#downwithwritersblock

“Have I ever told you how amazing you are? I love you so much for so many reasons. You’re so kind and wonderf-”

“Stop. What did you do wrong?”

Notes: The moment I read this prompt, I was like 'I have a favourite poem with a similar title', and after re-reading it, I just knew that that was my inspiration for this little ficlet. The poem is by Eric Hanson.

6: Where the Grass is Greener

Summary: Everyone's trying to go 'where the grass is greener', but what if that place doesn't really exist? Like chasing a dream you will never touch…

Words: 896

Spoilers: None.

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To the outside world, they looked as though they had everything.

They had a farmhouse back in Kansas, the traditional family home.

They had a massive business which made loads of money and held a prestigious name.

They each were someone, brothers at the very least, but they held titles and names of their own in the big wide world.

But, if that world saw them as they truly were, it wouldn't think the same.

Yes, they had an Island, which was great and a perfect place, but it was too big a land mass for the few people they had at home. It felt vacant though it was bright: and hollow though it still held together.

Everyone's trying to go 'where the grass is greener', but what if that place doesn't really exist? Like chasing a dream you will never touch…

What if grass is greener on the other side, Because it's always raining there,

They didn't have the sun shining on their backs like the world thought. Reporters who spoke of the Tracy family and all their assets. They didn't see the gloom that held strong like the shadow of a dying sun in winter. They didn't see the rain clouds constantly hovering overhead, waiting to release a downpour.

They didn't see the turmoil that only each other were allowed to be privy too.

Where the ones who never fail to give, Hardly have enough to spare,

They didn't see that Virgil, for all he ran around after others, gave everything of himself that he could, was doing that to fill the void. Because really, he had nothing left to give away, but there seemed to be nothing else there. It was like having a bleeding wound and nothing to staunch the red flow with.

Virgil gave because he could not take.

Not like the world had taken from them.

Where the people with the broadest smiles, Have pillows filled with tears,

They didn't see that Gordon, for all he smiled bright and bold, was doing so to hold back the waterfall of tears that wouldn't stop if he let that merry look drop. It was like having a punctured tyre, with the gap so small you could never see it, but every day, every second the air was leaking uncontrollably until all that remained was flat, lifeless rubber.

Gordon smiled because he would not let anyone see him cry.

None but his pillow saw that side.

And the bravest ones you've ever known, Are crippled by their fears,

They didn't see that Scott, for all he used to be the brave pilot, was only using that as a way to survive. They didn't know his fears that dared to swallow him whole if he thought of them. It was like being afraid of the dark and having only the tiniest of lights to illuminate the demons, one which would never cover the whole glade.

Scott was brave, for fear of his fears.

Not because he was still confident and strong.

It's filled with lonely people, But they're never seen alone,

They didn't see that John, for all he could talk and best the world with speech and knowledge, hid himself away because he couldn't bear to be there. They didn't know he was lonely, though he really was not. It was like being in a crowded room, but unable to speak or surrounded but those who were unable to hear you, even if you screamed your lungs hoarse.

John kept himself away, so that no one could see the truth.

None could see what he would not tell himself.

Where those who lack real shelter, Make you feel the most at home,

They didn't see that Alan, for all he was a kid and a happy one at that, didn't really know where he fit in the world. They didn't see that his home wasn't really what he showed to you. It was like living in the world's biggest mansion, but with no one to share it, the place grew dull, until the windows shattered, the doors blew off and the roof caved in.

Alan kept himself happy, wanted to keep himself busy so he could forget what home was missing.

Not one saw how he really felt homeless.

Maybe their grass looks greener, Because they've painted on its hue,

The world didn't see what they all really looked like. It was only privy to their better halves; the Tracy brothers on their best days. They saw a very careful depiction of what they wished, things that they could control.

They saw a world that was ideal and rich, and maybe it was okay to keep letting the world see an illusion, because it spared them all the questions and the additional strain. It wasn't perfect, and one day it wouldn't hold up, but in the interim, it would be the way to go.

The world could think what it wanted about their idyllic life, without seeing that all of it was a painted canvas held up to hide the truth beneath.

Just remember from the other side, Your grass looks greener too.

No, the world didn't know how lucky it was sometimes.

It looked at them and saw wealth and good health and assumed they had enough.

She kept little boxes

lined up on a mantle.

One for each time

he broke a part of her.

The first box held her eyes.

She was "seeing things".

Too many red flags.

Too many of their messages.

The second box held her ears.

She heard too much.

The rumors.

The quiet talks they had

in her own home.

The third held her voice.

She decided to speak up.

She told him she knew

something was going on.

He told her she was crazy.

The fourth held her common sense.

The girl tried to warn her.

She confronted him.

"She just wants to cause drama."

She blocked her.

The fifth held her heart.

Ripped from her chest

the night she found out the truth.

Five little boxes.

She is slowly building herself back up.

She will open the boxes, one day.

One day, she will be whole again.

The air feels different today as I walk towards my freedom. I feel their gaze on me, as if I’m still the threat. I reach the open gate, and cross over the threshold to a new life. I feel the sting of the cold air trying to push me back in, but I walk until I can no longer take another step. I reach a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, somewhere, and enter one that takes me far from all life.

August 2021 Prompt Set!

Text:

August 2021 Prompt Set

1.      Victory

2.      Command

3.      “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace” -Jimi Hendrix

4.      Pride

5.      ‘I wasn’t lost. I was abandoned.’

6.      Fight like cats and dogs

7.      Bars

8.      ‘Just because they called you a hero, doesn’t mean you are one’

9.      Worlds apart

10.  Helmet

11.  “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom” -Bob Dylan

12.  Evacuate

13.  Lend a helping hand

14.  Fire-Alarm

15.  ‘Excuse me, but is there a reason for dragging us all out here so early?’

16.  An uphill battle

17.  Uniform

18.  Struggle

19.  Loss

20.  “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time” -Leo Tolstoy

21.  Confidential

22.  ‘This is not what I signed up for. This isn’t what any of us signed up for’

23.  Base

24.  Donor

25.  First thing in the morning

26.  ‘You know what? I liked this better when it was a secret’

27.  Peace

28.  ‘You have to go on without me… I am sorry’

29.  Trouble shared is trouble halved

30.  “You cannot find peace by avoiding life” -Virginia Woolf

31.  Champion

“I know you’re really mad right now, but I promise you that I brought you back for a good reason.”