“The First Rule of Sales” — FWG Flash Fiction for 7/26/2025
- Rob Johnson
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
I learned the rule the hard way many years ago.
The prompt is:

THE FIRST RULE OF SALES
Sandy studied the room. She stepped gingerly across the ancient wooden planks on the floor to the windows set so deeply in the thick walls that they allowed very little light in from the brilliant day outside. She sniffed the air like a hound on the trail of a fox.
The room smelled of age. Not of mustiness or decay, but of centuries of use by unwashed men tending to their wounds after having returned from battle. It smelled of silent meals of simple fare, and of secret rituals.
Sandy ran her fingers over the central altar, imagining all manner of dangerous rituals that ultimately led to the Order’s downfall. She spun on her heel with eyes wide and determination etched on her face.
“It’s perfect. I’ll take it.”
Francois, her agent, shifted uncomfortably. “Mademoiselle, as I indicated previously, the site is not yet for sale. In fact, the owner is not sure—”
Sandy waved her hand dismissively. “Tell them I’ll pay whatever they want. Whatever it takes, I must have it!”
She stroked the altar again. Francois shrugged and tried to hide his smile. Perhaps he could take his family on that long-overdue vacation, after all.
“It will be…steep. The price, that is.” He nodded at the crumbling plaster on the walls and the rotting floorboards. “It needs much work—expensive work. Are you sure—”
Sandy growled in response. “The first lesson in sales, Frank, is to stop talking once you’ve made the sale. What part of ‘whatever it takes’ didn’t you understand?”
Francois lifted his chin at the rebuke. Filthy Americans. Still, the commission…
“The owner will require certain activities to be performed to ensure your, er, earnestness.”
Sandy pulled up the sleeves of her blouse, revealing intricate glowing tattoos. “Oh, I am fully aware…and prepared.”
THE END
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