Auld Lang Syne

by Jeff Baker

The sun was setting as the little girl and the old man stared at each other there on the beach.

“Nobody told me it would be a girl!” he said with a smile.

“Hey! I’ll be a woman in another couple of months,” the girl said. “You’re not what I expected either!”

“Ninety is the new sixty,” the man said with another smile.

“And you’re supposed to be a bent-over old man with a scythe,” the girl said.

“Not if I eat right and take care of myself.” he said. “Still, it’s been a long year.”

“I heard,” the girl said.

“Well, it’s almost Universal Midnight,” the man said. “Time for you to show up and me to leave.”

“Don’t I even get a sash? You know, with the date?” the girl asked.

“You won’t need it,” The man said. “Well, here I go! Happy New Year!”

“I’ll try,” the girl said, suddenly feeling very old.

—end—

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Happy New Year to all our readers and writers! Join us every Friday in 2022 for more Flash Fiction. And watch this space for the draws on the Monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, beginning January 3rd, 2022!