A new Monday has come, bringing a new Mondays Finish the Story challenge featuring a picture of my least-favourite landmark (no offense, Eiffel Tower lovers, but it just isn’t for me.) Never one to shirk a challenge, I have indeed finished the story. The original prompt can be found here.
Word Count: 150

As her mount shifted uneasily under her, she grasped the brim of her old felt Stetson, gazed upwards and remembered Jean Pierre.
“Easy,” she said softly.
It wasn’t really a great surprise that the horse was spooked or that she was remembering Jean-Pierre. After all, they were back in Paris, staring at that vast metal structure.
I remember the first time I saw it, walking with Jean-Pierre.
“There it is,” I said, mouth open, finger pointing. “The Eiffel Tower.”
“A tourist trap,” he scoffed, hands in his pockets. “When it was built, the people thought it was hideous and wanted it torn down. But the foreigners, the tourists, they loved it. So it stayed.”
She looked at the tower, bent and twisted and broken, but still mostly intact.
It’s still standing, Jean-Pierre. Europe is a wasteland. You’re dead. But the tower’s still here.
She stood there a moment longer, then gave a tug on the horse’s reigns, spurring the creature on. It would be dark soon and memories were a poor shelter.
Great presentation, considering this is not your favourite landmark. The last line was existential in its pragmatism. It sounds like something I’d say to my friends when they’re trapped in a fantasy world. x
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Thanks!
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Interesting story. Much of what you say is true for the tower. People of Paris hated it but it was so popular, they kept it. 🙂
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Thank you! I’ve always found that fact interesting, so I thought it would be cool to work it in. I also like the fact that Parisians of the time agreed with me.
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Great story! I did not know that most Parisians hate the Eiffel Tower and wanted it torn down. Funny, most people cannot think of Paris and not think of the tower at the same time (I inow I do), but thinking about it I might feel the exact same way as you and the French feel. What is the point of the tower? Loved your story!
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Thank you! At the time, I believe they thought it ruined the look of the historical architecture around it. It was a very “modern” structure and a lot of people didn’t like that.
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That is understandable! I would probably feel the same if I were them.
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So, what happened that all is in ruins? Curious readers want to know! Nicely done J.A.! Thank you for participating in the Mondays Finish the Story challenge. Be well… ^..^
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Thanks! I was thinking something along the lines of devastating nuclear war.
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Well done!
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Great take on the prompt – a look to the future.
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Thank you!
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