Photo © Sascha Darlington
Adept and Adaptive
Outside Joplin, Missouri; 2018 CE.
The brakes on the Territorial bus shrieked. The senior passengers stirred like milling ants, gathering their jackets and hats, preparing to disembark at the next tour stop.
Pansy waited at the back, one of the few under thirty. The seniors all spoke American, but the young people among whom she rode spoke pidgin Russian. Pansy was trying to learn, to blend in. She’d stayed too long on the Eastern Seaboard, she decided, held by the States. She should have gone west months ago, where the only crimes seriously prosecuted were those against the government.
The seniors were slow and half of them deaf. They walked in little knots through the new Soviet attraction, jostling and shuffling behind the pretty, female tour guide, who repeated everything twice, once in the old tongue, again in the new, assimilating the crowd.
Dobro požalovat’! was the first phrase Pansy had learned.
No one noticed the thin girl in a denim jacket at their elbow, a nimble finger in an over-sized purse, a hand in a zippered fanny pack or baggy back pocket. Whatever language they spoke, Pansy could always count on seniors for her bread and butter.
Sunday Photo Fiction: 200 word stories
The Meta Story: For this Pansy tale, I had to do a bit of research. I know only two words in Russian but knew what I wanted to say, and Google came to my rescue as always. I also had to refresh my memory of some capitalization rules. I’m fairly confident the conventions I used for Eastern Seaboard, the States, Territorial, and Soviet are correct now.
I dithered over the date. My Pansy tales will age very quickly, but I’ve decided to treat her history as an alternative timeline, sort of like “alternative facts.”
Lastly, I took a chance by fleshing out more details, which I hope I don’t have to change later as my world-building progresses. I may have to ask Pansy readers to forgive me if I commit switcheroos at some point in the interest of consistency.
February 12, 2017 at 10:58 am
Nice take. I don’t think that tale will age at all – older folk on bus tours are always going to be about, and have money! 🙂
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February 12, 2017 at 11:29 am
Thanks, Iain. Nice to have you visit.
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February 12, 2017 at 11:34 am
You’ve created a fascinating character in Pansy.
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February 12, 2017 at 11:41 am
Thanks, Steve. I’m having an awfully lot of fun with her.
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February 12, 2017 at 11:35 am
I prefer your alternative story to alternative facts any day. Thanks for the awesome read!
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February 12, 2017 at 11:42 am
Thanks for reading and commenting, Sydney. I’ll take my fantasy alternative anytime.
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February 12, 2017 at 1:09 pm
I liked your short story. I just recently started following your blog, so I can’t comment on your character’s other activities, but I’m excited to read more =)
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February 12, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Hi. I’m glad you liked it. I’ve put up two Pansy short stories, (Thieves in the Night and Pack of Lies) and I featured her in another flash, Petty Thief. I have more stories that need work before showing, and I’d like to write a novel for her…someday. Too many stories in my head; not enough time! As always, thanks for commenting.
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February 12, 2017 at 10:54 pm
Think your terms fitted in so nicely with the photo prompt – well done!
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February 13, 2017 at 7:10 am
Thank you.
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February 13, 2017 at 12:30 pm
Yay! A Pansy story. These stories remind me of being on a bus and recognizing someone on the street, but only catching a glimpse before they are gone. Or maybe I’m the one on the street, since Pansy is on the bus. Can’t wait until you post a longer piece, so I can really get wrapped up in a story.
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February 13, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Mandie, you’re too, too kind.
Now that I’m done posting Farmer’s Daughter and Jubilee, I’d like to get another serial started but have other pieces more polished than the Pansy stuff. No more frantic editing the week before. Well, who’s kidding? I’m always going to frantically edit. Just maybe not as much as I did Farmer’s.
I like your analogy of spotting the girl on the bus as she rides by. That’s a lot like these vignettes.
Thanks for reading and boosting my writer’s ego!
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February 13, 2017 at 4:33 pm
It’s an interesting story this alternate world. I guess like many places thievery is always prevelabt especially to people who cannot much help themselves. I want her to survive but some old people don’t have a lot of money either. Can’t wait to read more about Pansy.
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February 13, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Hi. Welcome. I imagine Pansy marks tourists because they’re more likely to have disposable means and travel with money.
Thanks for visiting, mandibelle.
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February 14, 2017 at 7:16 am
Pansy seems like an interesting character and the story sparked many a question. Look forward to getting these sorted out soon 🙂
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February 14, 2017 at 7:19 am
Thank you for dropping by to comment, Dahlia. I appreciate the kind word.
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February 16, 2017 at 2:25 pm
Seems like Pansy could have a lot of history and a lot of options open to you for her. A good take on the prompt. Thank you for participating 🙂
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February 16, 2017 at 3:16 pm
I enjoy writing for her. Thank you for reading.
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