Marek holds a map. He can’t read the street names, nor the English instructions on the cans of spray-paint the supervisor gave him. The man was impatient, talked too close and too loudly for Marek to follow.

On a bridge he sprays a white circle around a crater in the pavement. When he stands up a figure is climbing over the railing in the dark.

‘Nie,’ Marek calls, runs. ‘Proszę.’

The person, a woman, turns, looks at him.

‘What?’ she says.

‘Wróć.’ He holds out a hand. ‘Pozwól mi pomóc.’

‘Posvolly… what?’ she says again.

Hesitantly, Marek says, ‘I help.’

***

This is a 100-word story for the Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Click here to read some more inspired by the picture (this week provided by The Reclining Gentleman) or here to join in and write your own.

I don’t speak Polish – so if any fluent speakers read this and want to let me know if I’ve made any mistakes, I’d love to hear from you, and of course, all other non-Polish speaking readers.

If you’re so inclined it would be lovely if you would vote for my novel, Our Endless Numbered Days in the Edinburgh First novel award, and you’ll have a chance of winning a copy of all 56 novels nominated. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)