Maria

María

My grandmother María has always been a great inspiration to me, even though I never met her. She passed away when I was just two years old, but my parents always say I resemble her. Not just in my physical features, but in my character: strong, determined, with a quiet tenderness. Sometimes I feel like she accompanies me in the smallest details, as if, from some corner of time, she's reminding me that I'm not alone. This short story was born from one of those moments.

Family memories, Google Docs for writing, an image by Julian Rosner acquired from Unsplash for inspiration, and PicMonkey for final editing.

My Grandma Maria's mirror is as beautiful as she was. Carved wood with intricate ornamentation, worn with time, but lovingly cared for. I brought it with me the day I moved out on my own. Every morning I look in it, I don't just see my face, I also see her: fixing her hair, adjusting her cameo, telling herself earnestly that everything will be all right.
She's gone, but sometimes, when the sun shines a certain way, I swear I see her smiling at me from the bottom of the glass, giving me the strength that only she could give.

The women in my family are an unstoppable force. Brave, intense, profound women. They inspire me every day, not only to write, but to live more powerfully.
This micro-story was born from that energy that crosses generations and stays with us.

1.- Choose a topic.
2.- I looked for an image for inspiration. (I'm a visual person, so I always look for an image before writing.)
3.- I wrote.
4.- I edited. (This is always the hardest part for me; finding the exact words to convey what I want is always a challenge.)
5.- I struggled with the word counter. (It was quite a challenge to write a micro-story in exactly 100 words… and one that turned out to be a lot of fun.)
6.- I edited the inspiration image
7.- I published.

I hope you like it!