500 Words Number One
“I’m just going out to get an evening paper.”
“Okay, don’t be too long though. Your sister’s coming round for coffee.”
“Damn I forgot. Ok I’ll just be half an hour max.”
Peter Dobbs shut the front door behind him. He had nothing scheduled for today but then he remembered his sister was popping round with some family news.
Feeling he needed to get some fresh air, he decided that buying a newspaper would give him a reason for going out. Peter wasn’t one for just going for a wander.
Today he would be taking a walk about 100 yards along Town End Road before turning left into Crome Avenue and then left again into Harlequin Lane where there was a parade of shops including a newsagents. Peter decided to buy a copy of the local early evening paper which, despite its title, came out during the day.
The shop only had one customer so he was served almost immediately.
“Evening Gazette,” he said to the non-smiling assistant. Gone were the days when old Ron ran the shop and knew everyone by name. The independent newsagents had been sold to a large chain and become unfriendly in the process.
Peter looked at his watch. He really needed to get home. His sister wouldn’t like being kept waiting if she had what she thought of as “important family news” to impart. He rolled the paper up and thrust it under his arm and set off on the return walk.
He had just left the shop when it happened. An elderly man was walking slowly along with the aid of a stick. Almost out of nowhere came two young thugs each wearing hoodies. There was a lot of shouting and the elderly man stumbled into the gutter out of sheer fear. What happened next happened in a blink of an eye.
Out came the knives. The man’s bag was stripped from him and he was stabbed in the stomach at least twice before the youths fled the scene.
Peter didn’t reach home for many hours. He missed his sister’s visit as there were statements to give to the Police. Peter had been the person to ring 999. Had he been 20 years younger he would have given chase, but sadly no longer.
When eventually got home, he felt exhausted and had to relate the sad happenings of the day to his wife.
It was early evening when he finally settled down with a bite to eat and a much-needed cup of tea with two sugars in the hope the sweetness would help take away some of the shock.
It was another half hour before he picked up the newspaper he had thrown down on the chair. He unfurled it and stared at the front page.
There next to the heading “Man Killed in Town Robbery” was a picture of himself along with the words.
“Police today named the man who died in a daytime robbery in Old Town as 67-year-old Peter Dobbs.”
“I’m just going out to get an evening paper.”
“Okay, don’t be too long though. Your sister’s coming round for coffee.”
“Damn I forgot. Ok I’ll just be half an hour max.”
Peter Dobbs shut the front door behind him. He had nothing scheduled for today but then he remembered his sister was popping round with some family news.
Feeling he needed to get some fresh air, he decided that buying a newspaper would give him a reason for going out. Peter wasn’t one for just going for a wander.
Today he would be taking a walk about 100 yards along Town End Road before turning left into Crome Avenue and then left again into Harlequin Lane where there was a parade of shops including a newsagents. Peter decided to buy a copy of the local early evening paper which, despite its title, came out during the day.
The shop only had one customer so he was served almost immediately.
“Evening Gazette,” he said to the non-smiling assistant. Gone were the days when old Ron ran the shop and knew everyone by name. The independent newsagents had been sold to a large chain and become unfriendly in the process.
Peter looked at his watch. He really needed to get home. His sister wouldn’t like being kept waiting if she had what she thought of as “important family news” to impart. He rolled the paper up and thrust it under his arm and set off on the return walk.
He had just left the shop when it happened. An elderly man was walking slowly along with the aid of a stick. Almost out of nowhere came two young thugs each wearing hoodies. There was a lot of shouting and the elderly man stumbled into the gutter out of sheer fear. What happened next happened in a blink of an eye.
Out came the knives. The man’s bag was stripped from him and he was stabbed in the stomach at least twice before the youths fled the scene.
Peter didn’t reach home for many hours. He missed his sister’s visit as there were statements to give to the Police. Peter had been the person to ring 999. Had he been 20 years younger he would have given chase, but sadly no longer.
When eventually got home, he felt exhausted and had to relate the sad happenings of the day to his wife.
It was early evening when he finally settled down with a bite to eat and a much-needed cup of tea with two sugars in the hope the sweetness would help take away some of the shock.
It was another half hour before he picked up the newspaper he had thrown down on the chair. He unfurled it and stared at the front page.
There next to the heading “Man Killed in Town Robbery” was a picture of himself along with the words.
“Police today named the man who died in a daytime robbery in Old Town as 67-year-old Peter Dobbs.”