The Lavender Garden (by CM Hypno)

The scent of crushed lavender filled the summer garden.

Charles pulled his arm tighter around his mother as she sobbed.
Over her head he could see his brother’s body sprawled in the herbaceous
border; blood pooled on the dry, cracked soil.
The sight of a body, even Harry’s, no longer shocked him. He noted details to tell
the police. Like why use their father’s shotgun when his service revolver was still
upstairs? And had he angled the gun under his chin so he could not miss?
Charles knew Alicia visited Harry this morning to return her engagement ring.
His mother tried to blame the girl. Charles knew she was too young to be tied to
what his brother was now. A man whose hand shook as he raised his glass, who
flinched if a door banged. Someone who screamed in terror every night.
His mother looked up and patted the empty left sleeve pinned to the front of his
jacket.
It was him they were all sorry for. The fit young man who had to live his life with
one arm. All Harry needed they said was rest.
Too late, Charles realised he was the lucky one. He adapted, got on with life.
Harry could not rebuild his shattered mind. They told him to buck up, be a man.
His brother only retreated further, trapped in his past.
The light at the end of his tunnel was Alicia. That morning she doused the flame.
Harry foundered and was lost.
Charles shivered. If this is what they fought for he wanted no part of it. It was the
promised life of peace and security he craved.
Back in the house the doorbell rang. They were here to take his brother’s body
away.

Author

CMHypno is a writer and qualified hypnotherapist who now works as an

Administrator for the NHS. She enjoys travelling - her favourite countries being
Australia, Egypt and Greece - history, archaeology (especially Egyptology) and
reading. Exploring ancient sites, mysteries and things unseen fascinate her.
She has been concentrating on creative writing for the last few years; writing
flash fiction entries for the monthly competitions at my local writing group,
Watford Writers, not finishing the first drafts of two novels and not getting on with
editing and revising the third Aten Sequence novel. Time to crack on!
Quote: 'If the only prayer you say in your entire life is 'thank you' - that is enough'
Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)

Writing Flash Fiction (from CM Hypno)

I never used to understand why people wrote flash fiction. I wanted to write
novels and short stories. Lengthy tomes with lots of words. Then I joined my local
writing group, Watford Writers, who hold a monthly flash fiction competition.
My first entry, surprisingly, was placed and I was hooked. But I had a lot to learn.
A maximum word count of 300-350 words means that each word is precious, is
chosen with care. My long, rambling sentences needed to be pruned back, the
adjectives cut and my verbs be more dynamic. I also realised I had a habit of
dropping in to the passive voice.
So here are three of those flash fiction entries. They are all set in times of war
and explore different aspects of the struggles, challenges, hardships, successes
and heroism faced by the characters.

Theme
The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea.' In other words, what
critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in the writing of a novel,
play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea, transcends cultural barriers. It is
usually universal in nature. When a theme is universal, it touches on the human
experience, regardless of race or language. It is what the story means. Often, a
piece of writing will have more than one theme.

Death - how to escape, facing, what happens after, consequences of.

Tragedy
Tragic (Oxford English Dictionary) - Of or relating to an event, situation, etc., that
causes great suffering, destruction, or distress, esp. one that involves death on a
large scale or premature death; catastrophic, disastrous, devastating.

 The tragic narrative concludes with resolution of the problem and

restoration of justice, often accompanied by the death, banishment, or
quieting of the tragic hero.

 Mimesis: Tragedy imitates real life more than other genres, especially by
representing characters as mixtures of good and evil—like you or me.
o Mimesis (Oxford English Dictionary) 1b.
Imitation; spec. the representation or imitation of the real world in (a
work of) art, literature, etc.
  tragedy also approaches timelessness because it deals with timeless
subjects, such as the mixed nature of humanity, the love-hate relations of
families, and consequences of our environment and actions.

Reference

Hypno, CM. (2017, October 15). Tales of War - Flash Fiction Stories. Retrieved February

26, 2019, from https://letterpile.com/creative-writing/Tales-of-War-Flash-

Fiction-Stories

What is Theme in Literature? - Definition & Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26,

2019, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-theme-in-literature-

definition-examples-quiz.html

Terms/Themes. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/terms/T/tragedy.htm