Flash Friday Fiction: Strawberry Fields Forever

“Rose Biodo, Philadelphia, 10 years old. Working 3 summers, minds baby and carries berries, two pecks at a time.” Photo by Lewis Hine, National Archives public domain.
“Rose Biodo, Philadelphia, 10 years old. Working 3 summers, minds baby and carries berries, two pecks at a time.” Photo by Lewis Hine, National Archives public domain.

Strawberry Fields Forever – 159 words

“Better than Benjamin Button!” the ad said. Anything had sounded better than this: lying in bed day after day, forgotten by family, waiting to die. All my friends were dead, anyway.

“Mutter these magic words while eating strawberries,” the instructions read, “and you’ll be back in the prime of life!” They never mentioned you actually travelled back in time.

I’d hated strawberries ever since my youth. I’d eaten them anyway. Guess I ate too many, because instead of being back with Ada and Herb, dancing the night away in that speakeasy, I’m here. In the strawberry fields.

I never wanted to be here again.

The only good thing is, I know what’s coming. I know better times are coming. And I’m going to march in 1920. I’m going to build in 1940. I’m going to root those young women on in 1970. I’m going to celebrate every second of my age.

And I’m never eating a damn strawberry again.

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This week’s challenge? A 150 word story (+/- 10 words) springing forth from the photo prompt and containing some thing about friendship. What do you think? Do you like my take?

Want to read the other marvelously inventive entries? Head on over to Flash Friday Fiction and check them out – or enter your own!

7 Replies to “Flash Friday Fiction: Strawberry Fields Forever”

  1. You said how sad mine was. Yours is not very far behind there. I have always said I would go back to 12 if I knew what I know now, but earlier? No thank you.

    • Thank you. I love the idea of time travel – always have. But going back into my own life? Would I want to? Should I want to? The photo oozed sadness and a certain amount of defiance, which sparked the idea. Like her, at least if I got stuck in a rotten place in my childhood, I’d hope knowing better things can and would come would help me. Thanks for the comments!

      • You are welcome…I am a simple person. I would simply remember that the bullies are miserable, too and that…Amazon and Microsoft and Chrysler are where my money would go!

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