Walking the familiar steps to work it was always easier if she imagined herself at her grandmother’s place. When she was happy with a ponytail bouncing with joy and curiosity.
It was spring when she left home to meet him, the man with the sweetest of smiles, and promises of fortunes and fame.
She once had dreams and expectation but none of them involved the stench from back-alleys, or of scavengers and beggars that surrounded her.
She sighed, at least she had a profession, the oldest ever. And his smile was still the the same, when he collected the money.
(100 words)
Copyright Kent Bonham
The story came pretty quickly to me this week. No poetry just a story, the oldest ever.
For more stories and instructions go to Rochelle‘s page and join the fun. 100 words are a lot to tell a full story.
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November 13, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
A strangely sweet take on prostitution. Don’t know how you did it, but well done. (I mean, it’s sad, but….)
Thank you. I wanted to capture that deep within all have a little girl deep within..
Wow…under the bricks lay a little child, with a beautiful smile!
Thank you
Really good, Bjorn. Unfortunately, there’s so much of that still going on, to women who often don’t even have those happy memories.
janet
Sad to think… that many of them don’t even have sweet memories…
A sad ending to what is a well written story. It’s the contrast between her memories and her current reality that makes this so powerful.
Thank you.. I tried to paint it with well known pictures to get the most of the 100 words
You give this woman strength despite her situation. Excellent
Thank you.. somehow it was the first thing I saw in the picture.
Wow. That was a great pathway going from innocence to degradation. Painted it well, Bjorn. Thanks for this.
Thank you for the picture.. love it…
You are most welcome, sir.
Powerful piece.
Very well-written. I am finding that a lot of people took the oldest vocation route on this one! Wow…it didn’t occur to me…wonder if I am sick. 🙂
Scott
Mine: http://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/5564/
Well done! I’m glad someone went that route. 🙂
Kind of sad, that sweet little girl who hasn’t lost all of her innocence. Nice touch!
Exploitation is always sad. Sad that people can see others as assets rather than fellow humans. Moving.
Funny, maybe your lady of the night was the one I saw in my post 😉 Interesting write!
oh wow, I think of Les Miserables and how your life changes in one small decision, in one moment.
I feel for that girl, the innocence that she will never have again.
Great contrast between light and dark, great job 🙂
An interesting back story to a life on the streets. Sweetly told, and not so sad, for at least she has a smiling pimp!
Sad, and I bet it happens often in many places. I like how you added depth to the character with her imaging her past, and that fantasy helped her cope.
This brings back a memory (no, not as a worker in the oldest profession!), but of when I used to live near a red light district as a student… I saw a particular woman’s face, the look in her eyes, h just thought that there was a whole chain of events right there, if you cared to look. It’s a pity most probably never did.
You have to give her credit for her attitude, but I worry about her future. Well written piece.
You’ve captured her character so well in just a few words, Bjorn. Her resilience makes her very endearing.
A sad story. No sentimentality here.
woah, a fairy tale gone wrong. and how beautifully you wrote it.
A sadly familiar “fairy tale” gone bad!When will starry eyed girls learn not to trust that “smile”-ah!Great take on the prompt Bjorn:-)
This reminds me of a song by Wyclef Jean from a few years ago. It’s bit of a rap/ American Rhythm and Blues so I won’t send a link but this is that story (sort of).
Dear Bjorn,
My heart went out to the girl. Not the life she’d dreamed about. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Oh, sad Bjorn. I guess I wanted a happy ending, but usually they never are in this case, are they? Wonderfully done.
Hi Bjorn,
It’s amazing how much widely diverse stories came out of this photo, but yours is the only one to deal with the issue of human trafficking. I liked the first person point of view. Very effective. Ron