Realizing I was in a spot of trouble, as I frantically searched my pockets, I told the conductor, “I don’t have my ticket.”
“You don’t need a ticket to ride this train,” he said with a smile. “Just get on board, and enjoy your trip.”
Astonished, I found a seat next to a window and was amazed at the train’s speed, as I watched clouds whiz by.
Before I knew it, we arrived at our destination, and I shouldn’t have been surprised when I stepped off the train and saw him, wearing his shit-eating grin, just as I remembered him, sporting a cane and sunglasses, although he no longer needed them, realizing I wouldn’t recognize him otherwise. We embraced, reunited at last after many years.
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Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for inspiring the above work of fiction with her six-sentence story prompt for this week, in which the given word is “express.” To participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ six-sentence creations, click here.
This story was also inspired by a prompt I heard recently on the Writing Works Wonders podcast. You can click here to learn more.
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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