WQ135!

Here I go again :-) A new Iron Writer Weekend Quickie, 250 words, 3 elements...
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-135/

This Thursday starts one week of reading and voting in the Iron Writer Autumn Open Prelims! Please get your voting fingers ready!

Oh, I've copied my WQ135 here, too :-)


WQ135 - an image of a crowd in a busy town, altruism, ostracism

It had been a long time since he’d been ostracised. He remembered that horrendous day, those thousands of ostraka with his name sat there in a pile on the assembly floor. They said it was the largest amount ever collected, a record still held for all he knew. He was only trying to help them, the citizens of the place he once called home, from the plague of rats that had appeared almost overnight. He had worked selflessly with altruism to solve the problem, and that was exactly what he’d done. Pumping the toxic poison he had created into the sewers had ridden the town of rats, but unfortunately had also seeped into the ground and contaminated the local drinking water. It was then found that one of his chain of wholesale stores had drawn the rats to town with forgotten raw meat left in a backyard, rotting away.
Now, here he was on the threshold of returning, after many years of travelling, surviving, looking for a way to live after such a calamity. Stepping over the town border, he began to walk the streets. As he moved onwards, he felt that something had changed. It was no longer the place he once knew, no longer the quiet, peaceful community he loved and adored. Within a few minutes he found himself deep within the crowd, suffocating, being pushed from one shoulder to the next, unable to see where he was going.
“Oh my!” he cried out. “The vermin have returned!”

It had been a long time since he’d been ostracised. He remembered that horrendous day, those thousands of ostraka with his name sat there in a pile on the assembly floor. They said it was the largest amount ever collected, a record still held for all he knew. He was only trying to help them, the citizens of the place he once called home, from the plague of rats that had appeared almost overnight. He had worked selflessly with altruism to solve the problem, and that was exactly what he’d done. Pumping the toxic poison he had created into the sewers had ridden the town of rats, but unfortunately had also seeped into the ground and contaminated the local drinking water. It was then found that one of his chain of wholesale stores had drawn the rats to town with forgotten raw meat left in a backyard, rotting away.
Now, here he was on the threshold of returning, after many years of travelling, surviving, looking for a way to live after such a calamity. Stepping over the town border, he began to walk the streets. As he moved onwards, he felt that something had changed. It was no longer the place he once knew, no longer the quiet, peaceful community he loved and adored. Within a few minutes he found himself deep within the crowd, suffocating, being pushed from one shoulder to the next, unable to see where he was going.
“Oh my!” he cried out. “The vermin have returned!” - See more at: http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-135/#sthash.hkSBVk2J.dpuf

It had been a long time since he’d been ostracised. He remembered that horrendous day, those thousands of ostraka with his name sat there in a pile on the assembly floor. They said it was the largest amount ever collected, a record still held for all he knew. He was only trying to help them, the citizens of the place he once called home, from the plague of rats that had appeared almost overnight. He had worked selflessly with altruism to solve the problem, and that was exactly what he’d done. Pumping the toxic poison he had created into the sewers had ridden the town of rats, but unfortunately had also seeped into the ground and contaminated the local drinking water. It was then found that one of his chain of wholesale stores had drawn the rats to town with forgotten raw meat left in a backyard, rotting away.
Now, here he was on the threshold of returning, after many years of travelling, surviving, looking for a way to live after such a calamity. Stepping over the town border, he began to walk the streets. As he moved onwards, he felt that something had changed. It was no longer the place he once knew, no longer the quiet, peaceful community he loved and adored. Within a few minutes he found himself deep within the crowd, suffocating, being pushed from one shoulder to the next, unable to see where he was going.
“Oh my!” he cried out. “The vermin have returned!” - See more at: http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-135/#sthash.hkSBVk2J.dpuf

It had been a long time since he’d been ostracised. He remembered that horrendous day, those thousands of ostraka with his name sat there in a pile on the assembly floor. They said it was the largest amount ever collected, a record still held for all he knew. He was only trying to help them, the citizens of the place he once called home, from the plague of rats that had appeared almost overnight. He had worked selflessly with altruism to solve the problem, and that was exactly what he’d done. Pumping the toxic poison he had created into the sewers had ridden the town of rats, but unfortunately had also seeped into the ground and contaminated the local drinking water. It was then found that one of his chain of wholesale stores had drawn the rats to town with forgotten raw meat left in a backyard, rotting away.
Now, here he was on the threshold of returning, after many years of travelling, surviving, looking for a way to live after such a calamity. Stepping over the town border, he began to walk the streets. As he moved onwards, he felt that something had changed. It was no longer the place he once knew, no longer the quiet, peaceful community he loved and adored. Within a few minutes he found himself deep within the crowd, suffocating, being pushed from one shoulder to the next, unable to see where he was going.
“Oh my!” he cried out. “The vermin have returned!” - See more at: http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-135/#sthash.hkSBVk2J.dpuf