Stepping Down, Stepping Up
He still couldn’t believe the amount of work and planning that had come together to allow him to study at this prestigious little English college.
His marks were quite good and he would graduate next spring and return to America to begin his career. He particularly liked the panoramic vista from the entry arch.
He had begun to think of it as his exit arch. College staff had taken down a sign some wag had put up, reading, “Watch the first step. It’s a doozy.” How prophetic, his first step out of here, after his graduation, would indeed be life-altering.
Go to Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple blog, and use her Wednesday photo as a prompt to write a complete 100 word story.
Archon's Den 
Good one 🙂 Short and sweet.
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Thank you so much! I’m up late. Are you up later, or already up earlier?
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Dear Grumpy,
My eldest son received a scholarship to study at Oxford for a semester many moons ago. Your story turned my thoughts to him. Nicely written, full of circumstance and hope.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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To cause even one person pleasant thoughts has been well worth 100 words. 🙂
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So very true, Archon. You capture the feeling well.
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The journey of a thousand miles is begun with one step. 🙂
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gr8 story….first step is always doozy….
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Especially if the doors open – but the elevator’s not there. 😯
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Truthful. Very truthful.
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I had to look a long way back into a murky past to recall that truth. 😕
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A happy moment for him. All that promise.
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I had neither the education nor the life-plan. I wish him well. 🙂
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I enjoyed this, but have to say I have no idea what a ‘doozy’ is – can we have a translation for those on the other side of the pond? 🙂
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Thanx for stopping by. prepare to be elucidated. 🙂
Word Origin and History for doo-zy Expand
doozy
also doozie, 1903 (adj.), 1916 (n.), perhaps an alteration of daisy, or from popular It. actress Eleonora Duse (1859-1924). In either case, reinforced by Duesenberg, expensive, classy make of automobile 1920s-30s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for doo-zy Expand
doozie
noun
A person or thing that is remarkable, wonderful, superior, etc; beaut, humdinger : a little 30-page doozey called ”Making Chicken Soup”/ Want a swell Naval Air Station? I got two doozies up for grabs
[1916+; origin uncertain; perhaps fr a humorous repronunciation of daisy; certainly reinforced by dusy, duesie, and other shortenings of Duesenberg, the name of a very expensive and desirable car of the 1920s and ’30s]
Dictionary of American Slang
Copyright © 1986 by HarperCollins Publishers
Cite This Source
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A cheerful upbeat little tale – I like it. Lots of people see this as a college archway – I went to a much more modern and boring place!
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It might be a church or abbey. It might even be in the USA. That’s the beauty of these Flash Fictions, They can be anything we imagine. 🙂 Now I’m off to see where your imagination went.
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Pretty cute. All seemed so rosy, until, whoops! It does look pretty dangerous. I wonder how much of him was altered by the shock of the fall.
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I expect the shock to set in with the reality of the career. Still, I feel power, privilege, planning – and perhaps a family business. Falling on money absorbs a lot of shocks. 🙄
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My whole family says doozy – started with my grandpa. It’s nice to see it in your story. May the first step let him fly – in a good way.
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I was tempted to use *lulu*. I usually keep my Briticisms and Americanisms separate. It’s not something an English lout would post….perhaps another American student. Thanx for reading.
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Good story. I hope his dreams come true. They should with that excellent education. Many of us were fortunate when we graduated because teachers were needed. We went right to work. Well written. My dad said “dandy” more than “doozy” but I think I remember him saying both. 🙂 —Susan
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Thanx for stopping by and reading. I’m intrigued that my *old-timey* usage has sparked such a spate of remembrance and linguistic discussion. 😆
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University can change so much for us..
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Sadly, I’ll have to take your word for it. 😦
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So much promise in this piece, I feel like it’s an opening to a great novel!
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Thank you for the kind words. 🙂 I’m incapable; why don’t you grab it and run? 😕
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Lovely story for the prompt!
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Thank you. My stuff is usually pretty straightforward. I read some of the other stories (?) and they are ART, which don’t seem to be related to the photos in any way. 😕
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[…] This can be considered Chapter 2, following my May 29 Flash Fiction #7 post, Stepping Up, Stepping Down. […]
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