Congress of Rough Writers February 3 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that explores the question, “What good is power?”
Jane hurries toward the house. Her throat is sore, her body aches, she’s cold. It won’t be much warmer inside, with no heat, but it’s out of the wind, and her sleeping bag awaits.
She slows near the driveway, then keeps walking. Look casual. Belong here.
People next door, working in the yard.
She can’t sneak into her house, seeing as it’s supposed to be empty.
Her head throbs. She can kill time at the library, try again later. The library’s chairs aren’t soft anymore. They can’t provide too much comfort these days, what with all these homeless people.
Photo credit: gurms, Flickr/CC
99 Monkeys 
Especially when we are sick, we want to retreat home. The sense of danger, to be found out squatting in her house, gives way to despair that she can’t even have that slight comfort. Hard chairs. Spiked storefronts. Removed benches. Really, is lessened comfort going to help the plight of homelessness, like by removing comfort, they’ll all go away? Good points you make in your flash and Jane’s continuing story.
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