Marnie disappeared slowly. So slowly, I didn’t notice her going. Like any good barkeep, she listened – absorbing tales of sorrow, protestations of innocence, and howls of outrage. Listened and never commented – just faded until she vanished into the mahogany bar top, the racked bottles, and nicotine-yellowed walls.
There was theatre to it. She bent emotion around her until she became invisible. Theatre and magic make us see stuff that’s not there. And not see what is. I miss Marnie.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
The story fits the prompt beautifully, right down to the jaded, defeated posture of the barmaid.
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Thanks, Sandra. I didn’t notice her at first. And hence the story
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Dear Neil,
I love your descriptions. It sounds like Marnie both figuratively disappeared and physically. Masterfully written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle
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I can only echo what Sandra and Rochele have said – lovely, melancholic tale. Some people do just that – fade into the background until no one notices when they wink out of existence. Lovely tale, Neil 🙂
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Thanks, Lynn
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My pleasure, Neil 🙂
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Loved the way had her bending emotions.
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Beautifully crafted tale, Neil.
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Thanks
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Nicely done.
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Thanks
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What a beautiful and sad story. Bending her emotions…I guess we all do that.
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Thanks so much
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Poetic with a hard edge. Fantastic, Neil! 🙂
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Thanks William
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Brilliantly done.
I suspect the customers mind also helps her fading with each sip he/she takes.
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That’s part of it, I’m sure
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A beautifully well crafted tale. A lovely feel to the story too.
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Thanks, Graham
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Ooh, liked this one. Extremely well written. Some excellent prose in here. Congrats.
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Thanks, paul
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Talk about being a wallflower. Excellent writing, Neil. I love the flow of this. Now, I miss Marnie too.
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Thanks
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Wonderful prose!
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Thanks, Nick
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So well written Neil. The movement in this piece is brilliant.
Tracey
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Thanks so much, Tracey
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Well written, I can see this quite clearly in my mind as Marnie fades into the background. In fact, until I zoomed in on the photo I didn’t notice she was there.
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Nor did I until I zoomed in. And that led to everything else
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Excellent writing. I needed to look twice before I saw the barmaid, too. It’s heartbreaking how we don’t notice when people become invisible and only realize too late. I miss Marnie, too.
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Thanks so much
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I can only echo what everyone else has already said. A lovely piece of writing.
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Thanks so much, Clare
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Very nice. We often do that to the quiet ones without whom we would be lost!
Similar thoughts Neil!
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Thanks
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Very well written, I enjoyed that.
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Very bittersweet. Nicely done.
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Thanks
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fade can be literally or figuratively, either is eerie.
Great, Neil. And I love these lines: “Theatre and magic make us see stuff that’s not there. And not see what is.”
So true.
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Thanks
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you’re welcome! 🙂
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Great emotion here. She sounds like a true force of nature but one able to blend it. Love the imagery.
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Thanks, Laurie
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You’ve really made me feel for your protagonist and all the others like her that we do not see and that fade into the background.
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No writer can ask for more than that
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Excellent take. A true talent of many bartenders, for sure. I didn’t notice her, either, until reading this! Clever way to highlight that detail!
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Thanks so much
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Beautiful, I really liked what you did with this one.
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Thanks so much
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Wonderful characterization of Marnie. It made me wonder how barkeep must feel invisible all the time, tending to people’s drinks and problems. Who do they talk to at the end of the day? Great write, Neil.
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Thanks, Amy
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She’s trapped there, behind the bar, ‘like any good barkeep’, as the customers dump all their woes and worries on her. No wonder she disappeared. There was theatre and magic in her disappearing act, and there’s certainly artistry in your telling of it. Captivating story.
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Thanks, Margaret
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Beautiful. Left me missing Marty too.
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Sad. That’s worse than being a wallflower. I guess it’s true how some people don’t notice those serving them until they disappear. Good writing, Neil. —- Suzanne
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Creepy and surreal story. I love how it hints at something that could be magical but could also be incredibly mundane. Very well done.
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Thanks. That was exactly what I was aiming for
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Lovely. Magic. Thank you.
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No, thank you
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Gripping. I love it.
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Thanks so much
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