"At the Table"

"At the Table"

She sat leaning over her coffee in her small apartment in the even smaller kitchen, moving her freshly manicured hands animatedly as sound left her mouth in a constant stream of quickly spoken words punctuated only by a grunt of disgust or a quick sip from her cup.     Her husband seated across the tiny table from the never ending flow of gossip was used to it. Nodding in approval, grunting in disapproval, sighing at the right times, all an attempt to let her release the pressure valve of thoughts that had built up in her while he was at work. If this was the only marriage grief he had to put up with for these twenty-three years, he considered himself blessed.     "Oh, and Francine kept going on and on and on about her Freddy and how wonderfully he's getting along in med school and how he can't wait to get his on office and finally get married to our Barbara, but I told her ...."     He chuckled slightly at the thought of those two kids getting married. They grew up on this same apartment floor for their whole lives--it was bound to happen, and both families hoped it would.     "And, you didn't hear this from me, but Barbara said that her best friend Julie--the one that babysits for Cynthia and Richard--she saw Freddy at the jewelry store--the one Julie's father runs--five or six times last week!"     A moment of silence slipped in as she sipped some more coffee and he flipped over his paper before she began tearfully reminiscing of their daughter's childhood. Yes, a blessed man, indeed.

Entry: Writing.com Daily Flash Fiction Challenge
Date: 05 December 2012
Prompt: "You didn't hear this from me."
Word Count: 273

"The Address of King Rufus"

"The Address of King Rufus"

King Rufus regally addressed the weary crowd gathered around the castle courtyard. They all looked expectantly upward for what they hoped would be a decree that would improve their current woes. Queen Esta stood confidently by his side, squeezing his hand to encourage him.       “My people,” the king began, “I have something of the utmost importance to express to you today.” The king caught his breath and looked downward at his feet.       The queen leaned into the king’s ear. “If you don’t tell them, I will,” she whispered, ending her statement with a forceful and lingering breath on the last phoneme. This caused the king to right his posture and redden his currently wind chapped cheeks, fortunately out of sight of his subjects.       With a clearing of his throat, King Rufus continued.       “What I have to say will begin the process to rebuild what was once our great country. In a matter of moments, the hillside protecting our castle borders will become enflamed by … well, by something you will not understand and which I cannot explain. You need not fear for yourselves or your property.”       The king swallowed audibly.       “But … if you have any … any heart, please … please fear for your king—“       “Enough!” shouted the now empowered Queen Esta, becoming enshrouded by a growing cloud of darkness.       The crowd gasped. Someone called attention to flames licking up the water surrounding the castle’s entrance, headed in a direct path for the king’s current standing place.       Queen Esta stood unfazed as King Rufus was snatched away by an unknown force. His speech unfinished, the queen would now have to explain what was in her country’s best interest. Entry: Writing.com Daily Flash Fiction Challenge (unsubmitted) Date: 21 July 2012 Prompt: “If you don’t tell them, I will.” Word Count: 280

"Shopping Day"

"Shopping Day"

Sidney and Lisa walked down the stairs into the mall, trying to plan out their day’s shopping experience. A mani-pedi was definitely on the list, but not before searching for some cute shoes and hitting up the makeup counter for a free makeover. The day was going to be just like every other weekend at the mall, so they thought.      “What was that noise?” Lisa asked, her gaze aimed at the mall’s corridor entrance in the corner between a video game store and a breakables boutique. Curious, she walked in that direction, cocking her head in order to listen for the sound again.      “What noise, Lis?” Sidney questioned, following after Lisa. A few steps away from the corridor entrance and Sidney still had not heard anything, nor had her friend responded to her question. “Lisa, what noise?”       Lisa paused and turned to look at Sidney. “I … I don’t know. It seemed really loud when I first heard it, but the closer I get, the less I hear it. I thought it was music, but now it sounds more like a bunch of people talking … or a bunch of glass breaking.”       “What? Lis, those don’t even sound similar to each other. And I don’t hear anything. Come on; we’ve got some shopping to do.”       With considerable difficulty, Sidney was able to pull Lisa from her curiosity and distract her with some shiny objects in the store across the hall. Lisa took one last look toward the corridor, squinting toward the darkness, thinking she saw a figure skulk away.       Within the darkness, a disheveled figure grumbled to itself about missing yet another one.

Entry: Writing.com Daily Flash Fiction Challenge
Date: 20 July 2012
Prompt: "What was that noise?"
Word Count: 273

"The Arrival"

"The Arrival"

A cacophony of indistinguishable bird sounds rang throughout the thick forest of towering trees and impassable underbrush. Something was moving—something large. Beneath the greenest of the nearby trees stood guard a small band of five men armed only with large wooden rods.      The ground shook as more birds scattered away from the incoming behemoth. Somewhere nearby branches rattled, some breaking beneath the weight of whatever was now emitting a low, guttural groan. Two or three guards flinched and gulped out of a mix of fear and rapid heart rates; one noisily munched on a piece of string cheese. The creature would soon arrive.      A thicket of brush in front of the men began to slowly rise up, catching on the thick overgrowth of the trees above. Behind where it had stood was revealed a large vehicle, smoking darkness into the air. They cautiously approached as the driver shut down the growling machine that had loudly drove into the area. At the front of the vehicle sat a cage with a growling, two-year-old tiger, freshly delivered to the local zoo. The five men relaxed once the cage finally connected with the tiger’s habitat entrance, releasing the orange-and-black-banded bundle into its new home.

Entry: Writing.com Daily Flash Fiction Challenge
Date: 19 July 2012
Prompt: tiger, band, cheese
Word Count: 202

"A Rainy Day"

"A Rainy Day"

As the storm pounded the ground with millions of grape-sized drops of rain, the subterranean lair of a host of various underground creatures was deluged with warm summer water. Struggling to the top of the muddy mess, hundreds of earthworms and insects squeezed to the soaked above ground, taking in air before seeking some sort of shelter nearby.      From her window, Cindy watched the sky and jumped back in fright with every flash of lightning, covered her ears with each crash of thunder. Occasionally she would peek out, haunted by the weird shadows being cast by the light from the window. Her mother should be back any minute.      Cindy slowly took her hands from her ears after she felt the rumbling of the last explosive boom of thunder fade. She shuffled to the window to see if her mom had returned and noticed that the rain was slowing and the clouds were beginning to clear up. As a bit of light began to illuminate the ground, she noticed movement along the edges of the yard.      Still waiting for her mother’s return, Cindy ventured out the front door to check out what had caught her eye from the window. Cindy stood in shock as the squirming mass of slimy creatures wriggled seemingly in her direction. Just then, something gripped her shoulder, forcing out a piercing scream that had lodged in her throat. Did the worms sneak up on her to take Cindy to their slithering, watery mess?      “Cindy,” her mother calmly addressed the shivering daughter. Suddenly all was right with the world, and the last of Cindy’s fear-gripped half hour began to fade from memory.      Meanwhile, the ground began to dry and the subterranean animals found their ways back to their homes where eventually all would be right with their world.

Entry: Writing.com Daily Flash Fiction Challenge
Date: 17 July 2012
Prompt: worms, shock, haunted
Word Count: 300