99-word fiction: Return Ticket
The last of the boxes had been taken away – except one, sitting on the table in front of her.
A box full of items of no value: old letters, grandad’s cigarette case, a chipped cup, mum’s funeral service card.
One by one she laid them out on the table.
She pulled out an old purse and looked inside, not expecting to find money.
An old train ticket fell out, its edges worn between finger and thumb.
Her eyes widened and her chest felt heavy. She thought she’d thrown it away.
She stared at the words, “Return Ticket”. What if?
My Words, My World 