This week's optional prompt at Poets and Storytellers United is: a time you surprised yourself. The ending may be a sort of a surprise. I don't know why I went that direction, it just happened. Visit other participants over here.
Fiction: Gone
One hundred feet from the ground, Julia peered
down below and then at the man-child beside her. For about half an hour,
Ted played games on his phone.
Thirteen years ago, Julia was
introduced to Ted by common friends at this carnival. Ted thought it was
a good idea to ride the rollercoaster to celebrate their engagement but
a mechanical failure had stranded them.
Growing up, Julia had
foolishly rebelled on the wrong things and had thought marrying Ted will
make up for her mistakes. But ten years of waiting for an engagement
had altered her but Ted, he was the same expect the thirty extra pounds.
It was too late to turn back. Due to his many generosities of lending
money to his friends, he earned himself and Julia many debts. When she
asked him to get his friends to pay him back, he struck her face, twice.
That was the moment she felt like an insect who had been squashed one
too many times but still stood in the same place to be squash again and
again.
Slowly, Ted turned away from his phone screen and looked
up at her, eyes blinking slowly. He began to hunker down and the phone
slipped from his hands and struck against her feet. When she glanced up,
Ted was gone but there was a fat fly squatting on the leather seat and
it seemed to be gazing at her. Haphazardly, it flew up and away into
the dull afternoon sky.
A sudden drop and the rollercoaster
started turning. On the ground, Julia stumbled out of her seat.
Clementine, Julia's friend, rushed toward her and said, "I'm glad you're
alright. Wasn't Ted with you?"
Julia shook her head and shrugged. What could she say that didn't sound mad?
About nine minutes on the way home with Clementine driving, she exclaimed, "What the heck! That is one chubby fly."
On the windshield was a fat fly and it seemed to be staring at Julia.
Clementine turned on the wipers but the fly didn't move quick enough. A
short smear of red was left on the windshield but another swipe and it
was gone.

Good
ReplyDeleteChristine: Thanks. And thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day.
DeleteIt's so good to read your short fiction - so beautifully crafted and with a lasting feeling - Jae
ReplyDeleteJae Rose: Thank you for reading. And thanks for dropping by. Have a lovely day.
DeleteGreat story and I love how the fat fly kept turning up
ReplyDeleteMarja: Well, it was only once but it's enough.
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Oh dear! You sucked me into the story so much that I LAUGHED at the end when the fly was so hideously disposed of.
ReplyDeleteRosemary Nissen-Wade: That's one way to get rid of someone. I'm glad you enjoy my story.
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Tough life if you are a fly!
ReplyDeleteJ Cosmo Newbery: Yes, very tough.
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I think Ted got what he deserved.
ReplyDeleteRiver: Absolutely.
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Wonderful story Lissa. A creative mind can always garner great rewards!
ReplyDeleteHank
Hank: I guess my great reward is having people read this. Thanks for reading.
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LOL, I can think of several nominees for the Ted treatment. :D
ReplyDeleteRommy: So many people who deserves the Ted treatment, yep.
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Perfect ending with the fly getting squashed.
ReplyDeleteLive and Learn: I think so too.
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Good story! I liked your ending.
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