High Street Life

~ Sonya

(c) Dawn M. Miller

Eat local. I can’t. Council’s turned all the bins into ones you can’t look into. I’m not rooting around in rubbish on the off-chance.

Sleep local. I would. Not allowed anymore. Shop’s complained. I’d leave way before they opened. It’s the warmth seeping out that made me sleep in the entrance. Since sleeping by the river, I can’t shake the sniffles.

Read local. I’d like to. You know how much a book costs? More than a day’s worth, these days. Mind, they don’t want me in there since the owner changed.

Had a life here once.

New town, I reckon.

***

Today, I’ve joined Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers for their inaugural challenge – find all the stories here.

21 thoughts on “High Street Life”

  1. Oh I’m so glad you’re a part of the challenge as well!
    I liked this a lot – I love the use of short sentences, I find myself using them a lot too so I really appreciate that!!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Thank you for participating in the challenge! I love your story, but it is sad being it’s about a rejected homeless person. I imagine that just about all homeless people feel rejected by the people in their city.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you for your comment, PJ!

      I’m glad there’s another challenge for me to participate in. Since I’ve embarked on this mad project of writing a story every day, I need all the inspiration I can get.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Ellespeth! I love picture prompts – they offer a tiny glimpse into a writer’s brain by showing which part of the picture got it going. Mine just snatched up the words and ran with them 🙂

      Like

  4. A really great piece for this prompt, Sonya. It’s concise and you make every sentence count. You’ve delivered the sad problems of this homeless man with quite a punch. Well done! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your encouraging feedback (again), Millie! I have to say I thought this one turned out better than I’d hoped. Pictures are great prompts, though.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I agree with Ellespeth, that is a very clever use of the sign in the window. The short sentences work well too. They are abrupt and in my eyes can symbolise how abruptly something can end for a homeless person. One minute he/she may be in one place, the next in another.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Francesca, thank you for your response. I love your comment about the abruptness of the sentences and how they reflect the changes in the characters life 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. What a great story! Our city has many restrictions as well…thank goodness our subways are open from 5am to 1am and most homeless persons can stay until 11:30 to midnight…the winters are hardest for them here.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment!
      It’s difficult for them here, and we don’t even get proper winters. Well, it is still too cold to stay outside for long.

      Liked by 1 person

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