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July is Flash Fiction Month! I’ll be sharing short short stories here through the month of July. More notes at the end of the story.

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I left my home many years ago, leaving my clan behind. It broke my heart to turn my back on the mountains that I rambled along, the rocky lake shores that I slept upon. Still, I had no choice.

The badges of honor I had sweat and bled for could not sustain me. I had worn them with such pride when they were awarded to me, but a cape cannot feed me. A helm cannot chase poverty away. I had no choice but to leave. Not to seek my fortune, but my own survival.

I’ve since settled in a new land. I have friends that welcome me at their tables, and a profession that sustains me. I find joy in my new surroundings, difficult as the change might have been. But no matter how far I travel or how long I stay away from my birthplace, the homeland has left an indelible mark on me. I carry it with me, like carrying a lucky stone in my pocket.

I will always have a 165 area code.

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Still catching up after missing a few days. 165 isn’t a real area code, but I still have the same phone number for…at least 10 years now, probably more. Still with my hometown’s area code.