The Season of Giving

 

This story is in response to the regular call for shared storytelling  on the blog https://isawlightningfall.blogspot.com/in 100 words for advent from Loren Eaton.

The blog is described “as a place for people who like stories in general and genre fiction in particular. It's a place for folks who prefer to read and write fantasy and horror, science fiction and crime fiction”.

So here is my 100 word story:

Sarah wasn’t feeling festive.  Seemingly nor were the other shoppers although masks made facial expressions inscrutable.  Toiletry gift sets for those who could well afford such items with their weekly shop seemed superfluous. Worn out and dispirited, Sarah purchased a coffee to go when she noticed a young woman huddled in the doorway of a closed-down shop.  Impulsively she bent down to offer her the drink and saw, there in the blankets, an ashen-faced baby. Although exhausted, Sarah dashed to buy baby food, wipes and nappies, returned to the doorway only to find it abandoned except for a baby doll.   

To read more stories, check out I Saw Lightning Fall