The Lake House
November 18, 2015 at 12:12 pm 38 comments
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 20 November 2015
Photo Credit: C.E. Ayr
Accompanied by her daughter, Shelly went to the lake house one last time. Growing up, it was a place where happy memories were made.
She was disappointed that her brothers wouldn’t keep the property as their parents had hoped after they passed away. Ryan wanted to sell it while Jason planned to demolish it and build a rental. Instead of preserving family harmony, it had become a source of contention and caused a lifetime of relationships go down the drain.
“Mom, let’s go,” said little Amy beside her, interrupting her train of thought.
“Yes, sweetie, I think it’s about time.”
Entry filed under: Blogroll, friday fictioneers. Tags: 100-word challenge, fiction, relationships.
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Musings of a Random Mind 
1.
aliciajamtaas | November 18, 2015 at 5:03 pm
So many families go this route. Well put (and a great take on the prompt.)
C-
relationships go down the drain ~ this sentence needs a “to”
train of thoughts ~ should be train of thought
2.
plaridel | November 18, 2015 at 7:47 pm
alicia:
thanks for the suggested corrections. deeply appreciated.
relationships go down the drain ~ this sentence needs a “to” [ i think the “to” is optional in this case. i hope so as it would cause the story to go beyond the 100-word limit. 🙂 ]
train of thoughts ~ should be train of thought. [good catch. removed the offending “s”.]
3.
ansumani | November 18, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Sibling rivalry continues to adulthood is many families – and it’s no fun. Nicely written.
4.
plaridel | November 18, 2015 at 7:45 pm
ansumani:
i agree. i can speak first hand on the matter. 🙂
5.
Deborah Drucker | November 18, 2015 at 7:55 pm
I like that you took the prompt in a different direction, using the grate as part of your piece. And the story was good.
6.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:06 am
deborah:
thank you. i’m glad you liked it. 🙂
7.
rochellewisoff | November 19, 2015 at 3:28 am
Dear Plaridel,
This is so true to life. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
8.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:08 am
rochelle:
thank you. sibling rivalry is the pits.
9.
gahlearner | November 19, 2015 at 3:28 am
I was thinking about taking the phrase ‘down the drain’ for this week, too, but am glad I didn’t. You made such a great, realistic story out of it.
10.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:10 am
gahlearner:
that’s exactly what came to my mind when i saw the picture prompt. 🙂
11.
ceayr | November 19, 2015 at 4:46 am
Sad, realistic piece.
Clever take on the prompt.
12.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:11 am
ceayr:
thank you.
13.
micklively | November 19, 2015 at 5:21 am
Families can be a nightmare, especially when there’s money involved.
Good piece.
14.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:12 am
mick:
i totally agree. saw it happened many times.
15.
draliman | November 19, 2015 at 5:27 am
Nice take on the prompt. A very common situation I would imagine.
16.
plaridel | November 19, 2015 at 11:14 am
draliman:
fighting over inheritance has ruined many sibling relationships.
17.
patriciaruthsusan | November 19, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Good story, and very realistic, Plaridel. This happens so often, and causes problems within families. Well done. — Suzanne
18.
plaridel | November 20, 2015 at 3:34 pm
suzanne:
it happens because siblings don’t have the same outlooks in life.
19.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | November 19, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Alas.. too common destiny in many families.. sometimes it’s best to leave and never come back
20.
plaridel | November 20, 2015 at 3:33 pm
björn:
it’s really sad. it almost always happens when the parents died
21.
gravadee | November 19, 2015 at 11:45 pm
Sad but true these days
22.
plaridel | November 20, 2015 at 3:33 pm
merina:
i know. 😦
23.
rgayer55 | November 20, 2015 at 10:07 am
This one hits home with me. We bought the part of Mom & Dad’s farm with their house on it and have been renting it out for 6 years. The young couple we have now are great kids, but were wanting a place of their own and talking about moving. Finding the right renter is always scary. Connie and I have decided to sell them an acre with the house on it. This way, we can pick our neighbors as they live next door. So far, no one in the family hasn’t gotten their panties in a wad.
24.
plaridel | November 20, 2015 at 3:33 pm
russell:
great idea. i think that should work for the time being. 🙂
25.
Dale | November 20, 2015 at 11:16 am
This so sadly happens way too often.
26.
plaridel | November 20, 2015 at 3:32 pm
dale:
greed is more often than not the culprit.
27.
Lorna's Voice | November 21, 2015 at 11:01 am
You know how solid families are when it comes time for dividing up the estate. Nice job on the story.
28.
plaridel | November 22, 2015 at 9:10 am
lorna:
that is so true. it helps to have a will to clarify things.
29.
Lorna's Voice | November 22, 2015 at 12:03 pm
Yes, it helps, but some families still manage to fuss and fight. It’s sad.
30.
plaridel | November 23, 2015 at 3:20 pm
lorna:
and exacerbated by resentment built over the years i suppose.
31.
Amy Reese | November 21, 2015 at 5:50 pm
They should never get rid of a lake house. That may be a hard thing to replace. Touch situation. Nicely told, Plaridel.
32.
plaridel | November 22, 2015 at 9:09 am
amy:
if they keep it, the parents would be proud.
33.
Margaret | November 22, 2015 at 3:35 am
A sad but realistic situation. Nicely told.
34.
plaridel | November 22, 2015 at 9:09 am
margaret:
thank you for reading. deeply appreciated.
35.
Perry Block (@PerryBlock) | November 22, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Yes, it’s strange how families come apart over issues they face later in life. I’ve experienced it and this depicts it well.
36.
plaridel | November 23, 2015 at 3:20 pm
perry:
such is life!
37.
rogershipp | November 23, 2015 at 6:12 pm
Use of the ‘pun’ in the prompt… a great idea!!!
38.
plaridel | November 24, 2015 at 7:56 pm
roger:
thank you. 🙂