Travel Flashes: A 100- and a 50-word story
Two vignettes about people in states of flux.
Luna needed an inexpensive motel and settled on the one-story next to the hotel with the swimming pool. First red flag was the desk clerk, who wore army fatigues. His Vietnamese wife and babies scrambled around the back room. When Luna entered her room, she noted the three-inch hole punctured in the door. The swag lamp hung by the electric cord. She dared not report it. From the bathroom window, she always saw someone leaning against the wall. At 3 a.m., someone pounded on the door next door. The occupants yelled, "He's not here anymore." She got her money's worth.
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Patty waved from the huge train window of her private berth. Her toddler slapped the pane leaving tiny handprints on the glass. She would meet her husband in San Diego then on to Guam. Her friend of many years waved back, knowing, after all they'd been through, this was farewell.
If you enjoyed this poem feel free to explore other poems, essays, and stories in the Ring Around the Basin Archive. I also love to read your comments, so please share your thoughts. Let’s start a conversation. And if you wish to support my writings, please consider subscribing or upgrading to a paid subscription. It’s now only $50/year.
Sue, this is eye-opening. How you can get so much emotion and essence in just a few words. It’s astonishing. I had no idea.
perfection! I love short stories. yes, less is always more! thx Sue.