Miss Henderson’s Future Beckons by Elizabeth Obadina

HTW's July ‘word maze’ challenge to use the words orange, retirement, melancholy, bottle, brothel, change, friendship and glass within a 10-15 minute writing window.

The tax office door slammed shut behind Miss Henderson for the last time. There had been a few farewell speeches, a cake, gifts – wine and a watch: but who wears watches these days? – and a bunch of orange marigolds. Clearly they’d economised and Hector had picked them from his allotment. Cheapskates. No change there. But what could you expect from a bunch of tax collectors? Friendship?

Miss Henderson set off for her car with an air of melancholy resignation. Retirement hadn’t been something she’d been looking forward to; more something that had crashed into her, upsetting her normal routine.

She dumped all her stuff into her car, slumped into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine to go home for the last time, but, nothing happened. She tried again – still nothing. Brilliant! Was this the shape of things to come?

“Please Lord,” she prayed, “give me something better than this to look forward to. Something exciting. Something different.”

It had begun to rain. She wound up the glass of her car window and locked the door. She noticed the bottle of wine rolling around the back seat and hoped no one would break in for it.

She set off down the road just as the heavens opened. There was a doorway ahead. She leapt into it for shelter. “Marianne’s Manicures”. The reflection of the neon sign flickered on the wet pavement.

“Oh this is nice,” she thought. “I’ll start my new life as I mean to carry on: with a bit of indulgence and self-care.”

Marianne’s door swung shut behind her. Little did Miss Henderson realise that she had chosen to start her new life in the town’s most notorious brothel!