Beyond (Flash Fiction)
I generally don’t write romance. Some of my stories may have romantic elements, but it’s not the primary focus. So, as it’s Valentine’s day, here’s a short story that definitely isn’t romantic…
This short story was originally published in the Indies Unlimited 2017 Flash Fiction Anthology and was the second year that I had a story selected. Both of them seemed to involve dark comedy and children… I’m not sure what that says about me or the selection criteria, but I really enjoyed writing this one.
If you haven’t tried writing flash fiction, you really should. It’s a lot of fun and doesn’t take that much time. Sure, it could take a little while for you to get into your stride, but once you’re going they will fly out of you.
It’s a great creative outlet and a fun way to experiment with writing. With only two-hundred and fifty words it’s easier to spot the errors and fix them. There’s nowhere for them to hide.
So without further ado…
Beyond
The door crashed open as Bobby burst onto the front porch. He leapt down the steps and raced toward the river, the soft ground squelching between his toes as he buttoned up his jeans.
A woman clutching a bedsheet hurried onto the porch and called after him, her messy hair dancing in the breeze as goosebumps spread across her naked skin. “HEY! HE’S JUST A BOY.”
Bobby waved his hand dismissively. The Sheriff was closing in and he could do without this. He bent down and scooped up a crumpled green bill, noticing a trail of banknotes leading down to the river. He squeezed the bill in his fist.
His jeans darkened as they drank in the morning dew. He skidded to a halt when the trail vanished.
The river rumbled past, shimmering in the morning sun. A cool wind swept through the long grass.
“JIMMY.” He watched and waited.
A small mop of blond hair popped up beside the river. Jimmy waved, beckoning him to follow.
Bobby ran toward him, sinking further into the marsh surrounding the river. He squinted as the sun bounced off ripples and eddies, blinding him.
“Hey, Mister.”
“Jimmy!” He waded toward the boy, glancing at the empty burlap bag resting on the reeds. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Jimmy grinned and held up a green paper boat. “This paper folds good.”
Bobby eyed the boat, before turning his gaze to the river as a vast fleet of hundred dollar bills sailed away.
The End
It has been one of my goals to try to incorporate a little more fiction into my blog and fully utilize the author part of the Otaku Author. This is an older story and I have recently edited it, but have kept it with two-hundred and fifty words.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.
“With only two-hundred and fifty words it’s easier to spot the errors and fix them. There’s nowhere for them to hide.”
Kinda like haiku, only it’s harder to spot the errors and harder to fix them. With only eleven odd (English) syllables, you’re sharply constrained.
They definitely help to weed out unnecessary words. The shorter you go the harder it gets though and I find haiku gets even trickier because you’re constantly second guessing how many syllables a word has. Good fun though.
Had no idea you had wrote fiction or short stories/flash fiction! This was interesting to read something short and sweet! I definitely didn’t expect to see this kind of content on your blog but it’s great! Hope to see more in the future!
Thanks. I have some more lined up and need to get back to writing new ones too.