Korean War – Life on the Farmlet

Normally, Friday Fictioneers is a 100 word fiction writing based on a photo prompt. However, today our hostess, Rochelle at Addicted to Purple, has included a video with with her FF entry. I watched it and…

Suddenly I was deep in memory, four again, and living in California…

~*~*~*~

In my youth I had a little friend who lived two houses down from me. We had the best of times playing in the back yard. We spent hours digging under trees, burying treasures, making mud pies and just running and laughing every day. We were four and the world was wide and ready for exploration, discovery and learning.

However, at the sound of an airplane, my little Korean friend would scream and run in terror to dive beneath a table or chair. Inside or out it was always the same.

She was inconsolable.

I didn’t understand.

Suddenly, I do.

~*~

WORDS: 100

~*~

And now, Rochell’s shared video

Pink Floyd – Goodbye Blue Sky (London Blitz)

For more Friday Fictioneers takes on the prompt, please click HERE!

OOOH! an UPDATE

On thinking about today’s post I remembered something my mother said about her terror at the sound of an airplane overhead:

“This is ridiculous behavior. She isn’t old enough to have experienced the war over there!”

So I went to do some fact checking…

The Korean War began in June 25, 1950 and ended on July 1953. So, yes, my mother was correct in stating that she could not have experienced the planes and the bombings there. She and I were only four and born in 1953. This makes it about 1957 when we met.

However, here is a quote on the Korean War that I found on the History Channel’s website:

The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. More than half of these–about 10 percent of Korea’s prewar population–were civilians. (This rate of civilian casualties was higher than World War II’s and Vietnam’s.)

In consideration of this information, and the realization of the violence her elders endured, I find it quite plausible for my little friend to have reacted in this way.