25 April 1902
Dearest Mother,
Phillip and I arrived on the Caribbean Island of Martinique on April 20. Our ship was a week early due to favorable winds and weather. I am certainly not one to complain. My excitement can hardly be contained. Finally! We are on a Caribbean Island for our honeymoon.
I'm still in a daze from all the beauty! I cannot wait to see more. Phillip is now with the officials of the hotel planning our day trips while we are here. I am so excited, I want to see everything! I am suppose to be resting but I assure you that is not possible for me right now.
I love you and will see you soon. I hope you receive this letter before we get back home!
Lovingly,
Anne
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28 April 1902
Dearest Anne,
I am not sure this letter will reach you in time but I must write anyway. Your father has taken ill and we must leave for Atlanta tomorrow. Dr. Amos wants him to see a specialist there but I do not know what on earth for. Please keep us in your prayers.
With Love,
Mother
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08 May 1902
Dearest Mother,
Phillip and I have been having a wonderful time but something is happening with Mount Pelee. It is spewing steam, spurting gaseous flames, raining ash with violent shocks and rumbles. The locals say that it happens every few years and we need not be afraid, but mother, I am afraid. I am trying to get Phillip to leave early but he says there is no need, according to the locals.
Lovingly,
Anne
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05 May 1902
Dearest Anne,
Your father and I just returned from Atlanta and I'm afraid the news I have for you is not good. Your father has cancer and the specialist thinks he only has six months to live, if that long. I am so distraught, I don't know what to do. I do so wish you were here.
With Love,
Mother
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15 May 1902
Dearest Anne,
Oh my precious daughter, I pray you and Phillip are on the ship on your way home now. We just heard that Mount Pele'e is erupting violently and that almost 30,000 people were killed on May 10. I am terrified for you and Phillip, my darling. I hope and pray you and Phillip are on the ship and headed home now. You are both in my prayers and I pray I will see you soon.
With Much Love,
Mother
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Almost 30,000 people were killed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee on May 10, 1902. There were warning signs; steam, light earth shocks and raining ash prior to the eruptions but the Martinique people did not heed the warnings.
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Prompt: Write a scene about a volcano that has never fully stopped erupting.
This is my submission for Ryan Lanz Writing Prompt: Volcano
BEAUTIFUL WORDS 
Wow, what a heartstring-pulling story!
I hope it is a good thing (story wise). Thank you for reading and commenting!
Oh a wonderful story! It reminds me of a book written in the same way that was excellent. I can’t remember the name of the book.
Thank you. I have been worried that it wasn’t good, and even more so because it was written in letters.
This was a poignant story. I really liked how you had it evolve through the letters. I always enjoy reading your writings 🙂 It was a sad story, but very well written!
Thank you Kirsten, I really appreciate your encouraging words! I need them. 🙂
I think it’s important for writers (and people in general) to encourage each other. I’m glad the words I wrote encouraged you. I really enjoy reading your blog.
Thank you Kirsten! I am going to think up a post about the Flash Fiction and see if there is other interest out there (among my readers). So far I have you and one other person that is interested in joining. That makes 3 of us.
Three is a good number 🙂 I can re-blog your post on my blog so more people can see it.
That would be great! I would want to start a new blog though so people who wanted to follow for the flash fiction wouldn’t have to be getting my other posts.
that sounds like a good idea!
I do agree that writers need to encourage one another. In fact, it is important to encourage one another and help one another grow.
I agree 🙂 That’s how I started writing. Someone asked me if I would write a devotional and once I had, they encouraged me to continue writing them.
That is awesome! You are a GREAT writer! I thought you were a professional. Have you written a book?
I love your ways!
Thank you Bynda! I appreciate that very much. 🙂
Oh, Joy! What a beautiful story. And very effective. Each point of view is so clear. The times kept them separate and unique. Something that cannot be done in today’s world. The fact that they were in letters made each POV so complete. This is the very best response to a prompt I have yet seen. I cannot praise you enough for this story. It seems it was just waiting to be written.
Thank you Judith! That is one of, if not the most, wonderful comment I have ever had. I really felt nervous about publishing it. Also, I had to cut some out so I was afraid that would harm the story. Thank you Judith, you don’t know how much your comment means to me.
Were these historical characters or your imagination? Either way, I like it!
The characters are fiction. The actual volcanic eruption is non-fiction. The little history at the end is non-fiction.
Thank you Casey. I am pleased that you like it. 🙂
This is beautifully written. You have done your best job. The letter writing style works very well. The way the mother and daughter communicates is amazing. The daughter was happy,eager to share her story with her mother. Mother was concerned about her husband’s health. In the end the mother desperately wanted to know about the whereabouts of her daughter.
Hats off to you PJ:)
Thank you. I appreciate you reading and your feedback! Thanks!
I must say: This is good! It kept me pinned down to read up to the last letter. Well done.(I’m new at writing and am trying it to see if I’ll get somewhere. I enjoy it and that is the importance of it all)
I am getting ready (tomorrow) to publish a post about starting a Flash Fiction Challenge for Aspiring Writers. I don’t know if you follow my blog, but if you do you will see the post and you can respond to it – if you are interested in joining something like that. It is A LOT of FUN!
Sad story Joy! Poor woman, the husband sick and the daughter missing. Your writing is very good!
Thank you Elizabeth! Thank you for reading and for your feedback. 🙂
I feel like crying !!! It feels so real !
Thank you Ady, please don’t cry it’s made up. 🙂
🙂 I smile now 🙂
hahaha! LOL!!
I love the way you wrote the story through letters, and also that you introduced some bad news “back home” as well.
Thank you for your feedback! I wasn’t sure how letters would come across.. so it must have worked. Thank you. 🙂
I like the letter writing style Priceless. It leaves you waiting…..
Well done!!!!
Yes and the reader has to decide whether they made it on to a ship headed back home or not… Thank you for reading and for your feedback Colleen!! 🙂
This is a wonderful and extremely poignant story, PJ. I always love the use of letters to convey the developing plot and characters. The story of Dad’s illness adds a further dimension, and we can focus on the mother’s anguish while we contemplate Mount Pelee’s warnings of pending eruption. You have also left us with the intriguing question of whether Anne and Phillip were fortunate enough to escape the dreadful events of March 10. A really enjoyable and well written story. 🙂
Thank you Millie! Receiving feedback from you means a lot to me because I know you are a professional writer (author). I was very nervous hitting that publish button on this (as I am with all of my writing) because of it being written through letters. I had another letter from Anne in the original draft but decided I needed to cut down the length and I hoped that wouldn’t hurt the story. Again, thank you so much!!
I really enjoyed it!
This is a heart gripping story. I love how it ended with we, the readers, wondering about Anne and Philip ;). I have concluded in my head, that Anne and Philip ended up being the only survivors of the eruption, haha .
Yes! That is a possibility! They may have made it out in time. 🙂
Love how you carrying on the story with letters, Joy. 🙂
Thank you Amy! I was very nervous clicking on that publish button!
The writing and stories you have posted, you shouldn’t be nervous clicking on the publish button. So enjoy reading your posts. 🙂
Thank you Amy! That is very encouraging to me. 🙂
Wow, PJ, this is amazing and sad to read. It gave me chills!
Thank you Terri! It was suppose to be impactful but then we don’t know if Anne and Albert made it out okay. Maybe they did? LOL
That’s why your story is so brilliant. I obviously assumed they did not 😦
I left it for the reader to decide. One person told me that as far as she was concerned they made it off the beach and were on the ship on their way home. Haha!
Uh Oh, I said Albert and it should have been Phillip. (Albert was the name I was going to use and changed it to Phillip).
Great story and I love the style. You don’t need to be nervous about posting anything. I’ve read your posts and they are all well done. It’s a joy to read them and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
Thank you! You sure do know how to encourage people! I am starting a flash fiction challenge, are you interested in joining?
Absolutely. I have now clicked the button..follow .😃
Very sad, but what an amazing way to tell the story
Thank you! It was one letter longer and I decided to cut it down. Hopefully that didn’t hurt the story of it.
Wow! This is so heart warming. I felt sad towards the end. But kudos to you for such a brilliant story; which kept me tight till I read till the end.
I left it up to the reader to decide whether they made it out alive or not.
I know.. At first thought it seems they didn’t but then I take some realize to they might have 🙂
I personally hope they did. 😀
Thank you Ruchi! I appreciate you reading and for your feedback. I thought the “real” story of this volcano eruption in 1902 was very sad and it sparked my story.
Nicely done!
Thank you!