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Find your roots, you’ll be fine, the master had said.
He will lead the way… He will take you with him…
But Master, how will I know it’s him?
The master had smiled. Go now; follow the stars in the nights and the signs in the days…
And she had done so for a hundred years now. Finally the day had arrived.
She had stopped here and waited for signs, none came. But this museum held her strongly.
And then she saw him walking on the top floor. It was master’s estranged son! She stood there paralyzed. Had Master known?
………………………….
Another 100 word fiction for the awesome photo prompt by Susie Lindau! ( Madison you are dearly missed! 
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She’s settled in a a museum?
It’s open to interpretation
She found who she was looking for there.
I’m a little doubtful of the last line here… one of my “tense” moments (pun intended)…
Would it be: “Did Master know?” or “Had Master known?” ? I found the former a better construct… but the latter seems more appropriate… Just checking..
Its former. The latter seems more conditional
I thought so too.. But if I look at it another way, then did master know could mean that she is wondering if master got to know just now.. And had master known could mean did he know all along…
dunno, I also settled on the former eventually..
“Did Master know” reads better to my mind. Great post.
hmm… I am kinda leaning towards “Had Master known” now…
Thanks!
Hi Parul,
Congrats on being first to post. I’m going to be keeping a close eye on what the structure in the photo is interpreted as. Museum, check.
I think you want to use ‘your’ instead of ‘you’ in the first sentence. That typo (if that’s what it is?) aside, you’ve got a fine mystery there. I’m still trying to sort out who is related to whom, and how.
Here’s the link to mine. http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/connection/
Aloha,
Doug
I’m on my way to yours..
I’m going to write another one on this one in the backdrop of an airport.. I hope I get time today..
And thanks! I’m mighty proud of being the first one! Of course I have the time zone advantage too..
That was a typo, edited it now, thanks for pointing out!
Hi Parul,
Very nice and dreamy. Very good, using italics for speech. I often want to do that but have trouble keeping them when posting. I momentarily thought of the photo as a museum too, but ended up settling for something else. I think I prefer “Had Master known,” not because it might be grammatically correct, but because it implies greater expansiveness in time. “Did…” makes it seem as though the son is skulking about without Master’s knowledge, while “Had…” implies Master might know all.
Thanks Carlos… I had my doubts for the same reasons as you cited here. I am also reaching the conclusion that “had master known” is more appropriate in this context…
Can’t wait to see what that “something else” setting is!!
Very nice little piece, which seems to be coming from a larger story. I agree with Carlos that ‘Had Master known’ follows your theme of an all knowing master and works better.
Thanks Lindaura, I too agree with Carlos!
How intriguing! I enjoyed it too, and well done for being first! Like the last couple of people, I prefer “Had the Master known?” – seems more like the Master might have a greater control over events than “did the Master know” which could just be about the son sneaking out to the museum. But either works grammatically, I think.
Talking of grammar, you’re a bit inconsistent on whether it’s Master or the Master.
But who cares? The story itself is like the opening to a novel of intrgue and adventure. nice one!
Elmo
Thanks for pointing this out Elmo… it didn’t occur to me before that I should be careful about Master and the Master.. Point taken..
I like the way you brought the people walking in the photo into your story. Your flash fiction definitely opens the door to a fascinating longer story.
Thanks Jan!
I hope to expand this someday!
I just wish that your infatuation (?) with this “hundred” may inspire Tendulkar
It isn’t an infatuation.. but if it inspires Sachin, I could tweet him this link everyday!
I like the set up and the anticipation created by the MC. Nicely done, Parul.
Thanks Siobhan
This makes me think through all the different ways it could go. Nice work.
I hope if and when I expand it you say, “even though I thought of so many ways this could go, I didn’t see that coming!” haha!
I liked the mystery of your story and the greater story that sounds like is behind it. My vote is with the second option for your phrase choice
There’s always going to be a mixed response with a question like that, though, and you’ll just have to pick the one that sounds better to you.
Yep, I agree… Editing the post with the second second choice… that sounds better to me.
And welcome back! You were dearly missed in the blogosphere!
This parable really gets the brain stimulated, trying to find the real meaning and figure out the story line and how the relationships fit.
Lovely job. I love the poetic quality of the post, too.