Photo credit: Janet Webb
Glass Houses
By T. Delaplain
Helen’s world was shrink wrapped, the glass house he provided kept her well contained. “A safe haven”, he had promised at the altar.
What once felt manageable was now stifling. Her life had become so small that she could feel the glass above, beside and beneath her, not even a sharp edge to test herself against. The clear glass began to fog and she knew the last of the outside world was disappearing. Once her despair was complete no sledge hammer could free her.
Today she would look for an ice pick.
Join us at Friday Fictioneers where Rochelle will give 100 words to break through.
Tracey Delaplain, MD 
I feel for Helen and wish her the best, may she break free!
wonderful story !
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I think we may both be feeling a little “trapped” today. 🙂 Great response to the prompt.
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I couldn’t find a comment section on your post today. I liked it and I think most elderly frail adults start to feel this way as their bodies fail.
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Stupid WordPress. 😉 I didn’t remove the comments section and didn’t realize it was missing. So glad you pointed it out. I thought nobody liked me! LOL…
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Happy to help.
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I couldn’t find a comment section on your post, either. I wanted to say I loved the repetition of “she” in your piece, Usually that sort of thing is annoying but it worked well in your story.
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Thanks! Glad you liked it. As I said to Tracey, I didn’t even realize the Comments section was missing. I’ve fixed it and will check posts in the future. Thanks for reading!
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I loved “Helen’s world was shrink wrapped”
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Very tidy and sterile I’m afraid. Thanks Neil.
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Ice, ice, baby! There’s security and then there’s security.
Well done, Tracey! It fits the prompt well and the emotions are so well articulated. Bravo! 🙂
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Thank you. One woman’s heaven is another’s hell. I like to live a little on tilt myself.
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We’re ALL living on tilt this week. It the DEGREE of title that gets me worried sometimes. 😀 BTW, what IS for dinner, Tracey? Tell me about that food blog you got.
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http://www.mybajakitchen.com is my new food blog. I want to showcase my interpretation of Baja cuisine while exploring expat life in Mexico. There might be a cookbook in the think tank. Thanks for asking.
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I’m a foodie like there never was one.
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Super-duper COOL, Tracey! I SO want to tackle some of those recipes. The southwest is on my bucket list of places to visit (which I did in 1975, 1982, 2003). It’s time to go back. You live in Baja, California?
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Loreto Baja California Sur, about 300 miles north of Cabo San Lucus
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As Rochelle would say, “Kewl.” 😀
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Wow! I feel claustrophobic – grabbing my neck! Air!
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Me too. Thanks Sandi.
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Ice becames a dramatic metaphor for a trapped spirit. Good one.
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Thank you. I actually hadn’t written it with ice in mind but that is a great metaphor. I was using ice pick as a small tool to begin chipping though the glass. I like your interpretation better.
Thanks for stopping by,
Tracey
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not even a sharp edge to test herself against – Dang, another yummy line I might need to steal. Great take on the prompt.
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One woman’s heaven is another’s hell. Give me sharp edges and drama.
Thanks Alicia.
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Oh, I’m all over sharp edges and drama…..
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i notice as we get older, the space we can roam around becomes more constricted. i saw it on my dad. before he died, he was consigned to a room on the first floor. he wasn’t even permitted to climb upstairs.
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A beautifully painted word picture of marital claustrophobia.
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Thank you.
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Lovely writing, a real sense of her being trapped and the little hint of hope at the end if she can just start chipping away.
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Everyone needs hope. Thank you.
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Whether the husband is over-protective or controlling, I hope she finds that ice pick and breaks free.
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Recognition is half the battle. She’ll be ok or she could use a real ice pick, but that’s another story.
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Dear Tracey,
I understand how that safe haven can become a stifling hell. Well written with raw emotion.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I agree. We can do this to ourselves as we age and become more frightened of the world. Let’s keep a sledge hammer near by.
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Her feeling of entrapment is palpable throughout your piece. Brilliant
Please click to read my FriFic
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Thanks Keith. I’ll head over to read your ramble today. I’m behind in my reading.
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“Today she would look for an ice pick.” Hopefully, figuratively. Beautifully written post. Cheers
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Thanks Varad. A real ice pick? hmmm Now there’s a different story.
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Well, don’t blame me if her husband ends up with an ice pick in his throat 🤣
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Well, she may be living in a glass house, but at least she’s not throwing stones.
Stifling was an excellent choice of words for the suffocating environment her husband created.
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I think she may be partially to blame by taking the secure choice early on. Thanks Russell.
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Beautifully crafted story. I felt her world getting smaller and smaller. Loved that she never gave up.
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Thank you.
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Thanks goodness she still has a shred of hope inside of her. I hope she makes it out!
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Safety is one thing, prison quite another.
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I think we make our own prisons sometimes as we get older.
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Breaking old habits and breaking out of suffocating relationships doesn’t get easier with time. Good for her to not give up. Great writing, Tracey.
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Thanks. I agree about old habits. They’re habits for a reason.
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Enjoyable story, very thought provoking.
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I’m glad it provoked thought. Thanks you Dawn.
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You’ve crafted a tragic & sympathetic character. I hope Helen breaks free but isn’t shattered in doing so.
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Looks like a very controlling husband is keeping his wife isolated. Me thinks he’s insecure. Sad …
Isadora 😎
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I’m not sure because I know that we can make our own prisons too.
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That is very true, Tracey. We can be a prisoner of our own minds. I love when stories can go in so many different ways. 😎These photo prompts do bring out a great deal of imagination in all. : )
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Some very graphic lines in this Tracey. Well done.
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Thank you, I wanted to convey the feeling of a glass coffin or tiny house. I think it worked.
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