It's Still Life

Beyond an Intersection Named After an English King and a Saint
Six Sentence Story: Day 9 Part 2

Going with the Flow

“Let me see,” and Nick turns his sketchpad toward me, and I nod, “It’s a gift—to capture a river’s soul, to let its voice be seen, to turn light into liquid,” and I moisten my finger, turning another page of my book as the late afternoon sun dazzles off the River Avon.

Nick watches the water slowly flowing by, “Some would say that’s just a river, but you never step into the same river twice,” and when I add, “for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man,” … I realise that we’ve started finishing each other’s thoughts, often not bothering to speak them.

“New book?” he asks, his hand is one with the graphite pencil that brings life to the paper, and I nod, “Yes, yes, it is—Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield,” I say, and he replies, “Read to me,” his voice has a rising inflection; it’s neither declarative nor interrogative—it is as calm and strong as this river.

And so, from where I left off: “The river flows ever onwards, seeping sideways into fields and land, into one side and the other; it finds its way into wells, it’s drawn up to launder petticoats and boiled for tea—it travels up to the surface to be held in the leaves of watercress … and every river whispers stories woven into its flow—listen closely, and you’ll hear the echoes of past lives and secrets waiting for those who listen,” and Nick sets his pencil and sketchpad aside, watching the light piercing wounds across the water.

“A river,” I say, “is a timeless storyteller—for those who hear its song,” and Nick smiles, “You should write that down—maybe one day, you’ll write about us, Brigid,” and he winks, returning to his sketching.

Yet, “To be or not to be”—that is the question, and the answer, at least for tonight because it’s Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, tickets tucked safely in my pocket.

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Written for Denise’s Six Sentences including the word “wound”.  Some artwork is created using Midjourney AI, and is identified as such in the ALT text or captioned. Images are copyright and not to used without permission, which I willingly give when asked, and when not for commercial use. Imagery and poems/prose ©Misky 2006-2025.