To mark the hundred-days-to-go point until the 2015 Call the Midwife Christmas special, the fandom on Tumblr got together with this eponymous challenge. The word limit is constricting at first, but it’s a great opportunity to play with words until it’s just so.
Big shout-out to Superfluous Bananas, as she got us started with this last year.
(If you’re reading this and you’re not on Tumblr, you should come by and say “Hi!”)
Making a Connection
She stood alone at the end of the hallway, oblivious to the morning light streaming through the high windows, the muffled sounds from the dining room. Her heart pounded in her chest, blood rushed in her ears. Was this a mistake? What if she’d misunderstood? She hovered in that place of knowing everything and knowing nothing.
She’d come this far. A few more steps couldn’t be that difficult. A deep breath shuddered through her chest as she made her way to the telephone and with trembling fingers she dialed. Ages passed, and then came his voice:
“Morning!”
“I’ve been discharged.”
A Particular Blessing
Timothy loved how the photograph felt in his hands. His eyes traced a well-worn path, taking in the bright candles, the party scene, and came to rest on his mother’s face.
She smiled back at him, and he could see her heart in her eyes. He could feel his mother’s love surround him even now.
His throat tightened as the face of another woman came to mind. For two long, childish years he had gone without that particular sheltering love. Then she came, and she helped fill his lonely heart.
He had been blessed by the love of two mothers.
My Little Yellowbird 
Aww, the second one is my favorite. Such a touching moment that hasn’t been shown in many fics.
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Thank you! What I wouldn’t give to have a decent shot of that photograph!
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Beautiful, both of them. Makes me want to do lots of breath-acting! Particularly love the first one – always thought she must have had so much courage to pick up that phone and call him out of the blue. His letters must have been very clear. If only we could read them…
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So much we have to imagine for ourselves. maybe that’s the key to this whole Turnadette thing. Few words are really said, but we feel so much in the undercurrent that it captures our imagination!
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Bravo for 2 really great fics (rock on flash fiction!). Your pacing and dramatic arc is great, espec in the first. K, now right a bunch more!
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Thank you! Not sure about flash fiction with these two. I agonized over every word!
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I second rocky’s comment on the breath-acting! Loved these both, especially the portrayal of the buildup before *the* phone call… As usual, I find myself drawn to fics that let us in on even just a few seconds more than the show did, and you’ve done it marvelously!
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I love those moments too. So glad you enjoyed this. Thanks!
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