Oct26

The Cane

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{Denise gracefully hosts Six Sentence Stories, where writers unleash their magic under one simple rule: in no more or no less than 6 sentences.
This week’s prompt word is : BRANCH }

//\\//\\

” Dad, you’ve never told me why you are always carrying this cane with you – I know that your injuries from the war have healed; still, I cannot recall a single time not having it by your side!“

With a sigh the old man looked into his daughter’s eyes, filled with love, warmth & a sprinkle of curiosity.

“Marie” he said, “ during the occupation of our town there was an Italian officer who was not cruel to our people; in fact, he made every effort to respect us – as much as it was possible during a world war.”

“ As the winds of war changed, the Nazis took command of our town, trying to hinder the Allied forces advance; amidst that chaos the bloodhounds of Gestapo had time to hunt down the lenient officer but our home’s hidden basement was never discovered.”

” After the war Matteo and I remained friends & it was not many years later when he had a strange request as he came to see me: he asked a branch from the tree at our back yard.”

“So you see Marie, this cane is Matteo’s gift to me…this cane is always by my side to remind me what humanity can/should be.”

\\//\\//

Also , in a shameless promotion …

The time has come to reveal what Two guys & a Girlie have been preparing behind the scenes:

One Girlie , Denise aka GirlieOnTheEdge – your favorite host of Six Sentence Stories

One Guy (the tall one), Clark – the mind behind The Wakefield Doctrine

One more Guy ( the bearded one), yours truly, Nick aka Spira of inSPIRAtion

We will be discussing…live…Sundays 2.30 pm EST
starting this Sunday, October 30th

About writing, self development and everything else between.

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Make your favorite coffee, tea or drink and join us!

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(oh, and please…like / comment / subscribe / share… 😉

BY THE COMPANY OF WARRIORS I KEEP

Spira / Nick © October 2022

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Filed under creations and tagged , | 35 Comments

About Spira

” The eternal part of our being is conscious of the timeless essence of life & is aware that the past is nothing but a memento of the present and tomorrow a dream of the now. The very thing meditating & singing from within, remains always inside the boundaries of the primordial instant that scattered the stars into the cosmos.” Kh.Gibran

35 responses »

    • Thank you,Frank. And Matteo’s name was not chosen by accident, as it means gift of God.

      Of course. The live streams will be available as replay episodes at our YouTube channel, so anyone can watch/comment at their convenience.
      Thanks for your interest, hope to see you there!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓

  3. A tender story, Nick. One generation sharing with the younger generation an example of decency amidst the horror of war and how, against the odds, kindness seeded an unlikely friendship between “enemies”. A lifelong friendship. Acts of kindness often hold more power than most of us can imagine.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  8. A simply told tale, Nick, which is all the more powerful for that. And a beautiful reminder that people – and nations – can’t be put in boxes. When people meet people there is hope. It’s an inspiring story.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • When people meet people…shouldn’t that be also simple, Jenne?
      More so when everything tells you to do otherwise.
      Reminders…don’t we all need them…
      Thank you, Jenne.

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Yeah, now that you are mentioning it.
      Truth is that my grandfather had far more gruesome experiences from the Nazis during WWII but I figured after my last account of history as a Six to go lighter and with a glimpse of hope.
      Thank you, Ceayr.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  12. Heya Nick. I like how the cane represents something solid to lean on – in this case a valued friendship against many odds. I was reminded of the scene in The Pianist where the Nazi officer allows the fugitive Jew to remain hidden in his quarters, and even gifts him his coat as severe winter takes hold.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

      • Yeah, it’s an intense, sad, horrific, yet (hopeful) war movie – if that makes sense.

        Movie-wise for war horror, I’m still having nightmares over the 1980s BBC TV film ‘Threads’, and the 1980s Russian movie ‘Come and See’ – both of them gut-churning portrayals of the absolute horrors of war.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓

  14. With so much going on in the world it’s becoming easier to lose hope. This is a wonderful story of hope. I often wonder how the majority of Russian soldiers feel about being shipped off to Ukraine. The notorious hardened, sadistic types will enjoy it of course, but as for the others. I hope some will be like your Italian soldier.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  15. What an excellent Six. Engaging and multi-something*

    Kinda makes ya wonder, if such a gesture is possible to a person in Matteo’s situation, what does it imply about the squandering of good intent in the name of meeting (and only meeting) a society’s standard for behavior.

    Good Six yo

    *to allow, no, to encourage Readers to find in the story of people bridging a seemingly impossible divide, resonance; if not in their lives than in the tales of their family. (as we know, one of the defining characteristics of family, is the shared history).

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you, Clark!
      The incident that becomes a story, that becomes mythos is (was…) a potent function of societies; if not for no other reason than the resonance* you talk of.
      (*make a note of that for future discussions 😉)

      As always, it is a sincere pleasure to read your insight.

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Yeah, not exactly Halloween spirit…but when the pen writes the writer follows.

      Thank you so much for the wishes, D.
      It is a “why the heck not” dive into uncharted waters…but that is the interesting and fun part of it. See you there!

      Like

      Reply ↓

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