AW, SHUCKS! a story in one hundred words

AW, SHUCKS!

Henry’s hotel had seen better days, but then so had the town.

Within a decade of the County re-routing the highway the place had become a backwater, full of washed-up trash and drifters. The hotel’s wallpaper peeled off and flakes of rust fell if a pigeon landed on the roof.

When a stranger booked a room for a week, Henry was too astonished to enquire what the man did all day out in the woods, and when he offered to buy the place, Henry practically bit his hand off.

Henry left for Florida a week before the new owner struck gold.

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Yet again Rochelle has found a photo to stir the imagination, this one taken by JSBrand. Thanks to those of you who sympathized with my internet dilemma last week - I found a lovely woman locally who fixed it, so now I'm back in business, and can comment on more posts than I did last week.

One more thing - if any of you have been good enough to buy my book - link at the top of the page if you haven't! - could you please compound your kindness by writing a review? Thanks.

HENRY'S DAUGHTERS - 100 words of fiction for Friday

HENRY’S DAUGHTERS

Henry’s daughters couldn’t fit him into their busy lives – months could pass without a visit – but Madge, who cleaned his house, often stayed past her allotted hours to keep him company. Despite vastly different backgrounds, their friendship flourished.

When Henry fell ill, Madge telephoned, “Your Dad needs you,” but neither daughter came. Only Madge held his hand and wept as he died.

After his funeral the daughters descended on the house like a swarm of locusts, but Madge barred their way with her no-nonsense arms folded. “You two can bugger off. It’s mine now – we were married last month.”

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Thanks to Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers on her blog. https://rochellewisoff.com/ and to Shaktiki Sharma for the photo that prompted this week's story. After looking it up on Google, I think this is a Large Painted Locust found only in the Galapagos Islands. A beautiful creature that wreaks havoc wherever it lands.