IT’S A DATE
PHOTO PROMPT © Carla Bicomong
By Neel Anil Panicker
Joshua, the 91-year-old patriarch of the Mathai family is an angry man.
Patriarch and Mathai family__both are misnomers.
Blame it on Nature’s fury.
In just one night, the waters have swallowed his entire clan of 27.
Three sons, their wives, their children, the children’s children__all mere statistics.
Standing on the watery front, he stares, stony eyed, at the sea, at the dark clouds that hover above.
Last year, a million lamps lit the place.
It’s Onam_Keralites’ annual date with Lord Mahabali.
This time it’s curtains down.
He shrugs, then wades into the swirling waters.
It’s time to meet the Creator.
#neelanilpanicker #fridayfictioneers #100words #flash #shortstory #realisticfiction
#kerala#floods #nature #deaths
FRIDAY FICTIONEERS By rochellewisoff
REF:
KERALA IS FACING THE BRUNT OF NATURE’S FURY. THE WORST FLASH FLOODS IN OVER A CENTURY HAVE WRECKED HAVOC, KILLED SEVERAL, RENDERED LAKHS HOMELESS AND MILLIONS ARE ON THE VERGE OF STARVATION.
neelwritesblog 
A timely story, Neel
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Thanks a lot, Neil
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Dear Neel,
Although he’s stony faced in the wake of his loss, I still felt Joshua’s anguish. Well done. Thank you for the footnote, that adds more meaning to your story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback, dear Rochelle.
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Excellent and economical style here, Neel. Well done.
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Thanks a lot, Hardy. It means a lot.
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Devastating and topical Neel, it’s important to share the stories of those affected rather than just the numbers.
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You said it, Kelly. Numbers don’t tell the real story. The human element is what is important and needs to be told. Thanks a lot.
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Your story and mine complete each other, Neel. Your map is so helpful in understanding the devastation.
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I will surely read yours. Thanks a lot.
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Kerala is such a bountiful land, I hope that it’s people can bounce back stronger. and then find joy in onam.
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Yes, we, all of us, hope so too. That’s the big hope that everything gets back on rails.
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This is so sad but also a necessary story. The fate of one person usually touches us more than huge numbers in a statistic.
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Very true.
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Tragedy is so incomprehensible on a large scale. But the flood took this mans whole life. Powerful
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There are a million such stories that are birthed in a tragedy of this magnitude. Thanks
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Thank you for the story, Neel and the supporting information. I agree that there is power in focusing on an individual’s anguish.
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Thanks a zillion. The pleasure is all mine.
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So hard to like this post. But well done and the footnote sure puts everything into perspective.
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Well told. That’s an excellent story. I can well understand Joshua’s rage as well as his grief as he wades into the waters to join the rest of his family.
The floods have been reported prominently in the UK television news. They look appalling.
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Yes, Kerala’s facing its worst floods in over a hundred years. Thanks a lot for your comments, Penny.
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Very powerful. Excellent read.
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