Next Month

I very rarely take a stab at writing short stories but over the christmas period I listened to an interview with Neil Gaiman (who I have never ready anything by) and he said that at one time he had been challenged to write  a story with only 247 words. I thought this seemed like an interesting idea so I decided to do one with 248 (not including title) and give myself half an hour to do it. This is what I came up with if you don’t count two very minor changes…

 

I always thought it was a strange place for a pawnbroker; right in the middle of one of the most expensive places in the city. This meant that either rich people were pawning things off or poorer people had to take the bus or, more probably, have a long walk to get there. That seemed a bit like adding insult to injury.
I’ve seen the first time you go described in story before and it’s true that the first time you have your dearest items examined and deliberately undervalued is unpleasant. But it isn’t anywhere near to the humiliation that comes over you when you go to pay your monthly and show the world, again, that you still don’t have enough money to reclaim what is actually yours.
Anyway, this time I went in through the doors and then into the little booth. I showed him my receipt, and gave him my 9 pounds for the month which he took via the little safety drawer. He didn’t say a single word to me. I started to put myself in his position and began to think how he must see desperation every day and have to be either hardnosed or just indifferent to it.
This was my fourth payment so I had paid 6 pounds more in monthlies than I’d initially got for pawning the thing in the first place.
I toyed with the idea of saying “See you next month”, but instead I just thought it and left.

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