Dying alone is the worst curse. He had been dead for three days before I realized I hadn’t seen him. We had hardly known each other. Just a nod of the head as I passed his home. But still, I felt miserable. I had to do something for him. So what if he was dead?
I decided to help clean his apartment. The little there was enough to tell me that he liked flowers and the color red; collected chopsticks. I also found a pair of old, cobwebbed shoes. That meant, he wasn’t born a cripple… I wonder, what happened?
Word count: 100
Flash fiction in response to Friday Fictioneers hosted by the lovely Rochelle Wisoff.
Thought trail 
Beautiful and touching story, FP.
I think the faces that we see everyday also become a sub-conscious habit and hence the miserable feeling on hearing about their passing .
The last line is intriguing. Sadly, now she will never know .
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Thank you so much!
Very very true, Moon. Sometimes we are attached to strangers for no reason, but never take steps to get to know them better. By the time we can, it is too late…
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Nice little insight, leaves the reader wondering like the narrator. Good one.
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Thank you, Iain!
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History does accumulate and has its own tale to tell. Unfortunately we have no time to hear it.
A touching write.
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Such true words. What a lovely comment. Thank you, YS!
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Dear Fluid Phrase.
By making the man a nodding acquaintance, you’ve distanced the narrator from him. This pushes the grief to one side and allows us to feel curious about him.
This would make a great start to a longer story.
With best wishes
Penny
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Thank you, Penny! I do have a longer story in mind. 🙂
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Sometimes it’s just too late.
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Very true, Alice. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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How sad, piecing a picture together when it’s too late.
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Isn’t it?
Thank you for reading and commenting.
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So many questions we have afterwards. Very touching.
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Thank you so much for the kind words.
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I know the pull of this feeling to clean. My husband and I found our neighbor dead in her bed last fall. She really had no family and, because she had just returned from a 3-week trip and was getting ready for another, her usually spotless house was a mess. I went over every day for a week and tidied her bedroom and cleaned her fridge and cupboards, did the dishes…. Your story hit a spot I’d forgotten – in a very good way. Thanks.
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Oh, that’s admirable Alicia. We do feel compelled in a way, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing the experience with me. Really appreciate this.
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Well told, leaving enough of a question so we’ll all wonder what happened to him and why no one cared for him.
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Thank you, Christine!
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I wonder what happened too. Nice thing to do 🙂
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Thank you, Zainab!
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This was done so smoothly FP almost took my breath away – bravo!
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Thank you so much for the kind words, Dahlia!
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Wow, you really left us wondering. I loved that the MC felt strong enough about his nodding acquaintance to get involved even if it was too late
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Thank you so much for the kind words!
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You wrote this so well! And it feels so true, how we see people everyday and know so little about them. Killer last few lines too
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Thank you so much, Lynn 🙂
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An intriguing narrator, telling a curious story. Nice FP!
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Thank you so much, Kelvin!
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I love this. Everyone has a story, but we rarely take the time to listen.
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That’s very true. Thank you!
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A story about a story untold … very nicely done
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Thank you so much!
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