The house was built upside down.
The front door and kitchen were on the first floor, level with the road, while a small bedroom and study were on the ground floor, burrowed into the side of the mountain.
Three rooms, one fireplace, a view over the valley. It was enough.
In the winter he grew strong digging away the snow. In the summer he sat on the front step, watched the hikers march red-faced up the mountain.
The locals had been friendly at first, bringing him cast iron dishes filled with of polenta, rounds of Fontina cheese. But the visits had dwindled as his neighbours realised there would be no warm thanks or smiles, no reciprocation.
Some nights he dreamt of what brought him there, the day he turned his own life upside down. But every flagellant knows his own limits and exploring the past was his.
***
Written for What Pegman Saw, the prompt that uses Google Street View as its starting point. This week we visit the Aosta Valley in Italy. See here to join in and to read the other stories.
A hermit with a past too terrible to remember. Or maybe just a person whose powers of self-reflection do not stretch so far as to encompass yesterday.
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Yes, I think the isolation is self imposed, that he did something for which he feels he should be taken out of society. I have a feeling that if there story continued that might change, though. Thanks so much for reading Andrea. Happy new year to you
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Same to you Lynn!
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Lovely and intriguing, Lynn. You chose the perfect photo for this story, too. Well done!
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Thanks very much Josh
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That’s a good one, Lynn. I wouldn’t mind living there.
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I know, isn’t beautiful. Pretty tough in the winter, but some days, I do feel like leaving the city and its pushy, grumpy hordes behind. Thanks for reading, Crispina
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You bring such depth to your writing, to read it is like being wrapped all warm and cosy in a fleece blanket
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Ah, thank you. It means a great deal to me. Layers are what I’m hoping for in the next project- layers of meaning, interweaving of subplots and characters and themes. Richness and complexity. Something you know plenty about through your own writing 🙂
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Thanksm Lynn, you flatter me. But on that subject (of layers), I know we all read craft books, and we all have our favourites, but I highly recommend *Between the Lines* by Jessica Page Morrell. Quote the blurb: Transform an ordinary story into a nuanced and memorable work of art.
It definitely isn’t for the beginner!
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Wonderfully done and you leave us with questions of what and why…
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Thanks Dale. He certainly did something for which he feels he needs to be isolated. I have an idea, though of course it’s a very bad thing. Thanks so much for reading
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I admit my mind goes to a bad thing as well…
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This is beautifully constructed, Lynn. The upside-down house as a symbol for his life. The delightfully superfluous nuggets of description (red-faced hikers; cast iron dishes) that contribute so much to the atmosphere. And the mystery. He daren’t look back. You could write something longer… (pretty please! – I’d love to know this character’s history!)
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Thank you so much Penny. Three world turned upside down – plenty of that these days. Glad you thought that symbol worked. And that the details worked too. As for his history, I do have an idea. Thanks so much for reading and there kind, helpful comments
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Well built, this one was! And it does leave me wondering – who is he, why DID he come there, what is he spending the days looking away FROM … Nicely done!
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Thanks so much Na’ama. I’m glad it left you wondering. Thank you for reading
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🙂 My pleasure, Lynn!
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Powerful! Great write this week!
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Thanks so much, Bear. Glad you liked it
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The words flow so smoothly through this upside-down tale but the undercurrent of his past life seems so strong and fretful.
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Very true, Lish. He’s had a disturbed past I’d say. Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment
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