Walk the NaNo Plank

For this month’s Walk the Plank flash fiction challenge, the YA Buccaneers are celebrating NaNoWriMo by offering participants the opportunity to either write something original, or share 200 words of their current NaNo project. Since I’m not doing NaNo this year, I have a story to share. Here are the rules:

• It must be 200 words or fewer
• It must start with “I walked as quietly as I could into the room …”
• It must end with “That’s when I realized he knew …”
• Bonus points for using exactly 200 words

Here’s my response to the challenge:

I walked as quietly as I could into the room. It was after two in the morning, and Zack’s head was slumped back on the pillows that propped him up, his laptop nestled in the bedcovers on his legs. As I slid in beside him, I couldn’t resist. With the same care I used to pry toys from our sleeping daughter’s hands, I took the laptop from his legs and rested it on my own. Only this morning Zack had said how close he was to 50,000 words. He was so excited about his NaNo project, but he refused to tell me what it was about. Here it was in my lap. Temptation called to me, and I fell.

From the opening paragraph I was riveted. It was very good. Even as his devoted wife and number one cheerleader, I was surprised. The characters came alive, especially the jealous friend. The one who killed her best friend by spiking the casserole with peanut oil, just so she could steal her fiancé.

My heart raced; I could feel the cold sweat on my forehead. Propped up on his bedside table was a picture of Laura. That’s when I realized he knew…

Flash fiction is a lot of fun, and if you’re a writer, it really helps hone your craft. If you’re wanting a little diversion from your NaNo project, or perhaps something to kick-start the creative juices, why not Walk the Plank? Details on how to participate are on the YA Buccaneers blog.