Category Archives: Flash Fiction

Transformations

Well, this is a fine kettle of fish or should I say bucket of tadpoles. I thought if I kissed the frog he would turn into a prince. Instead, what happened is I turned into a frog as well. What do I do now? My Frog Prince friend is no help at all. All he says is ‘ribbit.’ What will become of me? Am I going to spend the rest of my life dining on flies? Ugh! What can be done to reverse the spell? Wait a minute. If I kissed a frog and turned into a frog, if I kiss a human…

I have to admit that I was pretty grossed out when you kissed me. But now when I see what a lovely woman you are I have to say, ‘Will you marry me and be mine forever? Don’t make me wait. What is your answer?’

Ribbit!

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is hosted by Roger Shipp.

Diamond Street

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Garrett always liked to joke about the name of the street. ” We live on Diamond Street,” he’d say ‘diamond’ in an exaggerated way as if it meant riches. “Say a few ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘Our fathers’ for me,” her Dad told her when she left for church. Rachel wasn’t thinking about prayers though. Halloween was coming up at the end of the week, and Halloween was always a big holiday in Eureka Valley.

“It’s because this section of San Francisco has the most children in all of the city, ” her Dad would say.

The ethnic makeup of the neighborhood was Irish with some Polish and Hispanic over the hill in The Mission. Rachel and her friends planned to cover as large a swath of it as possible with their big grocery bags to hold the loot.

Halloween celebrations started with a costume parade at school. Rachel and her little brother Ben could hardly eat dinner that night for all the excitement. As soon as the sun set they were off with parents trailing behind.

Later in the evening would be the parade on 19th Street hosted by Cliff’s Variety Store. Heading up the procession was a mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex followed by a crowd of costumed kids.

” Will you hold my bag, Mom?” Rachel asked Nora.

“You watch yourself, girl, and don’t get trampled in that crowd. Be sure to hold onto your brother.”

“I’ll be fine. Ben’s holding my hand and Jack is here, too.”

Nora felt that familiar chill. She knew that kids can have an imaginary playmate, but a ghost?

Jack stood next to Rachel. “Tonight is when the spirits can cross over and walk the earth,” he whispered to Rachel in a lilting accent.

“There aren’t any spirits, except you, just lots of kids dressed up in costumes.”

Jack wasn’t so sure about that. A witch standing next to the Frankenstein monster looked like that mean old landlady he had back in Dublin.

” Oh, it’s herself all right.”

“What are you muttering about, Jack? You’re spoilin’ all the fun.”

“Don’t worry Rachie, I’ll keep a look out for you and Bennie.”

In all the excitement Rachel had almost forgotten about her brother who held tightly to her other hand.

“Who ya talkin’ to, Rachie?”

“Oh, nobody. Just talkin’ to myself, Bennie,” Rachel answered as she shot a cool glance at Jack.

“Don’t let go of my hand, Bennie.”

” Don’t worry, I won’t. I don’t like the way that witch is lookin’ at me! She’s creepy with that green goo dripping out of her mouth!”

Rachel shot a wary glance at the witch and squeezed her eyes shut to will her away. When she opened her eyes the ugly crone was gone.

” See that, Jack, you can’t let your imagination run away with you.”

Jack was skeptical, but he couldn’t help smiling at Rachel.

All the children marched behind the dinosaur as the proud parents looked on. Rachel smiled and waved at her mom. That’s when she noticed the ugly witch standing behind Nora and froze.

“What’s a matter, Rachie? Why you stoppin’?” whined Bennie. Rachel looked down at her little brother, and when she glanced back at the crowd, the witch had disappeared.

Jack was wondering why Rachel had stood still as a statue as well. “What’s wrong, Rach?”

” Nothing’s wrong. It’s just all your talk about evil spirits. It’s makin’ me see things!”

But the vision left Rachel with a bad feeling the rest of the evening. She hugged her mom extra hard when she got ready for bed.

” What’s troubling you, girl? You’ve been jumpy as an alley cat ever since we got home.”

“Do you believe evil spirits walk the earth on Halloween, Mom?”

“Course not! And who’s been filling your head with all that nonsense?”

“It’s just something Jack told me.”

“I think you been eating too many sweets. I am putting that candy away, and tomorrow we can donate it to the Nursing Home.”

” Okay, Mom, but save a little of it for Bennie and me, please!”

“Get to sleep now and sweet dreams, dear girl.”

Rachel quickly fell into a deep sleep, but it was not sweet.

“So you don’t believe in spirits,” the old woman cackled. Rachel found herself in a cold, dark cave with the old witch who was binding her with a scratchy rope.

” Who are you and why are you doing this?” Rachel cried.

” None of your nevermind, drink this! ” hissed the hag. I am going to switch you with my little changling, and your mam with never know the difference.”

” She will too! ” sputtered Rachel as the bitter liquid was forced down her throat. ” My mom would know me from your rotten little changling any day!”

“Watch your lip, girlie, or you might just lose it!” screeched the witch.

A small twisted creature made its way across the cave toward them leaving a slimy trail in its wake. As it got closer, Rachel could hear a chittering sound coming from its beak.

“What’s that!” she screamed.

“That’s my little darlin’. She’s been waitin’ for me to bring her a little girl like you so she can cross back into the world,” the old witch replied in a gentle, lilting tone.

Rachel was becoming drowsy but fought to keep her eyes open. She knew if she gave in and fell asleep again the witch would do her worst.

***********************************************************************

Rachel woke with a start, bolting straight up in bed, and pinching her arms to make sure she was really herself.

“What the heck are you doin’, Rachie? ” Bennie asked from the doorway.

” Oh, I had a bad dream, that’s all, Bennie.”

“You’re as white as a sheet!” Jack said as he quickly crossed the room.

” I wish everybody would quit making a fuss!” Rachel fumed.

“Who’s everybody?” asked Bennie.

“Oh, none of your nevermind!” Rachel replied.

“Why you talkin’ so funny?”

” I ain’t talkin’ funny!” she said as a little chitter escaped her lips.

WEP October 2018 Challenge #WEPFF-Write…Edit…Publish October Challenge-Deja Vu or Voodoo hosted by Denise, Renee, Olga, and Nilanjana. Featured image of ‘spooky portrait’ via pxhere.com

Word count: Abt. 1002

Her Unraveling

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She felt like her life was falling apart. She had always prided herself on how in command of any situation she was. All was carefully planned and executed. It all started to unravel on that day. She would never forget it. Her company had a new CEO who was 20 years her junior. Conner Cassidy had big plans for shaking up the status quo with the latest business practices. Out with the old and in with the new. It turned out the old included her, Amanda Adams.

Amanda woke up with a start as the trash truck rumbled by her house. She usually would have been up and out much earlier but that was when she had a job. Now one day ran into another and a regular schedule escaped her. As her head cleared it took her a few minutes to realize where she was. She struggled to focus her eyes on the bedside clock.

“Ten o’clock! I better get going. I have the budget meeting in a half an hour.” That’s when she remembered there was no meeting. She didn’t work there anymore. Amanda dragged herself up and into the kitchen. She still needed her morning coffee. Some things never changed. As she sipped the strong brew she found herself ruminating on recent events.

” After devoting all those years to that company I’m thrown out without any apology or thanks for all my efforts. I hope they’re happy with that inexperienced new grad who replaced me.” Amanda recalled how Conner had lit up when Carey came in the room, his eyes following her every move.

“This is getting me nowhere. I’ve got to stop thinking about it.”

Amanda had been given a severance package and realized she was luckier than some of her friends who had been retired from their jobs before they were ready. She just felt at such a loss.

“What do I do now? I wasn’t ready to stop working this soon. I hoped to work for at least 10 more years. I’ve got to try to move on but I don’t want to work for minimum wage at a job I hate.” She was lucky she had the severance but would have to cut back on expenses. Her house was on the market and she hoped to find a smaller place in a less expensive area. In the meantime, she needed to get out of the house. She signed up for a class at the local community college. It was a class on Film Noir. She had seen it listed in the college catalog before but never felt she had the time or energy when she was working. Now she had the time, plenty of time.

Her eyes scanned the room on the first night of class. Except for a few younger ones, most of her classmates were her age. The instructor was introducing the films they would be covering. As he spoke she found her mind wandering. She had seen many of the films long ago. They were before her time but she had always liked those old black and white films. One film on the list stood out in her mind. It was called ‘Dial M for Murder,’ about a man plotting his wealthy wife’s death so that he will inherit her money.

Amanda found herself enjoying the class and was an eager participant in the group discussions. She enjoyed the film screenings put on by the instructor. She and her classmates had fun dressing up in the styles that were depicted in the films.

The last film of the series was to be Amanda’s favorite ‘Dial M for Murder.’ Her blonde hair made her a perfect fit to match the lead character, Margot, who was played by Grace Kelly. The class had a great time at the party after that last screening. Amanda knew she would miss everyone after it was over. She did write down a few of her classmate’s numbers and hoped they would connect again soon.

It was a warm evening and she left the French doors open. She was getting ready for bed when she heard the telephone ring. She glanced at the bedside clock and saw it was after 11. Who could be calling at this time of night? She walked into the living room to answer the phone when he stepped out from behind the French door curtains.

This Flash Fiction is part of the WEP Write…Edit…Publish June 2018 Challenge ‘Unraveled Yarn,’ hosted by Denise Covey, Yolanda Renée, Nilanjana Bose, and Olga Godim.

Word count: 730

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***The last part of the story follows from the plot of ‘Dial M for Murder.’ I thought it was fun to work it into my story. Featured image of Retirement Tiara by Steven Depolo on Wikimedia.org

Love Lost And Found

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MorgueFile April 1408991814e81x2

Annie enjoyed walking with her dog in the meadow that surrounded her property. It had been a warm day but now dark clouds were blowing in with the wind.

“We better get inside pretty soon Rusty. It looks like the weather may be changing.”

Annie was about to attach his leash when the dog’s ears rose to a sound only he could hear and he bolted off. Annie knew she would not be able to run after him but walked as fast as she could manage in the direction he had gone calling out to him. She found him sitting near the old car.

“What are you doing boy? It’s just an old wreck of a car.”

Rusty stayed with his eyes fixed on the window. As Annie stood looking at the car she was reminded of Jack. Her father never liked him. They had spent a lot of time in his old car making love and planning for the future. They planned to marry after Jack returned from the Army. He never made it back. She was looking at the window when she saw him.

“Jack?”

They found her body near the car. The doctor said her heart must have failed.

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner Week #19-2018 is hosted by Roger Shipp.

Word count: 202

The Dark Path

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So much time had passed since the night Rachel had done the banishing spell, a whole lifetime. She never regretted that choice. She had a wonderful life with Josh and had built a successful herb business while he ran the local bookstore. She still lived in the cottage her great-aunt and namesake had willed to her and loved the solitude it provided her out beyond the edge of town. She had loved the peacefulness but since Josh had passed she felt it a bit too lonely. Maybe that was why thoughts of Ebon filled her head during the Full Moon. It was definitely a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’. The next full moon Ebon was back in her dreams. His lovemaking skills were undiminished.

“I knew you would not be able to live without me for very long.”

“Not very long? It has been many years since you came to me.”

“Time has little meaning for me. I exist in eternities.”

“Don’t think I will summon you again from the dream world into the real world.”

“I can be patient Rachel. I have all the time in the world.”

Rachel was losing her will to resist him. She knew she had to take action soon or be lost to him forever.Then something happened that shocked her out of her complacency. She was working in her garden when she heard a rustle of leaves along the path to her house. She looked up to see Mabel Marsh walking toward her.

“Hi, Mabel. I don’t have your order of chamomile ready yet, but give me a few minutes and I can get it for you.”

“I’m not here about the chamomile, Rachel. I came to warn you about the killer.”

“Killer? What are you talking about Mabel?”

“Lucy Green was found this morning. She had been stabbed and someone had messed with her too. They found a thorn apple blossom in her hand.”

Thorn apple is also known as devil’s snare. Oh God, it’s happening again. Rachel’s mind traveled back to the time before, of the devil’s snare and murder. There had been several women killed the last time Ebon had been around.

“I thought of you living out here all by yourself. You gotta get yourself a good guard dog, Rachel,” Mabel went on talking as Rachel’s attention returned to the present.

“I know Mabel, you are right. Thank you for warning me. I will be careful. Let me get your order ready.”

Rachel finished with Mabel and waved her off. She knew what she must do now. There was only one person who could help her, Great-aunt Rachel. Her great-aunt was no longer among the living but had visited her on several occasions and been indispensable in the banishing of Ebon.

“I feel responsible for bringing him back after we banished him. What can we do now?”

“He is an old and powerful demon, dear. We will need additional help to complete this task. I am calling for two of my friends from the old coven. They are two of the most talented of my group. Ebon will not be able to overcome our magic.”

Rachel spent the next week gathering all the supplies her great-aunt had requested. She checked the basket to make sure she had everything. There was horehound, birch oil, salt, a black candle, asafetida powder, angelica, a ceremonial knife, and two golden incense burners.

It was the night of the full moon. As the sun set, Rachel began to assemble all that her great-aunt had requested on the dining room table. She was busy sorting through it when she felt a stirring in the air. She looked up to see Great-aunt Rachel and two other women appear at the other end of the room.

“We’re all here, my dear. Let me introduce you to my companions. This is Ravyn Ruthistle and Rosewillow Riverdale, two of the most talented women of my acquaintance.”

“Thank you all for coming. I know I could not do this without you.”

“It is our pleasure to be of assistance,” Ravyn replied. Rosewillow nodded her head in agreement.

“The moon is rising, we’d better begin,” Rachel’s namesake stated as she took charge of the little group.

“Sprinkle the horehound in the corners of the room Ravyn. Fill the incense burners with angelica and light them, Rosewillow.” She quickly took up the knife and began carving the black candle. The inscription was in Gaelic, Toirmeasc orainn tú go ifreann, with a sigil.

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She noticed her niece looking at the candle. It says, ” We banish you to the depths of hell, Ebon,” she informed Rachel.

“I think we are ready. Everyone gather together. Rachel pore the salt in a circle around us. Now sprinkle the candle with birch oil and asafetida powder. Light the candle as we begin our chant.” All the women spoke in unison.

“We call you here, Ebon. Come to us this night. Come to us now!”

A ghostly image began to materialize in the room. As the women chanted the image became corporeal.

“I see you have a group of whores with you tonight, Rachel. What do you think you are doing? You have no power over me.”

“Ignore what he says and continue the spell,” shouted the great-aunt.

The group continued to chant.

“We banish you from our world forever, Ebon. We banish you back to your demon hell the place from whence you came.”

Ebon growled and hissed but the women’s words held him in place. “You will never get rid of me,” he snarled.

Ravyn reached into a pouch and threw a handful of asafetida powder at the demon. Rosewillow did the same. Ebon let out a howl as his image began to fade. Within seconds he was gone.

Rachel was exhausted from the effort. Her great-aunt and friends laughed and embraced.

“Don’t let yourself give into the dark side from loneliness, Rachel.”

Rachel awoke with a start. Was it all just a dream?

This flash fiction piece was created for the WEP Write…Edit…Publish April Challenge–Road Less Traveled. Sigil image via Wikimedia, ‘candle, lamp, room’ image by borkia via Pixabay.com

Word count: 1001

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Adventures In Dining

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I’d like the burger with fries.

Sounds good. What kind of fries do you want? We’ve got shoe string, steak cut, chili cheese, garlic, sweet potato, blue cheese, and portobello.

That’s a lot of choices. How does anyone make up their mind?

It depends if you’re traditional or adventurous.

I’m feeling adventurous. I had a terrible day at work, and my boss is an unimaginative jerk. What’s the most adventurous thing on your menu?

That would be the Godzilla.

I’ll give that a shot.

A busboy clearing off the leftovers remarked, “That Godzilla is such a messy eater.”

This micro-fiction is for Week #10-2018 Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner hosted by Roger Shipp. Click on the link if you want to join in.

Word count: 98

Let’s celebrate!

Happy #NationalNappingDay! Who's celebrating with us? pic.twitter.com/vr91sKRGbw

— MUTTS (@MUTTScomics) March 12, 2018

Falling Deep

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Jordan lay awake thinking about how her life had changed so radically in the past few weeks. She prided herself on her independence and planned to travel through life with no attachments holding her down. It’s not that she didn’t enjoy the company of men, but she wanted to be free to go wherever life would lead her in a moments notice. That was before she met Aidan.

She had been on another adventure hiking in Nepal when her group took refuge at Gorek Shep. They were told it was too dangerous to try to climb Everest in the winter. She was lobbying her companions to take a shot climbing part of the way. She didn’t find any takers and resigned herself to spending the night and heading back to Lukla in the morning. She was drowning her disappointment in dark chocolate and a large glass of wine at the fireside when she heard his voice.

“You don’t give up easily, do you?”

Jordan looked in the direction of the voice and saw large dark eyes that seemed to penetrate her with their intensity.

” I guess I don’t,” she replied.

” Your friends are right, this is not the time to climb the mountain.”

“I have given up on that idea already.”

” I am planning on a caving trip. Have you ever tried it?”

” I haven’t done that yet. Where are you planning to go?”

“The Krubera Cave in Abkhazia. It’s believed to be the deepest cave in the world.”

“How deep?”

” The latest measurement was 2,197 meters.”

” That’s over 7,000 feet!”

“Yes, but I don’t recommend it for beginners. I would be willing to give you some lessons.”

” I have to head back to my home base but you have got me interested.”

“Where do you live?”

” I live in Nevada City.”

” Where’s that?”

“Nevada City is in the Gold Country in Northern California.”

“Gold Country?”

” It’s where Gold was discovered and mined in California. The site of the “Gold Rush.” I grew up there. It’s a small town but with a colorful history of people who took risks and sought their fortunes in the Wild West. Maybe that’s how I got my love of adventure. I’m Jordan Sullivan, and you are?

“I’m Aidan Rourke, nice to meet you. Nevada City sounds like an interesting place to visit. Did you ever go climbing around there?”

“Just hiking but I was just thinking about what you said, teaching me about caving. There is a large cave near Angels Camp called the Moaning Caverns. There is rappelling available at the site. If you would like to come to California, you could be my guest in Nevada City.”

Jordan had shocked herself with this invitation to a man she just met but there was something about him. She was drawn to him and wanted to get to know him better. She had relationships before but they never lasted long and she told herself not to expect this one would amount to much either. After all, she was not interested in commitment and the men she usually dated felt the same way.

Aidan had taken her up on the offer to visit California and she had spent the last week showing him around her home town and the surrounding area. She was used to getting into intimate relationships quickly and this one was no different in that respect. What was different about it was how she was beginning to feel about Aidan. Jordan saw this as a red flag. You’ve got to get hold of yourself, slow down. No commitment, remember? There was something about this one though. He had such an appealing way about him. He was strong but gentle and had a quirky sense of humor that made her laugh. And when she looked into those big dark brown eyes she felt herself melt. What was she going to do? This was getting serious!

They decided to head for the Moaning Caverns the next morning. Jordan found herself yawning over breakfast.

” I didn’t think my conversation was so boring,” Aidan remarked grinning.

” I had a little trouble sleeping last night.”

” Anything bothering you?”

” Nothing really. I’m not sure what kept me awake.” Jordan was not going to admit what or who was causing her insomnia yet, or maybe never she thought.

“Are you ready for some rappelling lessons this morning?”

“I’m ready to get going. Can we leave now?”

Aidan picked up on Jordan’s irritability but decided to ignore it. He was looking forward to teaching her how to use the ropes. He couldn’t wait to get close to her again. He had been attracted to her from the first night they met and now he didn’t know how he would ever live without her. He had the ring hidden in his backpack and planned to surprise her when they were in the cave. He just hoped she felt the same way about him.

They had a great time rappelling down into the cavern. Jordan took to it like a pro. They decided to make one final descent. Aidan started off down the wall of the cave and was halfway down when his rappel anchor suddenly broke loose and he plummeted. Luckily a ledge broke his fall. Jordan screamed and cried out to him but he did not respond. She quickly descended to where he was sprawled on the ledge.

“Aidan, darling, are you hurt?”

It took a few minutes for Aidan’s head to clear then he realized Jordan was touching his body looking for any injury. “Did you call me darling?”

” Yes, and are you going to make a big deal out of it?” Jordan shouted, tears glistening in her eyes.

” Yeah, I’m going to make a big deal out it,” he said as he pulled her close and covered her mouth with his before she could say anything more.

They never made it to Abkhazia but found much to explore in Nevada City after they were married in the Spring.

This Flash Fiction post is for the # WEPFF WEP-Write…Edit…Publish February 2018 Challenge-In Too Deep hosted by Denise Covey, Yolanda Renée, Nilanjana Bose, and Olga Godim. Featured image Harwood hole New Zealand by Dave Bunnell on Wikimedia.org

Word Count: 998

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Virtual Perfection

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Fish

The children were fitted with Virtual Sight contacts at an early age. Everyone had perfect eye sight and everything in the world was in perfect high-definition. The Controllers questioned why anyone should view imperfection. So any flaws were quickly removed from view and everything looked perfect. Poverty,human suffering, or the elderly need not be seen. To prevent the population from tripping over unseen bodies in the street, the poor and sick were swept into hidden compounds. When people reached the age of 55 they simply disappeared. This arrangement was deemed sensible. No one should have to see the messy, imperfection of ageing. People sometimes felt uneasy though. A sensation of people walking beside or around, a whisper, a movement in the air, a shadow.

The disruption in the Virtual System occurred during a solar flare in the middle of the Summer Solstice celebration. People were disoriented as their brains fought to adjust to their natural vision. They froze in place as the creatures came into view. There were strange, imperfect beings standing among them. The older ones who had disappeared were still alive. They just had been unable to see them.

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is hosted by Roger Shipp. Click on link to learn more about this writing group.

Icy Surprise

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bike

“Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted thick deposits of ice in the planet’s mid-latitudes that extend hundreds of feet deep.” – Amina Khan LA Times Science File “Icy surprise is exposed on Mars”

*********************

The Mars outpost was ordered to remove all traces of their colony. Tomir’s parents told him to gather up all his belongings to be shipped on the first transport. He had sorted through most of it when his eyes fell upon one last thing, a gift from his Uncle Domir brought back from the Earth Expedition. It was too embarrassing to show to any of his friends back home. All his friends had their own hover boards. What was he to do with this thing? That’s when he remembered that crevasse in the ice field.

“What do you mean you don’t remember where you put it?” his mother asked.

*********************

Mars Deep Explorer Mission announced that excavation of the scarps in the Milankovic Crater has resulted in an amazing discovery. Scientists have no explanation.

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is hosted by Roger Shipp. Click on the link if you would like to know more about this writing group.

Packing Up A Life

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Cup

I finished for the day and was taking a break in front of a cozy fire with a well-earned cup of coffee. My mother didn’t like earthen ware coffee mugs and all her cups were china. She had a particular affinity for English china cups. Definitely not my taste for a coffee cup but I did not have a choice in her house. It had been an exhausting day sorting through all of Mom’s possessions. My daughter had offered to help but she would not be arriving for another 2 days. My mother was nothing like a hoarder and had downsized once already when she moved into the cottage after Dad died. It was just that many of the things had memories attached to them. It is taking me a long time to go through them because a memory or feeling would be triggered and I’d get lost in a reverie. The photos were the worst. Like the one of me in Tuscany when I was away with a study abroad class. Mom said the photos were almost unreal, like a movie set. She did not know how real it was. This was where the love of my life died.

This post is for Flash Fiction For The Purposeful Practitioner Week # 2 hosted by Roger Shipp. You can learn more about the rules by clicking on the link.