Brakes, Whistles, and Bright Afternoons

(Prompt #348 | the word is *brakes*)

The author created this AI image with Midjourney. S.I. James owns copyright and provenance, per Midjourney ToS.

The kids found magic in ordinary things on the other side of the train tracks.

They raced down chipped sidewalks on secondhand bikes, squealing as they pressed their brakes. Trains rumbled past, flattening coins into shiny treasures they collected like souvenirs.

In dusty afternoons, laughter mixed with distant whistles, painting the air with lightness. They invented games, balanced on rails, and dreamed beneath peeling murals. No fancy toys or pristine lawns were needed here; friendship was rich currency.

While grown-ups yearned elsewhere, these kids embraced rust, laughter, possibility. They carried dreams like balloons drifting over rooftops and broken fences.

© Scarlet Ibis James, 2024: All Rights Reserved.

🆂🆄🅱🆂🅲🆁🅸🅱🅴 🆃🅾 🅶🅴🆃 🅼🆈
🆂🆃🅾🆁🅸🅴🆂 🅸🅽 🆈🅾🆄🆁 🅼🅰🅸🅻🅱🅾🆇

⋆𑁍༘*ੈ🌺*ੈ𑁍༘⋆

Thank you so much to Nancy Oglesby and the editors of Fiction Shorts for their encouraging feedback and imaginative prompts. These tiny, 100-word drabbles invite us to kindle old memories and stir fresh inspiration from the corners of our everyday lives. Reflecting on my many Amtrak journeys, I notice how the…