'Trolley Day' 5 Minute Freewrite

Today’s prompt is ‘trolley day’:

It was an earlier start than usual at the train depot, at least for some. Harriet was shivering on the platform, but only partially from the chilly morning breeze. With eager eyes, she spotted a conductor strolling nearby.

“Excuse me, but do you know if there’s been a delivery yet?” She asked.

“I don’t know, Madam,” he answered, with a tip of his hat.

“It’s trolley day, you know,” she explained, and the conductor gave a wink and continued on his way.

Harriet had wrung her hands until they were sore after yesterday’s service. It had been her responsibility to clean out the snacks and other items from the usual trolleys before their departure. All the while she waffled between nostalgia and anticipation. Many had wheels that squeaked and a few didn’t work altogether, but they were familiar. It hurt her heart a little to watch the maintenance workers roughly take them away.

But, after a night of tossing and turning, she’d decided to be excited. She imagined the ease with which she could serve travelers with a good trolley, the joy on children’s faces as they saw how many sweets they could choose from.

In the midst of Harriet’s gilded daydream it manifested before her. Shining silver glided across the platform towards her, guided by her fellow train staff. With a gasp she ran to meet them, and inspected all of the shelves and slots on the spot. To her amazement, the new trolleys were just as she’d hoped and more. Keen to see them in service, Harriet quickly ushered them onto the train.

I was puzzled at first on what to write for ‘trolley day’. It’s a phrase I haven’t heard before, but it did remind me of that scene in Harry Potter, where Harry and Ron buy ALL the candy from the passing trolley. Then thinking about trolleys and trains and just deciding to start writing led to this.

It could be better, but I like it for a short freewrite. Maybe I’ll come back and turn it into a full story sometime.

Thanks for reading!

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