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Trumped

February 7, 2017 11 Comments

By Dianne Hendricks

Amanda, an intensely passionate Clinton supporter, originally from Ohio, now living in California, spied a lone buckeye under a tree at the public library.

She tossed the buckeye into her book bag.

“The fruit of the Ohio state tree, first one I’ve seen here. It’s got to be a sign,” thought Amanda.

At home, she placed the buckeye on the kitchen counter and rubbed it each time she passed, reciting a plea to her Midwestern relatives.

“Do the right thing,” she whispered.

On November 9, the hammer came down hard, shattering the buckeye along with all remaining traces of Amanda’s illusions.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bobby Warner says

    February 7, 2017 at 7:43 am

    Doing “the right thing” sometimes has unexpected consequences. Nice job, Dianne!

    Reply
    • Dianne Hendricks says

      February 7, 2017 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks, Bobby!

      Reply
  2. alphabetstory says

    February 7, 2017 at 9:18 am

    Not a Clinton fan, but I your story was well articulated and cunningly mesmerizing.

    Reply
    • Dianne Hendricks says

      February 7, 2017 at 2:02 pm

      Thanks. It’s nice to know that a non-Hillary reader could enjoy this. I had some concerns.

      Reply
  3. Gena says

    February 7, 2017 at 10:43 am

    I know exactly.

    Reply
    • Dianne Hendricks says

      February 7, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      ??

      Reply
  4. Jerry Kamens says

    February 7, 2017 at 11:45 am

    Having your illusions shattered is, while painful, often a good thing in the long run. Reality is more bracing, and often an impetus to successful action — both in writing and in politics!

    Reply
  5. Subhankar Biswas says

    February 9, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    as jerry says, getting disillusioned is sometimes a good thing. the forest occasionally needs a big bad wolf to keep the non-predatory animals from getting too complacent. it’s a sign. happening all over the world, including my country.

    Reply
  6. Gena says

    February 19, 2017 at 7:32 am

    I know exactly, meant to infer, that I too felt the hammer. The shatter, felt around the world. This may be the best flash fiction, non-fiction, ever.

    Reply
    • Dianne Hendricks says

      February 19, 2017 at 8:54 am

      I so appreciate all of these comments. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time!
      Dianne

      Reply
  7. Christina Spiegel says

    March 3, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Love it! Powerful imagery! Speaks to the grief!

    Reply

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