photo prompt ©C.E.Ayr
Petty Thief
Going south from Chicago, I boarded and took a seat facing a woman wearing diamond earrings. My fingers tingled, but I was done with that; he couldn’t make me.
“Coffee.” I gestured toward the server with a stolen credit card.
Spectacled, the woman sat prim-lipped. I smiled politely. Icy as the jewels at her ears, she creased her lip, and her eyes flicked past my blackened eye as if I’d offended her.
Piss on that.
I was never going back, but suddenly freelancing didn’t look too bad, and it shouldn’t be hard to find a fence in Kansas City.
Friday Fictioneers: 100 word stories
Muninn's Memories 
January 11, 2017 at 6:34 pm
If only she had smiled,
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January 11, 2017 at 7:48 pm
Indeed.
Thanks for your comment.
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January 11, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Just enough to get the picture. 🙂
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January 11, 2017 at 7:47 pm
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Christine.
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January 12, 2017 at 3:59 am
She’s realising she doesn’t need a partner to pursue a life of crime – an independent woman. 🙂
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January 12, 2017 at 7:33 am
Thanks for visiting, Sandra.
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January 12, 2017 at 4:00 am
Totally believable snippet of a story.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:46 am
Thank you so much for coming by.
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January 12, 2017 at 4:17 am
Wow, well told. You never know who will sit across from you in the train. I hope she does better than alright
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January 12, 2017 at 7:34 am
Thank you. Much appreciated.
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January 12, 2017 at 6:32 am
There go the good intentions. At least she’s independent now. Good story.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:35 am
Thanks for stopping by to chat.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:22 am
That’s what you get for looking down on people on a train. Stolen earrings.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:35 am
Thieves everywhere, oh my. Thanks for commenting.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:23 am
Intriguing. I’m left with so many questions. How’d she get the black eye? How’d she free herself from Carroc? And if she’s free of him, why’s Pansy still going to Kansas City where they were going to rendezvous? I’m making some assumptions that this is part of the Pansy series since it has the same feel, and that it falls after Pack of Lies in time. I hope you continue the series.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:45 am
Hehe, only a reader of my page would have recognized Pansy from this. I’m flattered.
Yes, when the train image came up on Friday Fictioneers, I remembered Pack of Lies immediately (as you did apparently!) and tweaked Pansy to fit the 100 word limit.
I imagine this might have been one of several Amtrak trips Pansy took back and forth while plying her trade. Only, in her future time, it would have been a Territorial train.
Carroc missed this trip because of the word limit, but he’s been with her since birth. Their relationship is not as antagonistic as it seems in the two stories I’ve posted. They’re really quite dependent on each other.
Thanks for your vote of confidence, Mandie. I’m thrilled to have a reader.
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January 12, 2017 at 7:55 am
I can feel there’s a lot of backstory between these two. It’s neat to get a little more insight into their relationship from your comment, and I anxiously await more to be revealed in your future pieces.
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January 12, 2017 at 8:01 am
I have rough stories and Pansy’s history outlined, but nothing that I would show yet. Maybe this year…
Thanks so much!
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January 12, 2017 at 4:42 pm
Loved the story and the comments. Now, I’m anxious to hear more about Pansy.
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January 12, 2017 at 4:58 pm
Oh, gosh, thank you.
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January 12, 2017 at 10:07 pm
Until I read the comments and went back to reread your story, I’d thought the main character was male! What a dolt. Loved the story and the clarifying comments.
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January 12, 2017 at 10:15 pm
You’re not a dolt at all, Alicia. I was aware of the ambiguity and let it remain on purpose. There’s no specific clue to the gender of “I.”
We all assumed the victim of the “he” in the story was female.
My husband tried to argue that “she” acted like a female, but I think he’s full of bosh.
I’m really glad you commented. That’s interesting to me and helps me as a writer.
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January 13, 2017 at 9:14 pm
You’d think such an icy woman wouldn’t want anything to do with public transportation. He should know they must be fake.
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January 13, 2017 at 9:18 pm
They might very well be. Thanks for visiting, Alice.
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January 15, 2017 at 8:24 am
Refreshing take. Loved this flash.
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January 15, 2017 at 8:49 am
Thank you so much.
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January 15, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Nicely written. Loved the part “as icy as the jewels at her ears.”
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January 15, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Thank you. Comment much appreciated.
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January 16, 2017 at 12:06 pm
I, too, assumed it was a man – though women can be thieves too! Great take on the prompt and further to reading the comments, I want more Pansy!
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January 16, 2017 at 12:58 pm
Thanks! That’s great to hear.
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January 24, 2017 at 6:57 pm
I had no misgivings about the gender of the character. It feels really female from the get go to me.
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January 24, 2017 at 7:04 pm
That’s interesting. Thanks for your insight.
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February 3, 2017 at 9:20 pm
Well done story.
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February 3, 2017 at 9:25 pm
Thank you. That’s much appreciated.
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