Copyright M-G Stratford
Her last known address was 59th street.
I stayed over occasionally, on nights when icicles fringed the railway arches. You hid in the furniture department till closing-time, then selected your doss… simple as that.
I liked a king-size, but Josie preferred an orthopaedic bed – bad back, you know.
That last night, I woke to the sound of cash registers ringing, murmuring voices, muffled footsteps, the swish of taffeta silk.
“This one?”
A tall, frock-coated figure loomed over me.
“No, that one, I think.”
We talk about Josie a lot, down at the railway arches.
She had style, that one.
Our talented hostess, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields has been gracing the airwaves this week. I believe. Looking forward to hearing that. Friday Fictioneers invites 100 word stories in response to a photo prompt – some weeks it’s easier than others. This was not one such week for me.
castelsarrasin 
Thoroughly engaging, and leaves you wanting more.
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Thank you! 🙂
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It’s so interesting how many stories about social inequality this prompt is generating. Great story, Sandra
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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Dear Sandra,
If this was a difficult prompt for you, I couldn’t tell. You make it look effortless. Clever, these homeless ladies. I’m sorry Josie got caught. Well done as always.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS the interview was great fun. I don’t envy Dr. Paul having to edit over an hour’s worth down to half. I’ll be sure to let it be known when it’s up for listening. Of course I’ll download and blog it, too.
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Not so much caught as welcomed into another spirituality. 😉 Thanks for reading, Rochelle.
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Ah…I missed that. Sigh. Gives it more dimension. 😉
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At least she went in style. We had the first big frost of the winter here this morning, an apt reminder for those less fortunate than us.
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Yes, we had a mild frost here. Having to sleep outdoors must be a harrowing prospect as the weather turns colder. Thanks for reading, Iain.
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Your reply to Rochelle gave your tale a whole new meaning. Excellent Sandra.
Click to read my FriFic!
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Thanks Keith. I thought the cash register and the frock-coat would get the point across, but it seems it wasn’t as clear as I’d hoped.
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Great, evocative story. A lot of the stores had dogs they kept in kennels on the roof. They’d let them loose after hours to make sure nobody stayed in the store at night.
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Thank you. I didn’t know that.
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Yikes….
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🙂
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Sorry, Sandra, this one escapes me.
I get that Josie is dead, but why is the narrator still asleep when the store is open?
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The store isn’t open, CE. The furniture department is haunted by the ghosts of past customers long dead. Sorry to confuse you.
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Ahh, I didn’t quite get who it was who was ‘collecting’ her until I read your comment to Rochelle. Great story, and nicely written. Do you remember that man who got locked into Waterstones on Piccadilly a while back? This reminded me of that, although that probably wasn’t so comfortable.
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Being locked in Waterstones overnight must be the ultimate definition of mixed feelings. Sorry it wasn’t so clear. When I struggle with a piece it’s usually an indication that it’s not going to be clear to the reader.
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Poignant. Most of us will never come close to living–or dying–that way.
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So very true. Thanks for reading.
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I have a horrible feeling Josie came to a bad end.
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She did indeed.
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Very enjoyable – and believable
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Thank you, Bryan.
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She really did have style! What a way to go. Love your little details of description, that swish of tafetta. Lovely Sandra
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Thanks Lynn. I consider you, however, to be the queen of ‘detail’. 🙂
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Ah, Sandra. Thank you – that’s a comment I’ll cherish for a long time
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I totally agree with you, Sandra! That Lynn is amazing!
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Taffeta, cash registers, frock coats, you gave us plenty of clues, Sandra. I think it’s a well-written little ghost story. Nice one!
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I thought I had, Penny, but sometimes, even though it’s a hundred words only, the details get overlooked.
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I have always thought it a waste with furnitures unused over night. But I’ve never thought about the eerie collectors coming for you.
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I make a point of not sleeping in department stores for precisely this reason. Thanks for reading, Bjorn. 🙂
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I knew right off the bat Josie had gone off to another world. I like the ingenuity of your women. Lovely story.
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Glad you got it, Alicia. 🙂
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I was thinking that these were homeless women until I read your reply to Rochelle. Then that opened up a WHOLE NEW LINE of story. Very interesting.
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Well, they were homeless women, Mike. And one of them died that night. Seems I confused quite a few this week.
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Great conversational tone in this. I didn’t expect the dark end.
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Thanks for reading. 🙂
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I loved reading that the icicles fringed the arch, and I understood that your character had died. But I am not so sure that I saw her as a ghost. Telling the reader so much in a hundred words is so challenging. To challenge the reader is good
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The narrator didn’t die, her companion did when the ghosts of previous customers came to collect her. I don’t know why I just didn’t say that, really. 🙂
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Great writing. I’ll spend the rest of the day wondering how the prompt brought out this idea. You must have been at the front of the queue when imaginations were handed out ( and have been served by an elf with a mischievous streak).
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Thank you! Whatever it is, it seems to be fast running out on me.
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That’s a big, fat fib.
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Good job Sandra – you are always so clever!
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Thanks Nan, lovely to see you back.
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Love the picture of the icicles over the railway arches. Sets the scene for the ghostly final night.
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Thanks for reading, Irene.
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Sandra, I really liked the ideas behind this piece, which made for a wonderful story once explained, but couldn’t get to that point without the prompts. Perhaps, that’s a factor of the word limit. I really feel this story has real potential, but just needs something to take the reader with you. It’s almost there.
xx Rowena
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Thank you, Rowena. I’ll try harder next time.
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I don’t think it’s a matter of trying harder, more sideways. A few of mine have come back like this where they didn’t quite get it. I felt this story had strong potential though.
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I’ll bear that in mind then.
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At lease she passed away in a nice warm bed. It’s creepy that your narrator also saw the ghosts. Close call!
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Not much to choose between them, I guess. Thanks for reading.
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Being rather simple-minded, I didn’t get it until I read the comments. Then I thought, Wow, what a cool story. I especially loved the last line.
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Thanks Russell.
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Poor Josie. We get such a good sense of who she was in 100 words and she wasn’t even in it! Really well written.
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Thanks for reading. 🙂
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I love the title Black Friday. The ‘special offer’ in store was not at all what the women were expecting!
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Definitely not. Thanks for reading, Edith.
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You never disappoint me with your clever stories, Sandra. You always pack so much into those little 100 words. I 2nd and 3rd all of the comments left here. It’s always a pleasure to stop in and read your written words.
Isadora 😎
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Isadora, and thank you. 🙂
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Ooooooo creepy. I wanna find out what happens!
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Ah! In my mind, you already had. 😦 Not to worry.
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I guess the cleaners found Josie in the morning. At least she died comfortable 🙂
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And in style. Thanks for reading.
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They’re coming to take her away, hah-hah…
Only not to the funny farm… the the never-return-from-place.
I swear. I canna tell you why this tune popped into my head except that they came to take her away…
You are ever so clever, Sandra. Loved this.
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Seems ages since I last heard that song. 🙂 Thanks for reading, Dale.
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Same here! So funny it popped into my head immediately. The things that go on up there sometimes…
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Such an interesting story, although I must confess I didn’t fully understand what had happened until I read the other comments. It’s hard to convey everything in 100 words, isn’t it?
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Every word counts, both when writing and reading, I guess. Thanks for visiting.
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Oh I like this. The detail of icicles and rustling taffeta. This has such a melancholy feel to it, in a good way.
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Haunting story. Lovely.
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An atmospheric story, elegantly told- I felt a real sense of there in the moment.
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