Bill’s General Store
Myra Nour
Fantasy
The old general store was well-loved and iconic. After it is swept away by a tornado, the residents of the small town were devastated, none more than the elderly Bob. When a new store is built, it doesn’t take long for him to notice transformations every day. Changes that are reversing the newness back to the older version of the general store – old floor boards erupting through the tile and the chairs that used to sit near the front door mysteriously appearing.
Note: This is based on a true event. My Uncle’s General Store was destroyed by a tornado. A paranormal story set in a small town in the South, highlighting the colloquialisms of the region.
Uncaged Review: Bob makes the daily walk to the General Store to meet his friends, as he’s always done with his dog. His old, arthritic body hurts on most days, and since his wife died, he tries to keep moving. The old General Store was replaced by a new store on the same foundation as the store that was ripped away by a tornado, and it’s not the same. New-fangled technology has replaced the old, and the character of the store is lost.
Suddenly, things start turning up that were in the old store. The crates near the front of the store, the chairs that seemed to be from the old store – but those were blown away in the tornado. Bob notices, but little by little the character is creeping back into the store, and Bob’s mood is improving by the day.
A short story – so I won’t say more, but it’s a feel-good type of story and different from what I’ve read from the author in the past. The author keeps the characters and their mannerisms and way of speaking native to the area, and in these old stores all over, it’s almost easy to believe Reviewed by Cyrene
4 1/2 Stars
