Revelation [flash 271]

“Everyone is staring at us, Mom,” Julie complained. “I wish we could have found an inconspicuous way to travel to the Emperor’s birthday party.”

Her mother’s face settled into obstinate lines as she gazed at the road flying by. “You’re the one who didn’t wake up in time for the skytrain. Besides, this is the safest way to travel. Why do you care what a bunch of streeters think?”

Julie shrugged. “You never know who will remember later.”

“Later?” Her mother laughed. “You’ll be protected. You have nothing to worry about.”

“You can’t promise that,” Julie muttered, as she pulled her silky knit scarf around her face, hoping to hide her identity.

“Honey,” her mother sighed. “Who do you think has protected us all this time? Given us a beautiful skyhome? Sent you to the academy?”

“My father obviously!” Julie rolled her eyes. “I wish he’d return from his mission to X9 so I could meet him finally.”

“I lied to you,” her mother admitted. “Your father isn’t on a mission and you have met him. Many times. You’ll be seeing him today.”

Julie stared at her. “The Emperor?!”

“He is your father.”

Suddenly, the vehicle stopped moving and sank to the ground, as if deliberately sabotaged by the emperor’s maintenance men. The car was immediately surrounded by streeters out for revenge against a piece of luxury when they barely had enough to eat. Julie began screaming.

The doors burst open and Stan the retired Star Lieutenant motioned them out. “This way. Quickly. I have a safe ship waiting for you both.”

Could they trust him? Did they have any choice?

~*~

Written for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge 26

~*~

© 2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Firewood [flash 124]

Jake slid his phone back in his jacket, for no camera could capture this magnificence. The sunrise beamed through the tree branches and set the forest path aglow like a mystical morning fireplace. Everything bloomed in molten hues of red, orange, and gold. These woods were bewitching and the farther he wandered, the more certain he was he’d made the right decision. Only last week he’d sold everything, quit his desk job, and left his dull life for a nomadic existence, traveling nature’s paths, being at one with the rhythm of the tides, and sleeping under a blanket of stars every night.

Jake was so blissed out picking berries in the sun shower that never heard the mountain lion pad softly up behind him.

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge 25

© 2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Nemesis [flash 100]

He paused beside the smooth, towering trees, touching one tentatively as if for balance. The ground was spongy cool beneath his bare feet, but nothing hopped or crawled. Golden light poured in from the north and he slowly turned toward it, shading his eyes. He’d been away for a long time and moved hesitantly, not knowing what dangers lurked. Was his nemesis still hunting him, or did she die in the explosion along with the prototype humans? He needed to find out and began to jog toward the light.

“Cut!” yelled the director. “We’ll do the eyeball scene after lunch.”

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge

Time Pieces

She smashed the clocks,

Flung the watches off the dock,

Determined to outwit time.

She covered the windows

So day became night;

Not a ray of sunshine

Found its way inside.

Prowling the quiet halls,

She owned the darkness;

Her face remained unlined,

Her body graceful as a child’s,

As everyone she knew died.

Eventually, her house crumbled,

The walls collapsing to dust,

And she stood alone in the rain.

A new world sputtered to life,

Full of hollow fluttering things,

And she became its cursed ruler.

She stared at the silent lake,

That graveyard of timepieces,

And knew a different kind of chain.

Perhaps she had made a mistake.

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge

Networking [flash 360]

“Let’s all toast to another great quarter!” Mitch raised his glass. “To Global Imports.”

Wendy smiled and raised her water glass. She was new and hadn’t made a sale yet, but their confidence was infectious.

Bob frowned at her. “You can’t toast with water. It’s bad luck.”

“I don’t drink,” Wendy said. “But I’m really happy to be here at Global, and in fact I have a couple leads to follow up on next–”

“Why don’t you drink?” Larissa asked. “Are you in AA?”

“You can’t ask her that!” Mitch said. “It’s a human rights violation or something.”

But they all stared at her anyway, and Wendy felt obligated to say something. “I’m not an alcoholic,” she said. “But I just don’t feel well when I drink.”

Bob laughed. “You’re obviously not drinking the good stuff! This is top shelf bubbly, Wendy. C’mon, just have half a glass.”

She waved his offer away. “No really. I’d rather not. Thank you though.”

Larissa rolled her eyes. “Whatever. No point in inviting you to come to the picnic on Saturday. People will think you’re weird and snobby if you’re not having beers like the rest of us.”

“Unless you’re pregnant,” Bob said. “Are ya?”

“Bob!” Mitch admonished. “I told you guys ixnay on the personal questions.”

Wendy felt uncomfortable with the group but gamely stayed until they finished the bottle, which was only another few minutes. She walked slowly to her car, wondering what her future was going to be like at Global Imports. Short, most likely.

“Excuse me,” a man said.

Wendy turned around. “Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Tom, and I’d like to give you my card. I know your coworkers and I couldn’t help overhearing a bit of the conversation where they were pressuring you to drink.”

“Oh, well, they were just being friendly.” Wendy didn’t want to badmouth her new company after only a week of work.

“I’m sure. But consider calling me for an interview. We sell non-alcoholic cider and would love to have you aboard, Wendy. Ask for me.” He smiled. “I’ll remember you.”

“The girl who rejected top shelf bubbly.”

“Has a nice ring to it.”

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction 18

Neoma 2.0 [flash 160]

Neoma waited for further instructions. She gazed out at the harbor as dawn turned the dark sea to turquoise and illuminated the commercial boats, few now, more later. The man she’d been assigned to seduce was showering in the bathroom. Now she registered that he’d turned the water off. Soon he would emerge and likely inquire if she desired breakfast. It was possible she would be told to kill him.

The moon tattoo on her wrist emitted a slight vibration. Neoma glanced at it, interpreting the numerical code. She was to leave here immediately and locate a new target, abandoning this one.

“Where are you going?” the man said as Neoma put on her shoes. “Don’t you want coffee?”

He grabbed her arm as she reached for the door handle and she shoved him away, just hard enough that he was only airborne for a moment before landing on the floor.

She turned and left, heading for the yacht club.

~*~

Written for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge 17

The Friendship Cafe [flash 250]

Stan was starving. It had been half a day since he’d passed a rest stop, and he had long since run out of his stash of trail mix. Plus, his VW bug was now dangerously low on gas. As he daydreamed of a sumptuous bowl of lovely fettuccine noodles drenched with Alfredo sauce and topped with fresh seafood, he saw a sign for “Gas & Eats.”

That would have to suffice. Stan exited the dark, desert highway and proceeded along the bumpy unpaved road until he came to a common self-service gas station with a diner behind it. After filling his tank, Stan moseyed over to the restaurant, noting with pleasure the scent of garlic and onions starting to dominate the air. Mmm!

“Welcome to the Friendship Café!” a beautiful brunette greeted him as he walked through the door. An equally beautiful redhead stood by her side. “I’m Maori and this is Shayla. We love to make new friends for dinner.”

“Me too,” Stan said. “I’m Stan, and I’m starving. What’s on the menu!”

“You!” Shayla giggled. “Just take off your clothes in the back room, put on the light robe, and we’ll be all set to begin.”

“Wow, this is friendly!” Stan went in the back to disrobe. What a fun place he’d found. Dinner and a threesome, woohoo!

Maori and Shayla sharpened their knives in the kitchen as the water began to boil under the large pot. Stan looked so good, and the girls were very very hungry.

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge

Sugar Sugar [flash 160]

Bettina needed this quiet down time to herself after the hectic day she’d had at school with a classroom full of spirited 7th graders playing pranks. She ordered a café au lait and carefully placed it on the table next to her notebook and pen. She planned to write a bit of poetry and relax for an hour before heading home to grade papers.

But first she took a bathroom break, stopping to brush her hair and reapply lipstick. You never knew when Mr. Right might decide to make a surprise appearance. Best to be prepared.

Bettina went back to her table, sat down, and took a sip of coffee. “AAACCCKKK!” She spit the coffee back into the cup. Gross! It tasted as if some imp had dumped an entire cup of sugar in it.

A table nearby erupted into shrieks of laughter. “April Fool, Miss Lyon!” It was a group of her students.

Bettina rolled her eyes and sighed.

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge

The Nurse [280]

They’re here again. Slipping through the halls. Black-haired, pale-skinned. I know what they want. I’ve always known what they wanted. Their satanic clothing is in rags, but I can still see their gleaming crucifixes, a mockery of all that’s good and holy. One is in my room now, reaching for me with scarred bony fingers–

I sit up in bed, covered with sweat, my heart racing. It’s pitch black, hours until dawn, and I’m alone with my nightmares. But the phantoms are real, and they’re going to drag me down to hell with them.

Someone comes in and flips on the light. Oh, it’s the nice nurse Cathy. “Bad dreams again, Miz Violetta? I’ll give you something to help you sleep.”

“It’s the dead rockers,” I whisper. “The ones I wrote about in my bestseller. Their souls are coming for vengeance.”

“Now, now,” Cathy says. “I’m sure they were happy for the publicity. Things just seem scarier at night.”

She obviously didn’t read my book. I had exposed the group as a devil worshipping cult and destroyed them. Their fans had stalked me for decades. I thought I’d finally found peace as I waited to die from my failing heart.

Cathy returns with a cup of water and a pill. “Here you go, honey.”

“Thanks.” I take the pill with the water and lay back down.

Cathy sits in her chair, but she’ll leave eventually and that’s when they will come. And they know what I’ve done and how I got my information.

*

Cathy watches her patient. That bitch. She ruined my son’s life. The hallucinogens are a nice way of finally getting a small bit of payback.

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge

The Dream [flash 107]

He always watched from afar as she walked toward the cliff, oblivious to danger as she softly played her flute in the warm summer breeze. Her dress was the color of hyacinths, and a crown of flowers adorned her chestnut hair. As he tried to warn her, the words tangled in his brain, for he was but a beast and could not speak. Finally, he began to run, but it was too late. He was always too late.

He woke in the dark, hours before dawn, as reality spiraled in once again. It had been three years. When would he stop dreaming about trying to save her?

~*~

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge