Welcome to this week’s installment of many micro stories, ranging in length from 100 words to 500 words.
With each story we hope to deliver a little whimsy into the lives of our readers.
SUNSET SMILES
The day was gelid like all the wintry ones up there and a persistent fog fell upon the streets, a plumbeous blanket the wind in vain tried to sweep away. The restaurants and cafes’ wick of smoke supplied a breath of warmth to the derelicts like Gary that staggered along the sidewalks night and day, refusing help from the charity centers. Despite his old age, he wanted to be free even in misery, too heavy the burden on his shoulders, too many the sins to confess.
The fellow was resigned to his doom; bankruptcy and decay were the righteous punishment to expiate among the cardboards of despair.
The process of aging had been quick, mercilessly ongoing; he watched the spoilt, arrogant gentleman flash by as if somebody else. Identification was easier with the middle-aged bloke already marked by poverty and vice and even more with the decrepit wretch, each year more bent and saddened.
Gary headed towards the town’s main square where his similar would sit on the cold benches, their lonely hearts watching time pass by on the enormous clock placed on one of the buildings; the temperature is always extreme, whether high or low.
Rest was the only thing they could afford, a lonely, silent repose that anticipated the final one.
That day, despair was hitting harder than usual. The beggar resolved to walk over to the river.
He loved its glittering whiteness, an alluring smoothness where sufferings were left out. The other bank looked like the promised land waiting for him.
While gazing at the shiny surface, he caught sight of a little boy and girl, huddled up in their bright coats, merrily throwing snowballs at each other. Their laughter, their innocent joy filled him with a long forgotten tenderness…
Rumors of having a granddaughter had reached him once… Inexplicably, the thought made him shiver and his eyes reddened… Where was she? What was her name?
The night he left his daughter and the most caring of wives flashed to his mind; their anguished cries blasted his heart… How could he have been so cruel?
An unfamiliar turmoil seized him, an unusual blend of sorrow, guilt and regret that quickly turned into a sharp pain.
In that moment, he would have given the rest of his life just to see the child and take her in his arms. Nothing appeared more important or purposeful than finding her.
Would he also find redemption along the journey? Repentance was already making its way through…
The resolution made him feel lighthearted, strong, as though his aging had halted to give him the time to reconcile with himself and with everyone he had wronged.
He looked up at the sky grateful for the unexpected, precious gift.
The sun was dying peacefully, leaving the horizon to the moon, still wan and timid, yet anxious to shed its benevolent beams.
With a feeble but determinate smile, Gary set forth on his quest.
Olivia Arieti lives in Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, with her family. She writes drama, poetry and fiction. Her stories have appeared in several magazines and anthologies including, Enchanted Conversations, Enchanted Tales Literary Magazine, Fantasia Divinity Magazine, Forgotten Tomb Press, Horrified Press, Infective Ink, Pandemonium Press, Sirens Call Publications, Blood Song Books, Black Hare Press, Pussy Magic Magazine, Stormy Island Publishing, Breaking Rules Publishing, Scarlet Leaf Review, Iron Faerie Publishing, Dark Dossier Magazine, Paramour Ink Press, Black Ink Fiction, Raven and Drake Publishing, The Chamber Magazine, Sweety Cat Press, Gravestone Press, The World Of Myth Magazine.
If you enjoyed this story you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 