Category Archives: Flash fiction

The Itch

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This is my response to this week’s prompt from FFfAW brought to us by Priceless Joy, and photo by momtheobscure.

The Itch

“And that’s how our world was created.” Professor Whimple swirled his hands like he did when he was making a particularly important point, before resting both knuckles on the table.

“Kronos scratching his back?” A brave soul tested the waters without identifying himself.

“What? Who said that? Speak up!”

The Brave Soul sealed his fate by standing up to repeat his question.

“Er.. Professor so does this mean that the world was created by Kronos? Because ah.. there doesn’t seem to be any scientif..”

“GETOUT!” The front row was sprayed with flecks of Whimple Special.

“Yes. As you can see from this archival footage, Kronos was scratching his back against this ancient temple, causing a series of earthquakes which resulted in the formation of the continents as we know them today.” The knuckles returned to their place on the table.

“Any more questions?”

Words: 144

The Feast

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Here’s my go at this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers prompt, with a photo provided by Graham.

The Feast

The Lady Orla sat watching her guests savour the delights laid out before them. Each table set with a sumptuous feast for the senses. Pink, juicy meats roasted to perfection, and oozing wheels of cheese served on pillows of soft warm bread. Exotic fruit from unknown places – and endless glasses of wine, glittering like liquid rubies in their hands.

She watched them eat and drink and laugh, listening to the clink of knives on plates made of gold, as her own plate sat untouched. Her slender, gloved hands resting softly in her lap.

She sat as the chatter grew quiet, and her guests feel asleep where they sat, waiting until the last hand dropped lifelessly against its owner before she moved. Her guests were arranged as she needed them to be, and only when they were ready did she bare her own hands.

The Lady Orla walked amongst her guests and caressed each one gently, pausing a moment to watch them turn slowly to gold.

165 words.

 

Difficult Choices

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This is my response to this week’s Sunday Photo Fiction.

Difficult Choices

“Do you have any vegetarian options?” Teri handed the menu back.

The waitress looked nervous. Her name tag identified her as Emma the Trainee. “Um.. we don’t sorry. We are a carnivorous establishment.” She stared at Teri, unsure of her next words.

“I don’t meant to be rude, but aren’t you a…?”

“Rex. Yes, I am.” Teri reached under the table and pulled a dog-eared book out of her bag. “I’m on this low cal thing, see?” She held the book up. “It means that for two days a week I’m only allowed to eat 50,000 calories.”

“Oh. Well I hope you’re enjoying it?”

She followed the waitress’s gaze to a large, gnawed portion where the book used to be.

“Now that was a rough day. But now I feel great. Really light.”

“Well I’m sorry Ms Rex, maybe you could  try Tracey’s? I’ve heard they do some nice vegetation dishes there?”

Teri snuck a sideways glance over to the table next to her.

“I don’t know… I don’t think I have the energy to go to Tracey’s now. Besides, I’m already here.” She cast another look over towards her neighbour’s plates. “Do you have any light options?”

“Um.. we have pterodactyl wings? They’re a smaller portion?”

“No. They get stuck under my claws. She tucked the book back into her bag and took a deep breath. You know, now that I’m here … maybe I’ll just have a buffalo.”

The SlipStream

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In response to last week’s Sunday Photo Fiction prompt..

The SlipStream

“What’s the only thing you need to remember?” Ash kept pace with his leader, eyes pasted on the thick yellow line beneath his feet. He was trying not remember anything, least of all about what lay inches from his feet.

“Don’t black out.” He mumbled, without looking up. Don’t black out. At least he remembered one thing from giving up five years of his life to the academy.

“Don’t sound so excited, kid.” Blayne looked over at his new recruit.

Ash’s visor was pulled down over his face, shoulders bunched up over the small backpack- the life kit which would keep him going for at least three days- depending on where he landed. He wasn’t a talker, this one.

“Most people will never come close to dreaming about the things you’ll see. So cheer up.”  He leant over and jabbed a playful finger into him arm. Ash grabbed the jump bar to steady himself. His next words drowned by the scream of an alarm, as yellow light flooded the room.

“Here we go” Blayne pulled his visor down and stepped over the yellow line onto the gridded metal floor.  “Hold on tight kid. Got your pills?”

Ash nodded. He rolled his tongue over the tiny balls serum inserted into his teeth, as a countdown sequence started up somewhere in the room.

Here we go.  He gripped the bar tight as the floor dropped open beneath his feet, filling everything with a blinding white light. His hands were glued onto the bar as he hung suspended over the gateway to the multiverse.

Just close your eyes and jump. His heart was about to burst out of his body, as he fought the urge to run. He would have run, but if he let go now he’d end up in the void.

Blayne was signaling to him as a voice in his earpiece told him to go.

He ground his teeth, breaking the tiny pills which would keep him conscious during the ride, and let go.

The Time Eaters

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Stay indoors at dawn they say. Keep safe at dusk. When the time eaters are at work, turning night into day and day into night by eating away the layers in between. Keep still as they slip through the spaces between the seconds, as I’ve heard that sometimes the time eaters can be indiscriminate about their food. Time to them is just time, regardless of its source.

They care not for your attachments or for your affections, only for the time which you are yet to use from your years. They are enticed by your youth, and tempted by its promise. So stay safe in the twilight hours, and pray they don’t notice you, or the time which you don’t have to give.

Cold Feet

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*on my way in to work one morning, I was asked a rather unusual question by a stranger – which provides the inspiration behind this little piece..

“Her?” 

“Yeah, pink shirt. Go!” Freddie nudged him forward. His prey drew closer, weaving through the crowd without breaking her pace.

He stood frozen in place, heart pounding in his chest as he watched her walk past, close enough for him to smell her perfume. Taking a deep breath, he moved towards her, jogging lightly to catch up.

“Excuse me.” She was only a few steps ahead now. “Excuse me, Miss.”

She turned to look at him, hand raised, ready to swat away his sales pitch. “No thanks. I’m in a hur..” She stopped when she saw that he wasn’t selling anything, and he jumped in for the kill. “I was wondering if I could…could I smell your feet?” She stared at him, synapses struggling to stack the words into order.

“What?”

“Could I smell your feet?” She glanced down, feeling exposed in a pair of flip-flops.

“No. um.. No.” Before she said any more, he turned and disappeared into the crowd, heading back towards his friend.

Ben! Over there! Freddie was on the move, signaling towards a woman in a green dress who was walking towards Town Square. He pulled out his notebook and etched another line on the page. Five.

Farewell

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“So I killed him. So what, he was dying anyway.” He had diabetes. “Yeah well that’s a disease isn’t it?” She tapped tiny embers into the night, the shiny things on her fingers glinting in the darkness. “You know, on average at least one person dies on every cruise? There are a lot of sad people out there, looking for a painless exit.” Or just a lot of cold hearted murderers. “Anyway, what do you care.” She flicked her hair like she did just before a point was about to made, and stretched her arms across the rails. “All that is in the past,  now we can ride on the oceans forever on the Sea Princess.” She laughed into her cigarette, drawing on it one more time before flicking the dying butt over the rail. She bent down to pick up her shoes. Black water churned beneath them. Let’s go back in, it’s freezing out here. A soft nudge and she tipped over. “Oh shit. Help me up!” She fell laughing onto the smooth deck. I pulled her up and brought her close, inhaling that familiar scent of wine and nicotine, barely masking the headache inducing perfume. She looked up at me, reaching her hands up towards the back of my neck. I gave her a smile and hoisted her over the rail. Farewell my love. I won’t miss you.

 

The Creature

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Sometimes our writing is inspired by the least expected things, isn’t it?

I hear you creature. Thudding around up there, clawing at dark crevices in your desperate attempts to flee. Why do you run now, when your invasion was a success? Is it because your plunder is now your prison. Although your prison is in fact your refuge. From me. Because I don’t appreciate my home being invaded, my possessions defiled, my comfort ruffled. Your arrival may have been at your choice, however your departure is very much at mine. And don’t think that you can leave before I have your head for a crumb of cheese.

Flash fiction for Aspiring Writers – New Horizons

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wpid-wpid-photo-20150907210618095Here’s my contribution to this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers, kindly hosted by Priceless Joy.

Gregor stood unblinking against the endless expanse of red, scanning the horizon for signs of life. Crossing the great desert was suicide, they’d known that when they had set off, but they were dead anyway and better it be on their own terms. Amali absently rubbed her tiny belly as she stood beside him.

Humanity’s solution to an overpopulated, drowning, earth was to dump those displaced by rising oceans on Mars. They helped the chances of survival by establishing hundreds of tiny colonies, scattered over an unforgiving landscape. However the architects of this new world had never planned on their experiment lasting this long, and four generations later most of the colonies had been wiped out by hunger, disease, and our innate inability at getting along.

Survival was dependent on scarce resources, and maintaining a strict quota on births was the only way ensure the survival of the colony.

Those who didn’t agree had no choice but to find themselves a new home, or die trying.

Monday’s Finish the Story- Forms of Suffering

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It’s been a while, but I’ve finally managed to get a story in on time for Monday’s Finish the Story. And what a prompt – there’ve been some very interesting interpretations on what this actually is!

Finish the story starts with “I see absolutely everything”.

Here’s my attempt:

*a conversation between the Ancient All Powerful Being and his 4 year old son.

“I see absolutely everything” boomed the all pervading voice of the Ancient Seer.

“Can you see Santa?”

“Of course I see Santa, I see all.”

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s ah.. feeding his reindeer.”

“What’s a reindeer?”

“It’s a large fluffy beast. With antlers. They like snow, and carrots.”

“You mean like Sven from Frozen?”

“Yes, just like Sven.”

“What if you’re asleep? Don’t you have to close your eyes?”

“Son..” the All Powerful Being turned to the boy. “All Powerful Beings do not sleep. Plus, I have no eyelids” he added, scratching the little boy’s head.

“But what if its night time and dark and there’s no ‘lectricity’?”

The All Seeing Being smiled. “Then I will know. Because to see all is to know all. You will understand that one day when you become the All Powerful Seer.”

“Dad..”

“Yes, Son.”

“What’s an eye lid?”

A scream of parental angst rang out through the universe.