“This store like one of those charm bracelets,” she said, “only the chain is broken.”
“Uh huh.” He was inspecting a framed set of trout flies, each with its name neatly inked below it. Yellow Stone Fly. Beetle Bug Fly.
She plucked a photograph from a basket marked 2 for 50 cent. A man and a woman standing in a dusty field before a hulking old car. Neither was looking directly at the camera, nor were they smiling.
She flipped it over. Jim and Ethel written in faint pencil.
“I wonder who they were.”
“No way to ever know,” he said, distracted.
Evocative piece, Joshua. It’s like life. So much information, so little knowledge.
Dear Josh,
When I pick up those old photos in thrift shops I wonder who the subjects were and how they came to where they’ve landed. Like he said, “We’ll never know.” Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
How interesting is it that you went for “Ethel”, too?????
I read others’ stuff only after I post mine – love love love synchronicity!!!
Poignant, those baskets of discarded photographs as if the people themselves, all memory of them have been discarded too, melted down to period curios. Nicely told, Josh
I think she will start investigating herself to find out who they were.
What a sad end game for cherished photos that have been saved by someone for years. I’d rather see the hundreds I have burned rather than sent to a thrift shop.
I related to your story, but it saddens me to see photos when the individuals are lost to memory
He doesn’t seem all that interested haha.
He’s not going to waste any time on the matter, is he? But nice to think that someone might be interested.
One of the awesome places to find inspiration is an antique store with it’s basket of old photos. Love this story!
Who buys those old photos and why?
It meant something to someone once. Quite who they”ll never know.
Here’s my story
It is sad that people who once meant a great deal to someone, somewhere, are no longer of any value to anyone.
That’s life, I guess.
Even labeled old photos turn into a whole lot a nothing if there’s no one who remembers.
I never even realised those photos were ever sold. Sounds like a beginning of a longer story where he does find out who they are.
my mom always pleaded with us to put as much info as possible on the backs of family pictures.
Good policy!
We all have our own way of remembering. She with her charm bracelet… Maybe the photo will be the beginning of discovering a long forgotten story? Intriguing story!
It’s rather sad some people live and die and no one is interested in remembering them. It seems your’s is one of those stories about such people. Well done, Josh. —- Suzanne
Very sentimental