Flash fiction

Inge's bower:Finding a home away from home.

Inge’s bower

When she came to this land in the Orient, Inge never imagined even in her dreams, she would fall in love with it, and settle here for good. It was so different from her native Munich, Germany.

She searched for a vocation and location that suited her age, which was around sixty-five, and her social service instincts. Luckily, her friends helped her buy a house, on the outskirts of this small coastal village. She loved her double storied house, which looked like a Swiss chalet.

The blue sea at a walking distance, the surrounding hills, and the air full of herbal fragrance, filled her with pleasure.

Her daughter’s family visited her once, and before leaving, Amanda, her granddaughter gave her a rag doll as a parting gift, a valuable keepsake for Inge.

Inge found out that the kids of the fishing village had no school or a disciplined routine. With her pension and grants from the religious order she belonged to, she had enough funds to start a school. The owner of the empty site by her house, let her hire it. After the approval of the city’s municipality, Inge inaugurated, the first three classes of the elementary school, with a single teacher.

It was one of the kids at school, who found the turtle on seashore, and fetched it to his beloved teacher Inge. She named it Tilly. The tall trees, and the green grass in the compound, gave a perfect home for her pets.

Before leaving for Munich after a couple of successful years, for a short break, Inge bought a rocking chair to relax by the window. She had an overview of the school, children playing or listening to the teacher, the distant sea, and the coconut trees lining the coast.

Peace reigned here!

Word count:299