!
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Thanks so much 🙂
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Can’t beat Old Man Winter. Such an evocative story. Great use of words.
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Thanks Anne
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A little vignette from Napoleonic Wars and history springs to life. Vivid descriptions puts one in the scene itself. Nice one.
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Thanks so much
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That was pretty grim! Very atmospheric, with a sense of hopelessness mixed with a determination to make it through.
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Grim times, maybe we haven’t got it quite so bad after all.
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Excellent, Iain. A graphic picture of that disastrous attempt to overthrow Russia.
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Thanks Linda
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Iain! This is one of your very best. Bleak. Rhythmic. So much said in 100-words.
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Thanks so much Alicia, much appreciated.
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You excel at such atmospheric story-telling, and this bit of historical fiction is such a vivid example of it.
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Thanks so much Dora 🙂
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it seems like a harrowing scene from napoleon’s retreat. well done.
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It is indeed. Thanks.
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Told so well, and in so few words…And history repeated itself, but with a return to Berlin.
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Thanks Michael
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War despairingly summed up, Iain. You capture it all.
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Thanks so much
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What a hellish scene indeed. Your descriptions are incredible of the army’s retreat from Moscow in the dead of winter. Carrying the flag, in hopes of returning it to Paris, gave your character the impetus to push forward I’m thinking. Excellent writing as always, Iain!
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Thanks so much Brenda, always appreciated 🙂
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Gosh this is dark. Such a horrific march.
You described the bleak emotion and setting perfectly. Very visceral
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Thanks Laurie – roses in winter meant bleak for me!
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My Gr. Grandfather, WW1-2 Vet, would tell of the necessity of killing their pack horse for meat to survive. He would also add that they crawled inside the carcass just to stay warm through the night. all these years later, I think of that.
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It’s hard to imagine such hardship.
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Yes, it is. He would always cry when he spoke of it…and he only spoke of it if you didn’t clean your plate at meal time… The only exception for me was tomatoes because of allergy.
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Well played Iain, powerfuly and chillingly eocative of horrible times
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Thanks Michael
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