The New Girl

picture of tailor's dummy made of flowersGilbert wasn’t sure what to make of the new girl. They’d been thrown together by the boss, who seemed to think they had lots in common, but even though Gilbert had treated her to his charming smile, she had remained silent, aloof.

He sniffed, caught the faintest whisper of her perfume drifting through the air – something light, floral. Insipid. Forgettable.

picture of dragon made of flowers

Gilbert

Gilbert turned to the crowds and gave them his goofiest grin – the one guaranteed to bring a delighted chorus of ooohs and aaahs. Whoever the new girl was, she wasn’t going to replace him as star of the flower show.

This post is part of the 100 Word Challenge for Grown-Ups at Julia’s Place

This entry was posted in Flash Fiction and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

21 Responses to The New Girl

  1. Andy wts says:

    Guess you finally got inspired, eh? 😉 Thought, could this be yours, then looked at the header and I was right! Is Gilbert your photo or from the web? Your train of thought was obviously already chuffing while mine was still boarding at the station! I wonder what Bridget would have to say about Gilbert ….. 😉 . Hmmmmm.

    • Andy wts says:

      Might I add that thinking the prompt could be one of a collection was a leap I hadn’t made. And to give him thoughts as well….. Hats off. It was a difficult prompt 🙂

    • sjbteaching says:

      I was really considering sitting out this week coz the prompt said nothing to me other than “Mwa hah haha haa ha…..I’m an evil prompt and you’re too useless to be inspired by me.” But then I suddenly remembered Gilbert. He’s my photo – I took his picture in Salisbury a few weeks ago – and I thought that maybe he might have more to say about it than me. So I showed him the prompt, sat him in front of my laptop and this is what he came up with.

      I think Bridget would secretly find him quite cute, but she’s much too cool to admit it!

  2. laurie says:

    What a fun take on the prompt! Well done. laurie @ Battling My Inner Critic

  3. Anna Halford says:

    Super take on the prompt. I love Gilbert too 😀 This prompt has me stumped ATM so will wait for inspiration to come calling. In the meantime have been enjoying reading through your blog tremendously.

    • sjbteaching says:

      Thanks Anna. It certainly isn’t the easiest prompt Julia has ever given us, but I’m sure you won’t be stumped for long. You usually come up with somehing super-creative!

  4. Dughall McCormick says:

    I can see why your memory was tweaked by Julia’s prompt! What a great picture to partner the other. It is a credit to you that Gilbert’s voice is so authentic!

  5. Han says:

    I like it 🙂 Does she have a name or is she just The New Girl?

  6. Alison Green says:

    Lovely – I like the other picture you added. I, too, was going to sit this one out but eventually got some inspiration.

  7. susankmann says:

    What an unusual take on the prompt. I hope the new girl and Gilbert can become friends. I do like the dragon.

  8. Robin Hawke says:

    “He sniffed, caught the faintest whisper of her perfume drifting through the air – something light, floral. Insipid. Forgettable.”

    Completely caught me up. Robin

  9. Julia says:

    Very clever SJ! I love the idea of the couple relationship especially with your delightful description of everything floral. I do appreciate you taking time to join in!

    • sjbteaching says:

      Thanks Julia. I thought I might have my legs slapped again for introducing Gilbert, but the initial prompt on its own had me well and truly stuck! Gilbert has really enjoyed his starring role this week, and loved making a guest appearance over at Ventahl’s place. He just might crop up again some time in the future…

  10. GSussex says:

    Love it! Great angle!

Leave a reply to sjbteaching Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.