WEP: The Turkish Heirloom

The serene countryside was suddenly broken by shouts of excitement; Ismail leaned on his spade as Ayaz went forward to uncover what they had found. Spring was here and coupled with the downfall in the economy, both brothers had returned to their ancestral home in Taşlıçay to make a living through agriculture. Gently they uncovered the soil-laden bag which consisted of a glass vase, a few rusted gold  coins and a  woolen sweater torn at the seams…

…Çocuklar uyumaya gider (Translation: Kids go to sleep), interrupted a female voice as all the young ones scuttled away, each hoping that one day he would uncover a family heirloom. “Ne dedesi, hala onlara masal anlatıyorsun (Translation: What grandfather, you are still telling them such tales),” said Shenaz to the storyteller with a pout. Ismail just smiled a toothy grin as he continued polishing his favourite vase in the dim light.


Word Count 147: FCA – Preferred (Though all kinds of comments are welcome)

The June 2018 WEP Challenge: Unravelled Yarn. (Click here to know more.)

Disclaimer: This time Pegman decided to stopover at Taşlıçay, Turkey (hosted at WhatPegmanSaw.com) and it’s my first trip along. I’ve yet to figure out how the street view thing works. Most of my information is based on what I found on Google.

The photo prompt has been given by Enisa at the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers (FFfAW) and the word prompt (Polish)  has been given by GirlieOnTheEdge.

Whew… That’s a lot, especially after my long break.

 

33 responses to “WEP: The Turkish Heirloom”

  1. Great to see you on Pegman! I loved this vivid and evocative piece.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks k 🙂

      Like

  2. I like the rhythm of this piece.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks J Hardy

      Like

  3. I bet the vase is a secret family heirloom and he is keeping mum about it! LOL! Great story!

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Maybe he’s even considering reburying it

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Dear Bernadette.

    It seems that Ismail has uncovered the heirloom. Nicely done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks Rochelle 🙂

      Like

  5. Loving your take on the prompt. Short and powerful. And it does indeed sound as if Ismael DID uncover an heirloom.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Maybe he did. He hasn’t told anyone for sure (unless you count his bedtime stories).

      Like

  6. Family heirlooms are a true treasure. Thank you for participating in the WEP June Challenge. Welcome!

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂 (Also, best wishes for your health)

      Like

  7. What family buries
    in ground so deep
    some family members
    should never seek

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Hmmm maybe. But, it’s certainly hard to resist an heirloom or some treasure.

      Like

  8. Hi Bernadette! Having ‘heirloom’ in the title always makes it intriguing. I loved this short, evocative piece. I loved the foreign language too. Always fascinating! I’d like to see a further unravelling of this story sometime!

    Thanks for participating in WEP this month. Lovely to have you!

    Denise

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks Denise

      Like

  9. I’m always looking for buried treasure in my backyard. Sadly, all I find are rocks. My husband keeps hoping there will be gold; we’d settle for a hunk of quartz, lol. Oh well, it keeps him out of the house when I’m writing.

    This was nicely written and well paced. I liked the transition; and how open it is for interpretation.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Keep searching Dolorah, maybe one day you’ll find something that’ll make for a great tale.

      Like

  10. Loved the Turkish taste of that one Bernadette.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Nilanjana Bose Avatar
    Nilanjana Bose

    Hi! Intriguing Turkish tale, seems like Ismail is telling his life stories disguised as fiction. How fun to find an heirloom vase. Nice to see you at the WEP!

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks Nilanjana

      Like

  12. Oh, Grandfather is NOT telling tales. I enjoyed the reveal at the end. Nicely done.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks Alicia

      Like

  13. AS I read your story, I thought about kids getting ready for bed and waiting on a bedtime story to be read to them, especially when grandfather or grandmother was visiting.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Ah, a mystery. Is it a true story? Is it a memory? A fairy tale? Charming in any case.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      I wish I knew too Olga. Maybe one day I’ll head out there with a pickaxe & spade to find out.

      Like

  15. The vase could be the secret, or maybe he has something hidden in there. Always look inside the pot.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Will certainly do that the next time I visit

      Like

  16. Hi Bernadette – loved your Turkish tale … I wanted more … enticing to read – cheers Hilary

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks Hilary. Maybe one day I’ll visit Taşlıçay again and find out what’s behind the secrets there.

      Like

  17. An intriguing entry which raises some questions, and I hope we read more of this in the future. Welcome to WEP. I like learning about the characters in different settings.

    Like

    1. Bernadette Braganza Avatar
      Bernadette Braganza

      Thanks DG

      Like

  18. Hi Bernadette, Nice take. A family has so many stories to tell. It’s always interesting what we might uncover.

    Like

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