She pulled the door closed, trying to ignore the dirty hallway and broken railing. She closed her eyes, straining to hear her daughter, somehow a woman, settling into her first apartment. She walked gingerly down the stairs, her legs and arms aching from carrying. Her heart aching from letting go.
Melanie Winklosky is a fiction writer trapped in a grant writer’s body. Her work can be found in McSweeney’s, and was named a finalist in the 2023 Boston in 100 Words contest and a 2023 finalist in NYC Midnight’s Flash Fiction Challenge. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts.
WOW. Heartbreak and broken 💔 handrails. Simply gorgeous and gorgeously simple, what an amazing incredible piece of writing. Good job.
It is indeed a ‘moving’ day, perfectly captured. kudos
Great writing. A whole story told in just 50 words.
I know just how this feels. Perfectly executed!
So well written, Melanie. Beautiful.
‘Aching from carrying…aching from letting go’. Gorgeous writing, Melanie.