Flash Fiction Friday

Here's this week's prompt:

And here's my response:

A man, covered in blood, just walked up to the gate. Different lies were forming in his head. What should I tell her? What would she believe? He knew he could have cleaned up first, and save needing to explain himself. But I need her to know I did it for her. All of it for her. 

She buzzed him through the gate, and was waiting for him in the open door as he made his way up the driveway. Her smile faltered as she took in his appearance.

"What happened to you? All you ok?"

He grinned. "More than ok."

Her heart dropped at his reaction. "What do you mean ok? How did you get covered in blood?"

"I took care of your little problem. Well I guess, our little problem now. You don't have to worry anymore." His eyes softened with affection, but were still gleeful with his happy news. However he could tell from her face that this wasn't going the direction he had hoped.

"Adam, no" she groaned. "Why would you do that? I have to turn you in." She moved inside the house, determined.

He sighed and quickly moved after her, locking the door behind him. He didn't want it to turn out this way. But hey, a little more blood wouldn't hurt.


-----------------------------------------

I know, not the most clever. But hey, what can I say about waiting till the last moment while I'm in an airport wating to get back to New Zealand. Creativity and procrastination generally don't mesh.

Check out all the other responses at these awesome blogs:

Kat!e Larson - katesnovelidea.blogspot.com

Quinlyn Shaughnessy - qsstoryblog.blogspot.com

Lady Violet - ladyvioletsblog.blogspot.com

Ginny Romney - romneyrants.blogspot.com

Flash Fiction Friday

The prompt this week was a stanza from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "A Dream". Here's my response. It begins with the stanza from the poem.

Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?

She pushed her textbook away. The past. The past? Can it be considered the past if it’s still sitting right next to you? A chill passed through her hand as her dead boyfriend’s ghost reached for the textbook, brushing her hand. “What’s up? Is the reading assignment not your cup of tea?”

“Um, no, it’s fine,” What’s not my cup of tea is the fact my last reading assignment accidentally led to the partial resurrection of my dead boyfriend. She looked at him across the table. His ghost had this dark shadow that was deepening behind his features. He was becoming more and more restless in this limbo he found himself in. The ‘ray of the past’ that lifted her heart the first time his ghost found her was all but gone. Her heart was broken when he died in that car accident a year ago, but was this any better? Could it even be worse?

She took her textbook back, smiling weakly at his pale and frightening features. Maybe more Poe could tell her what past is past and how to keep it there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

And there we have it! To see other responses check out the blogs here:

Kat!e Larson - katesnovelidea.blogspot.com

Quinlyn Shaughnessy - qsstoryblog.blogspot.com

Lady Violet - ladyvioletsblog.blogspot.com

Ginny Romney - romneyrants.blogspot.com