A road not taken. You always said it was you, not me when you left me in the yellow woods.
“We can still be friends”, I said. You smiled, “Of course”, and left.
I see you sometimes.I seek you eyes. I seek a sign, maybe anger. But you always turn the other way.
If I could turn back time, could I do it in any other way?
If I could turn back time I would buy you roses, diamond rings. I would be a better man
If I could turn back time I wouldn’t leave the toilet ring raised.
This took me some time to figure out, but of course after a while I had Cher singing in my head, which I guess many more will have. For once I put a little humor into my usually dark stories. And yes references to Robert Frost are not accidental.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AldUzWWq8iQ
Friday Fictioneers is all about finding a 100 word story in the same picture. Rochelle does a wonderful job in both selecting excellent pictures and setting the standard high for how a 100 word fiction should be written.
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February 17, 2016
Björn Rudbergs writings 
So sweet. 🙂
Ha.. 🙂 men have some flaws.
As do women. 🙂
Well, you certainly interpreted the prompt creatively. But neglecting to lower the seat is a hanging offence in our house. So your piece is a reminder to all we weak men.
There are things that are unforgivable…
Oh, this is good. I wrote a poem a while back along this very theme…even set in the woods, in autumn. Your prose measures up to the poetic gift you have. BTW, my mom seems to be doing better. I think she is going to outlive me. Thanks for your support.
I’m glad to hear that… and I took the challenge and wrote a sestina…
Me too.
Oh how I love yellow woods. My very favorite in the world.
YES!!! That picture is totally that time-turning gadget/necklace from Harry Potter … the one Hermione wore. Man, you have good eyes. I never would have made that connection if you hadn’t.
That last bit is hilarious, but before that, it was really emotionally painful to read. So much lost beneath those yellow leaves, unless you turn the dial … and I don’t see why you can’t, if you believe in magic.
This is my favorite part: “I see you sometimes. I seek you eyes.”
Oh, I just noticed what’s hiding in the title: yellow woulds
I see this little piece as the love-child of Cher and Robert Frost… high on something.
I can’t tell you how giddy I am over what you just wrote. That makes me very happy. 🙂 Yes. They should definitely make musical poetry babies together. And of course, it’s perfectly safe to make babies like that while you’re high. They’ll actually come out smarter, I think. [wink]
Is leaving the seat up something that annoys every woman on the planet? Certainly drives my wife potty any time I do it…lol.
Ha.. let yourself be warned 🙂
I love the last line, but I like the seat up, its less messy that way if you are half asleep. [smile]
Ha.. yes it’s a calculated risk… seat up or messy… After many years I realized I prefer to sit down if i’m half asleep.
Beautifully funny, from both ends of the literary spectrum. I loved that opening line.
I love Frost’s poem… 🙂
Dear Björn,
Great take on Robert Frost and the prompt. Personally, as a wife and mother of three sons, I love the ending line.
Shalom,
Rochelle
It seems like the epitome of the war of sexes.
I love a good tear-jerker, Bjorn, and this is quality, regrets darkened and deepened by deception.
The song that came to my mind is the slightly less appropriate but quite wonderful If We Try by Don Mclean:
🙂
I love it, made me laugh out loud. Try to see it from the woman’s side. Sitting down and the seat is up–eek! 😀
Ha.. Yes I mostly sit down now a days … 😉
There are worse hanging offences than leaving the toilet ring raised. Those are not lifting it in the first place and peeing on the seat, so lady of the house has an unpleasant surprise when she sits down. Or he misses the toilet altogether and the person who follows has no shoes on and steps in the wee.
A darkly witty little story. Loved it.
PS One little typo — seek your eyes (not ‘you’ eyes). Also, is there meant to be a full-stop after better man?
Oh thank you for spotting the typo… Yes there are much worse sins…
great story with a humorous twist – loved it. And Cher’s outfit – wow!
I think her outfit was quite normal in an 80s bordello 😉
Nice to read your humor. 🙂
All of the sudden in the midst of gloom I saw a smile coming,
Brilliant! I think you’ve identified the problem 😄
😉 I think it might be the reason behind 90% of divorces.
it’s an ironty that we always take for granted what we already have and long for what we don’t have.
😉 we do .. It’s like that.
Upon seeing your title, I immediately thought of Yellow Snow by Frank Zappa, instead of Yellow Woods. I enjoyed seeing your lighter side. Well done.
It might have been worse than the toilet seat… Yellow is far from good
Absolutely brilliant! Why do ladies always leave the seat down? It’s a constant source of annoyance to me.
‘About Harry’, my 100 words!
The bathroom is a collision between Mars and Venus.
ha ha. Funny ending. Although the pain described earlier and she not even meeting his eyes…that’s painful. Nicely done.
Well there are things that’s unforgivable…
Did you say it loud enough? Often enough? That’s fine, I forgive you, now just leave that seat DOWN! 🙂
So you mean I should not leave it up…
oh, it’s great, just left me wondering which is GOOD!
Oh this was great, Björn! Love your lighter side…
Ahhh. the old coulda, shoulda, woulda…
I live in a household of boys… managed to train them all! Though, I sincerely wish they would choose to sit down. Less splashing!
Put some gadget catalogues in the bathroom and they will sit down for ever…
Ha ha!!! I bet!
It works for me 🙂
TMI, Björn!!! 😀
Though I struggle to see a toilet seat in the smililng little character I see understand the dire consequences of leaving a toilet seat up. So don’t do it, whether you’re Robert Frost or Cher.
Hehehehe
That was definitely a deal breaker.
Good take on the regret time often leaves us with, funny too
I definitely hear the Cher song now and probably will for the rest of the day. Thanks! Seriously, very funny. Think of how different things could be if you put that seat down.
Funny lines but true. I like Cher. 🙂
It’s often the nagging little things which break people up 🙂
Both you and Adam Ickes are putting songs in my head!
Oh, you had me going off in a totally different direction there. Your ending is totally unexpected, and very funny. Great story.
Ha! Ha! The ending took me by surprise after the ‘frosty’ start 😉
Sad up to the last and then a bit of humor, Bjorn. Great twist. Well done. Thanks for the music. 🙂 — Suzanne
great story… I never could figure out what all the fuss was about the seat being left up.. I mean, it’s just as much an inconvenience for the guy to always have to raise it.. anyway, enjoyed this.
at the end we always rue, if only we could turn back the time.