Okay. The hardest part about this was the title (changed twice), and, well, the last word, which has been changed three times already. Both still in jeopardy.
I wrote a really great opening line for last week’s Friday Fictioneers (Our love was as dead as the frost-nipped, snow-laden roses in the north garden.) but never got back to it. This is what they mean by best intentions. Anyway, I’ve finally managed to reappear. Many thanks to Rochelle who never lets us down and always appears.
Welcome to the Now
The scents have changed. Curry and fish sauce hover where once it was cabbage, bacon, barbecue sauce. Every step I take reminds me of when my grandmother lived in this building. Sometimes I dream of it still, visiting “Mom” as we called her.
Now I live on the upper floor. My vista not one she had of a wildflower field and evergreens, but of townhouses, concrete, not a tree in sight.
My neighbors and I nod behind our masks, but never interact. I only know their names via exchanges amongst themselves.
I settle down to a microwave dinner. Unscented. Bland.
end
Sascha Darlington
Solitude in a crowded place.
Yes. That may be the worst kind of loneliness. Thank you, James! 🙂
Absolutely wonderful, Sascha. The atmosphere is pitch perfect, the use of scents elegant
So many thanks, Neil! 🙂
How to be lonely in a crowd. Heaviness, that’s the word that describes how this story makes me feel. There’s just not much joy in this person’s life.
I think you are right, Linda. Many thanks! 🙂
Dear Sascha,
I agree with Neil. The feeling of desolation is tangible. Wonderfully written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Many thanks, Rochelle! 🙂
I love the first paragraph. I can “see” the change in tenants from the spice change. Really nice. But I can’t decide whether this is sad/depressing or not. Sometimes things are what they are.
It can just be the feeling of “otherness” which can sometimes be isolating. Many thanks, Maggie! 🙂
Fragrant memories of days past. I’m sure this is the lot of many these days.
My story!
I’m afraid so, Keith. Many thanks! 🙂
History told through cooking smells and views from windows! And the isolation of modern living for so many. It’s such a good story.
Many thanks, Jenne! 🙂
Modern life in the big city. Depressing, but really good writing.
Thank you so much, Iain! 🙂
This reminds me of those silent mini-films of life in big cities. Nicely done!
Many thanks, Fatima! 🙂
So much said in so few words, well done
Many thanks, Michael! 🙂
Vivid storytelling. Despite his fond memories, I wonder how much of his nostalgia can be attributed to the human tendency to see the past through rose-tinted glasses.
That’s very true. I recently saw that our minds warp our memories so that we can remember them. Who knows what else our minds do? Although, present day loneliness can be pretty isolating. Thanks so much! 🙂
Nice atmosphere building, Sascha. Familiar but uncomfortably isolated.
Many thanks, Lisa!
You’re welcome 🙂