Friday Fictioneers, an eclectic mix of creativity that wets the appetite and feeds the soul. A 100 words of fiction to fuel any weary traveler. Follow the link and join the caravan.
In an alleyway of red brick, a single street lamp flickered erratically. The smell of rot and decay so pungent, even the rats held their nose and scurried off.
It was raining. The relentless downpour, powerless to dilute the stench.
Then amidst the deluge, a beacon.
A light.
An open shop doorway.
Hints of honey and bees wax teasing the nose. Warmth, settling over shoulders chasing away the chill.
The air singing of bygone days of grandeur and romance, of visitors and expectations. Like catching ghosts off guard, running through the shadows, slipping back into the walls.
Another stitch in time.
helen midgley 
Beautiful idea!
Lovely use of the prompt. Could the shop have been a once grand tailors store perhaps?
Love the otherworldliness of your piece. You have achieved a feeling of darkness in so few words. Well done.
(Like catching ghosts of guard or off guard
the relentless downpour powerless to dilute the stench – or was powerless)
Lovely! A what a fitting last line Helen.
I can almost smell the aroma. I love the idea that the smell’s so bad even the rats are holding their little noses 🙂 Great piece!
Someone mentioned Great Expectation and Miss Havisham on a comment to me… for me this could be a description of her living, the visitor’s view versus her own imagination juxtaposed…
A great snapshot, a stitch in time indeed.
Dear Helen,
Atmospheric and emotional. Nicely written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Stitches like this would make a warm blanket for all of us 🙂
This reminds me of the days of Charles Dickens.🙂
Loved it. You took us from a stench that would gag a maggot to a warm, welcoming aroma of days gone by. What a treat for the senses.
Memory is malleable and joy is all your mind longs to remember.:) Gorgeous!
This is certainly one for the senses. Excellently portrayed,love the idea of the rats finding the stench unbearable
It was kind of like he beginning of a movie, knowing what we’ll see in the future and the events that led to it.