As she stood among the living room displays at Ikea staring at an old-fashioned diving helmet on a shelf, Becca had a memory. It arrived unformed, in an odd stream of shapes and colors. Here the shocking red of the barricades, there a vertical expanse of yellow wood, in the corner pink stripes on little girl legs.
The muted walls faded into invisibility. Looking at several sofas at once, Becca felt pink stripes at her throat and panic clogging her chest.
Becca grabbed her sister’s hand. “Let’s get out of here,†she whispered to avoid attracting attention.
Very intriguing story and such vivid descriptions.
I almost missed the pink striped socks the first time I looked at the picture.
Good story and you described the photo perfectly! Thanks, Nan 🙂
Oooh, I like the pink strips clogging her chest. I wondered what made her panic. I wished I had said something about the striped tights now. Nice one, Christy!
Dear E.M.
Anything can trigger a buried memory. Flashbacks are tough. Been there, done that. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
What a take… nice.
Vivid description of a terrifying memory that comes back to haunt. 🙁 Well done. 🙂
I’ve gotta’ say, shopping does this to me every time (panic clogging my chest), Ikea or not. Well done.
Nice twist at the end. Her panic got my heart pumping! 🙂
I think the idea of a memory that’s frightening but you can’t really remember is possibly worse than those that are clear and can, perhaps, be dealt with. Nice feel of panic here.
janet