Write...Edit...Publish: A Summer Taste of Chocolate . . .

 Just in time, here is my flash fiction post for the August prompt from Write...Edit...Publish:

Chocolat

I sat on the somewhat lumpy swinging chair on the veranda, hoping no one would find me. Ever since Wanda Jane began the tradition of afternoon tea, I wanted to hide. If you didn’t want to drink any of the teas she provided, from mint to ginger to green, she did offer hot cocoa. But that was nothing like the chocolat chaud we tasted in Paris. Allen wasn’t here with me now, to tease me about the lumps in the cocoa or even Wanda Jane’s officiousness, as she moved around the tables, offering hot water to dilute the chocolate.

So long ago, yet that had been our first time in Paris. We walked to the top of the Eiffel Tower, entranced by the fireworks at the end of the day, the flashes of color every bit as bright as the city lights arrayed below us. We rented a small pension, five flights up a circular stone stairway with no elevator. I smiled. No way could I walk up those stairs now. How many museums we wandered then, even that small Picasso Museum, a little out of the way in the Marais District with its rows of 17^th Century houses.

We found Van Gogh’s last self-portrait at the Musée d'Orsay. A tour guide set a fast pace as she led a crowd of some forty tourists past us, pointing to the left and the right. We simply stood in one place, drinking in every moment as if we had nowhere else to be. What a joy it was to be an independent traveler.

Ah, I wouldn’t go on that long flight without him. Better to sip the hot cocoa and remember. If I close my eyes, I can still see him before me, holding out that steaming cup of rich, hot chocolate, embellished with crème, and beside it, an unforgettable crusty, warm croissant, and saying, “One day, we’ll return to Paris, my love. Even if only in our memories.”

Word Count: 437 (FCA)

About Write...Edit...Publish...  Every other month, writers are encouraged to post a flash fiction and read what others have written. You can go HERE to see more about the guidelines. 

As you may have guessed, this month's prompt was inspired by that deliciously romantic movie, Chocolat! NOTE: For this August prompt, the deadline is August 16-18. 

I barely made this deadline between problems with internet access and problems accessing files saved by that useful but sometimes frustrating iCloud! But you can still participate. A lovely prize awaits you. See DETAILS HERE.

And if writing flash fiction is new to you, Denise Covey has written a stunning and helpful 'how to' that features her take on the prompt, chocolat. Read it HERE.

HERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR WRITERS: You may want to submit to WEP's upcoming 2024 FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY (release approximately May, 2024). Submissions are due by December 31, 2023, with DETAILS HERE.

NOTE: That inspirational picture of chocolat seen just above my flash fiction came from BarTalks.net with their fascinating and detailed discussion of how to make the best cappuccino! This might be fun to try once we're back home. 

May you enjoy every day of these last days of summer.