April 10, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about “the old lady and the beast.” What does age have to say about the story? Who is the beast and why? Go where the prompt leads!
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Extreme poverty is a deadly foe for anyone but when it strikes people in their old age it becomes a beast looking to devour them.
Old amma * belonged to a poor family, working all through her life till the age of 80. Since she had two sons, it was expected that at least at this age they would give her shelter and sustenance. But fate had a different plan. One son died of Covid while the other was a drug addict.
Now she sweeps the streets, in exchange for food and shelter, trying to evade the beast of poverty.
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Word count; 99
*Amma is the name given to an old lady, it means mother in Urdu/ Hindi
In response to; 99 Word Story, hosted by Charli Mills
#Keepitalive
#99WordStory
Keep it alive 
Such a tragic tale. Poverty is a beast
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It is and this story is a reality for so many poor people
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Sad but true!. Our elders should be cared for.
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Very true they should be. But reality is quite opposite. 🥲
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Yes, sadly, you are very correct.
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🥲🥲🥲
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Yes ma’am Sadje, POVERTY IS A BEAST! It’s so sad that we are still talking about this…a reality so many of our people are living with everyday. Great usage of this prompt! 🥰💖🤗
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Thanks Kym. It’s heartbreaking to see old people being homeless and in dire straits because of extreme poverty.
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I know exactly what you mean Sadje. That should never be! 😥
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🥲🥲🥲
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Very apt description of poverty Sadje and heartbreaking story to illustrate the point! 👌👏🙁🤔
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Thanks Ken. It’s a heartbreaking reality
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What a sad, sad story.
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Yes it is a reality in poor countries.
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Sad reality for some 😔
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Very sad. 🥲
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I’ve seen this story far too often in South America. Thanks for the share Sadje.
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I’ve seen it in my country too. And even in America, I’ve seen lots of homeless people specially old people
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💔
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🥲
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The sad truth of our part of the world. 😢
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Very sad my friend. But it’s not only here but everywhere where people are oblivious of the underprivileged people
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That is a good summary of what we ALL fear as we age!
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Yes very true my friend
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Oh my. The twist and turns of fate. Heartbreaking story because this is in-fact the reality of many.
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It unfortunately is a reality for too many people
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So sad Sadje.
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It is indeed heartbreaking
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Those days when children look after aged parents are ending and fast in many parts of the world. The way to go is to invest and prepare for that period but sadly, many are not able to. The reason is that they themselves struggle to educate and prepare their children for adult life while hardly any thing is left for the parents to enjoy in their old age.
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This is so true. And the government/ state doesn’t steps in when they should.
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so sad, xoxo
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It is very sad.
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so sad so hear about Poverty
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This is a sad reality these days.
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It is, specially in poor countries
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Soo tragic and sad, you described it well!
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Thanks Joy. It is very tragic
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Sad truth!!
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Indeed it is
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Heartbreaking … and even more so because this isn’t simply fiction, but is reality for many people.
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Indeed that is absolutely correct. 🥲
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Just a normal day
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Sadly so
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A sad tale, Sadje.
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It is very sad my friend
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Sad, yet a reality for many across the globe.
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Unfortunately, too many. It’s tragic that pets in developed countries get better food than humans in poor countries. 🥲🥲🥲
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So sad, but real for too many to name…
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Indeed, that is the sad truth
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Well written Sadje and so sad for sure. The biggest loss for a parent is to loose a child. Maybe survival keeps the pain of sadness away. IDk.. sad! ❣️
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It’s very sad and too real for many of.
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I so agree! 💗
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💖💞💖
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Heartbreaking tale told so eloquently, Sadje. May anyone who finds themselves in this situation find a way to keep poverty at bay. 💞💞💞
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Amen. Thank you Dawn.
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Poverty is a nightmare
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I agree
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It is a beast and as she found out, hard to fight when there are unforeseen circumstances. A too common story, this one.
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Very common sadly.
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Such a sad story. Poverty has no heart.
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It is indeed very sad.
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Poverty is the major problem of many countries
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It is, and even in developed countries, there are many homeless people surviving on streets.
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