| General Fiction posted November 11, 2018 |
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Flash fiction
Just an X in a box !
by zanya
I voted Contest Winner
"I voted.." Julie shouted as she slammed the front door shut.
"Where you been, Julie ?" grandma enquired. "Lunch is on the stove all day."
Julie collapsed into the armchair opposite Grandma's rocking chair.
"What's the point, Grandma, all these election votes, never going to change anything?"
Grandma dragged herself out of her rocking chair and threw her crochet in the basket.
"Julie, is this your first time to vote? Why you're almost twenty-one."
"Yes , Gran," Julie muttered," why you so bothered 'bout all this voting stuff, Grandma?"
"Julie, Julie," Grandma raised her voice.
"Why Julie, don't you know that the women of this Hersey family fought valiantly to give women the Suffrage?"
Julie's eyes glazed over. "No actually Grandma, I don't."
Julie placed her headphones over her ears.
Grandma reached for the attic ladder and climbed up.
Julie was horrified.
"Grandma, be careful, don't break your ankle again."
Grandma disappeared into the attic. Julie could hear the sound of boxes being moved around.
Julie climbed the attic stairs.
Grandma didn't seem to notice, as she frantically cut the ribbon on the outside of the big box in the corner.
"Grandma," Julie shouted," there's dust everywhere from that old box."
"Old box indeed," Grandma repeated.
"Come here Julie and have a look at these newspaper cuttings from 1918." Grandma insisted.
"Grandma, it's boring," Julie retorted, as she scrolled on Instagram.
Grandma lifted a page and brought it to where Julie was scrolling.
Pointing to a front page photo, grandma explained :"that's your great-grandmother, Isobel , on the streets of London, one hundred years ago, fighting for women to be given the vote."
"Why was it such a big deal, grandma?' After all, it's just an X in a box?"
Grandma was getting irate.
"Julie," grandma continued, " it's a lot more than an X in some box. It's saying women can be trusted to make decisions for themselves.
They're not just add-ons to men."
"What do you mean , grandma, add-ons to men? I'm not an add-on to any man. I make my own decisions."
Grandma's face broke into a tiny smile.
"That's a lot more like it, Julie," Grandma retorted, " Glad to see you have the fighting spirit of the Herseys. Herseys never took no bullshit from no one."
"Does dad know his grandmother was a...a ..what did you call it earlier..a Suffragette?"
"Sure he did..didn't he get asked by Mayor Willis, if he would unveil a statue to Isobel in the Wallich library, this year."
"What ?" Julie replied, " is he going to do that? He's always abroad, when will he fit that into his schedule?"
"Julie," grandma continued, "he's always abroad, 'cause he's working for the voting rights of people in developing countries."
" Is that what dad does, grandma?"
"Sure is, Julie," grandma replied, "Suffragette Isobel's blood still flows freely in his veins."
477 words
"I voted.." Julie shouted as she slammed the front door shut.
"Where you been, Julie ?" grandma enquired. "Lunch is on the stove all day."
Julie collapsed into the armchair opposite Grandma's rocking chair.
"What's the point, Grandma, all these election votes, never going to change anything?"
Grandma dragged herself out of her rocking chair and threw her crochet in the basket.
"Julie, is this your first time to vote? Why you're almost twenty-one."
"Yes , Gran," Julie muttered," why you so bothered 'bout all this voting stuff, Grandma?"
"Julie, Julie," Grandma raised her voice.
"Why Julie, don't you know that the women of this Hersey family fought valiantly to give women the Suffrage?"
Julie's eyes glazed over. "No actually Grandma, I don't."
Julie placed her headphones over her ears.
Grandma reached for the attic ladder and climbed up.
Julie was horrified.
"Grandma, be careful, don't break your ankle again."
Grandma disappeared into the attic. Julie could hear the sound of boxes being moved around.
Julie climbed the attic stairs.
Grandma didn't seem to notice, as she frantically cut the ribbon on the outside of the big box in the corner.
"Grandma," Julie shouted," there's dust everywhere from that old box."
"Old box indeed," Grandma repeated.
"Come here Julie and have a look at these newspaper cuttings from 1918." Grandma insisted.
"Grandma, it's boring," Julie retorted, as she scrolled on Instagram.
Grandma lifted a page and brought it to where Julie was scrolling.
Pointing to a front page photo, grandma explained :"that's your great-grandmother, Isobel , on the streets of London, one hundred years ago, fighting for women to be given the vote."
"Why was it such a big deal, grandma?' After all, it's just an X in a box?"
Grandma was getting irate.
"Julie," grandma continued, " it's a lot more than an X in some box. It's saying women can be trusted to make decisions for themselves.
They're not just add-ons to men."
"What do you mean , grandma, add-ons to men? I'm not an add-on to any man. I make my own decisions."
Grandma's face broke into a tiny smile.
"That's a lot more like it, Julie," Grandma retorted, " Glad to see you have the fighting spirit of the Herseys. Herseys never took no bullshit from no one."
"Does dad know his grandmother was a...a ..what did you call it earlier..a Suffragette?"
"Sure he did..didn't he get asked by Mayor Willis, if he would unveil a statue to Isobel in the Wallich library, this year."
"What ?" Julie replied, " is he going to do that? He's always abroad, when will he fit that into his schedule?"
"Julie," grandma continued, "he's always abroad, 'cause he's working for the voting rights of people in developing countries."
" Is that what dad does, grandma?"
"Sure is, Julie," grandma replied, "Suffragette Isobel's blood still flows freely in his veins."
477 words
"Where you been, Julie ?" grandma enquired. "Lunch is on the stove all day."
Julie collapsed into the armchair opposite Grandma's rocking chair.
"What's the point, Grandma, all these election votes, never going to change anything?"
Grandma dragged herself out of her rocking chair and threw her crochet in the basket.
"Julie, is this your first time to vote? Why you're almost twenty-one."
"Yes , Gran," Julie muttered," why you so bothered 'bout all this voting stuff, Grandma?"
"Julie, Julie," Grandma raised her voice.
"Why Julie, don't you know that the women of this Hersey family fought valiantly to give women the Suffrage?"
Julie's eyes glazed over. "No actually Grandma, I don't."
Julie placed her headphones over her ears.
Grandma reached for the attic ladder and climbed up.
Julie was horrified.
"Grandma, be careful, don't break your ankle again."
Grandma disappeared into the attic. Julie could hear the sound of boxes being moved around.
Julie climbed the attic stairs.
Grandma didn't seem to notice, as she frantically cut the ribbon on the outside of the big box in the corner.
"Grandma," Julie shouted," there's dust everywhere from that old box."
"Old box indeed," Grandma repeated.
"Come here Julie and have a look at these newspaper cuttings from 1918." Grandma insisted.
"Grandma, it's boring," Julie retorted, as she scrolled on Instagram.
Grandma lifted a page and brought it to where Julie was scrolling.
Pointing to a front page photo, grandma explained :"that's your great-grandmother, Isobel , on the streets of London, one hundred years ago, fighting for women to be given the vote."
"Why was it such a big deal, grandma?' After all, it's just an X in a box?"
Grandma was getting irate.
"Julie," grandma continued, " it's a lot more than an X in some box. It's saying women can be trusted to make decisions for themselves.
They're not just add-ons to men."
"What do you mean , grandma, add-ons to men? I'm not an add-on to any man. I make my own decisions."
Grandma's face broke into a tiny smile.
"That's a lot more like it, Julie," Grandma retorted, " Glad to see you have the fighting spirit of the Herseys. Herseys never took no bullshit from no one."
"Does dad know his grandmother was a...a ..what did you call it earlier..a Suffragette?"
"Sure he did..didn't he get asked by Mayor Willis, if he would unveil a statue to Isobel in the Wallich library, this year."
"What ?" Julie replied, " is he going to do that? He's always abroad, when will he fit that into his schedule?"
"Julie," grandma continued, "he's always abroad, 'cause he's working for the voting rights of people in developing countries."
" Is that what dad does, grandma?"
"Sure is, Julie," grandma replied, "Suffragette Isobel's blood still flows freely in his veins."
477 words
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Writing Prompt Write a flash fiction story beginning with the words "I voted - " You can continue the sentence as you wish. Beyond the opening lines there are no rules. Maximum word count is 500 words. |
I voted Contest Winner |
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