It was the most... by Vivien Jones

Scottish Writers' Podcast

Runner-Up in Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association Flash Fiction Competition 2006. Read by Robin Dalgliesh.
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[Untitled]

It was the most beautiful t-shirt. White, light and sleek. Perfect cut. Ashley twirled in front of the mirror, loving herself from every angle. It was so cool. She grinned at the assistant.
‘Go on then, where is it ?’
The girl tried to look interested but it was 4.00 pm on a Saturday.
‘Where is what?’ she asked.
‘The label.’ Ashley spoke in her isn’t-it-obvious voice.
The assistant shrugged. She came close to Ashley and ran her fingers along the hems and seams of the t-shirt.
‘There isn’t one,’ she concluded.
It was Ashley’s turn to be puzzled. This was a designer outlet, not a just a shop. Of course there was a label. Unless...
‘Not having a label – wow!’
This could be the start of something. She could be a trend-setter, first with the newest thing. The ultimate in cool. Wasn’t there some cigarette adverts ages ago that never said the name of the cigarette ? She looked in the mirror again. It looked just as good but something was bugging her.
Just how would her friends know without a label ?
What if they thought it was only High Street ?
Ashley blanched in fear.
No sale.
© Vivien Jones 2006