You’ve got me teary-eyed by the end of the story. I read the comments to find out that this is a part of a series. But, for me, it worked well even as a standalone. The whys didn’t matter with the characters’ emotions being so strong and real. Beautiful!

Oh, I love the imagery, theme, tone, and mood of this poem. It’s serene, eager, a bit restless, and still watchful. Love it.

Thank you so much, Mitchell. 🙂

Thank you so much, Peggy. 🙂

Thank you so much, Jane. 🙂
As yes, my (in)famous typos again. Yes, it was supposed to be ever.
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. 🙂

Love this one. It could be anyone’s story with so many fitness centers mushrooming around. The little insights into their characters and lives were icing on the cake. Your stories are always a delight to read. 🙂

The beauty industry is terrifying. Ruthless. The pace was great, and I kept going faster to see how it would end. It felt a bit rushed, but then we only have 1200 words to work with. All that fair and glow and ads of women shinning like LED bulbs. Ugh! Love the story.

Now, now, are we getting closer to the end, or will there be more twists thrown our way?
Love the steady pace and the detached tone of the narrative. Glad to see you continue this one. Can’t wait for next year to read the new installment. 🙂

So many little lessons packed into a single story. And you also left us with something more to ponder. Life indeed teaches us a lot. See you next year. 🙂

Thank you so much, SM. Love the inputs you gave me. Yes, they do make the story better. I’m saving your comment in the master copy. 🙂

Thank you so much, Amrita. 🙂
Yeah, it should have been bled. Me and my typos. :/
I need to give the guy a backstory or maybe give the house and the cat a backstory. Killing without reason seems more fun. 😉

Thank you, Bhavna. 🙂
I’m working on the plot, so there might be a sequel. Fingers crossed.

Oh, I love ekphrastic poems. This is so sad and beautiful! Love it. I hope there is space in every heart for some perfectly flawed artwork.

Haha… this was fun despite the underlying seriousness of the theme. Love the rhyming words.

Whoa, you’ve given a full character sketch in a small poem. The tone worked so well with the theme. Brilliant.

That’s such a lovely way of using the prompt. Crisp, effective, and inspiring. Well done.

Thank you so much, MK. 🙂
Happy Holidays.

Thank you, Joan. I was referring to the sky and the sea in the poem. I wanted to keep it vague for fun. 🙂
See you next year. Happy Holidays.

Hi CD,
Thank you. I was referring to the sea and the sky. I Googled Orca’s, and my, they sure are beauties. 🙂
Thank you. Happy Holidays. See you next year.