Friday Flash Fiction - week 22!

A Thousand Memories

And there he was. After fifteen years he was different, of course; more grey than not, beard gone, eyes bordered by wrinkles, but the man I’d had a child with all those years ago was essentially the same. 

It seemed completely wrong to be watching him through the large windows of an Oxford tearoom. Reading the paper, he drank every few seconds from a flowered cup on a matching saucer. A plate with crumbs and a crumpled white napkin was in front of him. Why was he here? Were we supposed to meet? 

As I pulled away, he looked up and our eyes met. It can only have been seconds, but it seemed as if a thousand memories flashed before my eyes; of Sophia, of him, and of David, the man who took me a my daughter on and gave us a home and a life together. 

I ran. Down the crowded street, pushing and shoving people with my bags. I ran until the cold air had reached the bottom of my lungs and left me breathless. I ducked into an alcove and waited. For minutes I waited to see if he'd followed me and a wave of sadness washed over me when I realised he hadn't. Of course not. He didn't care now, as he didn't care then.  

L. Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This is part three of the mini series involving David, Karen and Sophia. Each has been written from a different person's perspective and tells a different part of their story. Each piece should be a standalone piece, but if you're interested in the previous pieces click here for Confessions (week 1) and here for Numb (week 2). 

Took part in the CAKE.shortandsweet Wednesday Write-In again this week. Prompts: paperback, bounce, crushing, liquor, root. First draft quite different from final. Click here to read Darkness.

Had my first book reviews published in TIME OUT HONG KONG this week. Very excited to be a part of that team! Unfortunately you can't see them online, you'll just have to buy a copy (if you're in Hong Kong, that is)!  

I've also stepped, rather gingerly, into the 21st century and have set up a twitter account! If you'd like to follow me, I can be found bumbling my way through this technology @laurabesley 
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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading. 

Friday Flash Fiction - week 21!

Numb

I wiped the snot dripping from my nose with the back of my hand. 
“Sophia,” Mum said. “Use a tissue.” 
Really? Well, I guess it is rather rank. I reached over and pulled out a scented blue tissue and threw it in the bin. Dad hadn’t said a word and his silence was always the worst. Worse than Mum’s who could blow as hot as the desert or as cold as an ice cap in the space of seconds. 
“They’re right,” he whispered. 
“David!”
“What?”
“You can’t just drop a bombshell like that without any warning!”
“How much more warning does she need?” 
They’re right. I looked at the pair of them yelling at each other across the breakfast bar. I heard no words, only the crashing of their voices and the words floated around like autumn leaves in a storm. My head felt twice the size as normal and I let it drop behind me and rest on the cool kitchen tiles. They’re right. Does that mean what I think it means? 
And then, as if the wind stopped, the words dropped to the floor and there was silence. 
“Sophia,” Mum said. “What Dad’s trying to say is-”
“He’s not my real dad.” 
“Of course I’m your real dad. I’m just not your biological dad.” 
“Why did no-one tell me before?” My insides felt like ice and if I inhaled too deeply the ice will shatter into a million pieces. 
“It never seemed like the right time,” Mum said. “It’s still not the right time.” 
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” I looked at Dad. 
He answered slowly. “I was afraid you’d love me less and I couldn’t bear it.”  
“To be honest, I probably couldn’t love you any less at the moment.” 

***

Looking back I regretted those words and we’ve moved on, but things have never been the same. I guess they couldn’t, could they?

L. Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

For the first time I'm doing a mini series using the same characters and this is a follow-on piece from last week. The people who commented encouraged me to write 'the conversation' which was about to take place at the end of last week's FF. You should be able to read this as a standalone piece, but if you're interested in last week's piece, click here for Confessions. 

I've been doing a flash fiction online course with Calum Kerr for the last six weeks. Although it's been hard to fit it all in around my normal working week, it's been really interesting and I've learned a lot. 

I've also stepped, rather gingerly, into the 21st century and have set up a twitter account! If you'd like to follow me, I can be found bumbling my way through this technology @laurabesley 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.