Jacob watched the world below him unfold. Standing on the roof top of one of the many dilapidated buildings at 23rd Avery. The kids were playing football and would probably keep at it until the sky turned a deep red.
He watched with a ting of sadness, playing statistics in his head- only 2 out of every 7 of those kids would make it to college; most of them would have the misfortune of being jailed at least once; and thanks to the gang bangers, a few of them might not even live to celebrate their 30th birthday.
He stood, oblivious to the shouting going on below. His neighbourhood was dying, both metaphorically and literally. The violence was at a whole new peak, the buildings were collapsing, even the tree leaves had turned a weary brown.
But, he smiled. It was still his neighbourhood. Plastered on every corner were memories he had created; this “mess”, was all he had ever known. And, despite many unfavourable names it’s been called by outsiders, for him, it was simply “home”.
word count: 175. This story Is in response to flash fiction for aspiring writers photo prompt challenge, hosted by Priceless Joy, where each week we are provided with an image and are to write a 75-175 word story surrounding it. Thank you for this week’s photo @Grant-sud
Randoms by a Random 
I enjoyed this post…home means a lot to people and no matter where your home is, you will always have a certain amount of comfort there and memories …good or bad will be forever with you. We can change our locations and lifestyle, but home will always be a familiar and memorable place for you.
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Absolutely! There is a saying that home is where the heart is. And I agree with that too.
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Wow, very powerful it sounds like many places in the world right now, including the US.
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It does. What a sad reality too. Thank you
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Peace
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I hope he gets inspired to fix his home and make it better. This was a lovely snippet into the ugly reality of urban life.
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I think he will. He really love his home. Thank you Jade
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A moving story! Love how you portrayed a hopeful spirit within him, even amidst all the trouble. Great job!
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Thank you very Joy 😄
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You are welcome my friend 🙂
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It’s a shame things have to get so bad before a community will turn itself round. I hope he has some people to help him make it better.
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Shame is the perfect word to describe it. And that’s actually the sad reality occurring. I believe he will. He is a driven person
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Absolutely wonderful Ameena! This really gets into the mind and heart of a child that is raised up in the “slums”.
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Thank you very much PJ. I really love this week’s picture. Super inspiring
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Thank you Ameena! I thought it was very inspiring too. 🙂
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Beautiful. There’s places one can never part from.
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Absolutely! Thank you very much
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So much truth there, that no matter how your hometown or neighborhood might look to outsiders, it is still valuable in its own right to those who love it.
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Absolutely! There’s just some special kind of attachment with growing up in a place. No matter what it looks like. Thank you for taking the time to comment .
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When home is home, there is nothing you can do about it; you can run away but it reminds in your heart and mind.
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Absolutely! Home is where the heart is as they say 😄
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A lot of meaning in such a short story.
Hope, contentment, in the mist of chaos.
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Aww thank you very much. I am a shipper of hope. Hope, hope always.
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Very nicely written
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Thank you very much
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