FFfAW: Memories of the Lost

Posted on by Louise Bunting

This post is for the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers (FFfAW) Challenge, run by Priceless Joy. This week’s photo prompt is from Pixabay.  The challenge is that you write a story of 75-175 words inspired by the photo prompt below. I hope you like it.

Photo Prompt from Pixabay
Photo Prompt from Pixabay

Memories of the Lost

She heard it long before she could see it: the blaring music, shouts and laughter bringing back memories she’d rather not revisit. Her footsteps slowed.

“Is that it, Auntie KitKat? The fair?” Sophie swung on Katherine’s hand as she bounced at her side. Only her niece’s puppy-dog eyes could draw her back to such a place.

The sights and smells were unchanged. Brightly decorated stalls and flashing lights were partially concealed by heaving crowds. The scents of candy floss and hotdogs carried on the air. Her chest tightened; breaths growing shallow. Her grip on Sophie’s hand grew reflexively tighter.

“Balloons! Can I have one, Auntie KitKat? Please?”

Katherine was dragged in her niece’s wake but her mind was caught in events eight years past. “Balloons!” her Joey had yelled, running ahead.

He’d been seven years old. She never saw him again.

“There’s a dinosaur!” Sophie squealed.

Katherine barely glanced at the balloons. Her eyes were locked on the skinny youth who glanced between her and the agitated balloon-seller with nervous recognition.

It couldn’t be… “Joey?”

Word Count: 175

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31 thoughts on “FFfAW: Memories of the Lost”

  1. It is really a captivating piece of writing. The image you have created and the way Auntie Kitkat was immersed in her thoughts was beautiful.
    In the end I wish it would be Joey!
    I like reading it 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Madeeha! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 It might be Joey at the end… on the other hand, it might just be that she’s missing her son and seeing him in any boy the age he’d now be.

      Liked by 2 people

  4. You left me wide-eyed with that ending. Oh i do hope it is Joey… Or like you said. Maybe its just an illusion. I love how you described the scene with her swinging Sophie and the tightened grip. Well done

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The look exchanged between the balloon seller and the youth was a little suspicious… Though, again, she could just be seeing what she wants to see. 🙂 I’m very glad you enjoyed it, Ameena. Thanks for visiting!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Beautiful writing, Louise! I’m there with the aunt and Sophie. I’m sure this isn’t the first time Katherine has seen the memory of her son’s face.
    It’s fair season here…
    Ellespeth

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Ellespeth. I think Katherine has probably seen Joey a great many times over the years. The loss of a child is something that must truly scar a person’s psyche.
      It’s fair season here too. 🙂

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  8. Wonderful well written story. The emotions are are well defined and the unanswered question of the boy being Joey or not, adds to the suspense. I’m sure she has wondered if she has seen her child sometime during the years and not known about it. It is such a tragic thing to never know what has happened to your child. Miracles do happen and perhaps the boy really is her son…for her sake, I hope so.

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  11. Love the pacing here. We know she’s uneasy about going to the fairground from the off, but why? ‘Her grip on Sophie’s hand grew reflexively tighter.’ – excellent line, it gains a new meaning with the ending. Fab job 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Sonya. It took me quite a while to think of something for this prompt but once I started actually writing it out the words just flowed. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Ooh! That’s a great twist in the end. Full of possibilities. How ironic that she avoided fairs, but it was at a fair where she could’ve found Joey. A beautifully conceived and written piece!

    Liked by 1 person

      4. He’s the first person to acknowledge that he doesn’t know the first thing about writing! Science and maths were always his subjects (he was a chemistry teacher) and if we get onto a discussion of those topics he’s happy to join in. 🙂

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