Across the water is a country of luxury. My family loads our keelboat with goods and drags a raft of timber behind us. Across the river we float, trickling down to the exotic city where we trade.
Our family trades logs for some silk, corn for new shoes, and furs for sugar. We sell the raft to lighten the load back upriver.
I ask Pa, “Why do they trade their riches for our poor goods?”
Pa pushes the keel. “They live in a desert. To them, we’re the rich ones, but we’re all rich once we’ve shared our treasures.”
This was written for this week’s Carrot Ranch Challenge, “Across the Water.” Rivers often serve as borders, even if they also serve as connectors between us all. Today, which is World Communion Sunday in my tradition, I wanted to look at that combination in this 99 word flash.
Photo by Rachel Xiao on Pexels.com
Let Me Tell You the Story of... 
What a beautiful story, and such wonderful wisdom. A great share, HRR.
Thank you! Apologies for taking so long to get back to you – I’m hoping after 4 50+ hour weeks in a row that this next week won’t be so bad. I know 50 hours doesn’t sound like much to a lot of people, but it definitely drains me!
Nice piece of writing! Great imagery
Thank you!
I enjoyed this story and the background for it. It is a kind of sin isn’t it, that a connector and a shared resource is also a barrier and a border.
I suppose that’s true! It always amazes me how this happens.
I’m so glad you are writing short stories again. I have missed you and I’ve missed them!
Thank you for missing me, haha! Sorry for not getting back to you, too – I’ve been very, very busy with work.
No problem. I understand.
That last line speaks wisdom. This Pa is like an Ingalls Pa who seemed wise, too. No matter where we go in the world, people share more in common than the novelty of their regional treasures. Great one!
Thank you!
I really liked this. The sense of community, cooperation and peace was welcome in a world that’s seemingly gone mad. (Now please don’t write a sequel where the desert folk come and slaughter the forest folk!)
Nah, I’ll write a sequel where the forest folk slaughter the desert folk!
This comment and response do not surprise me in the least, coming from you two.