Flash Fiction Friday
Today I’m re-posting a 100-word story/vignette I submitted to this week’s “Warm Up Wednesday” on the Flash! Friday blog. The challenge was twofold (threefold if you count the 100 word limit):
- Use the following picture as inspiration:
2. Include a homeless person.
My story is called “Broken”:
“Loop de loop… loop de loop…”
That’s all he ever says, the battered, broken man sitting across from me, when he isn’t dipping down to spoon beef stew between his hairy lips. Then he catches my eye, and there’s a glint, a small spark, a faint twitch of the mouth. Recognition, perhaps? Who can be sure?
The stew is actually very good. I don’t know what I expected from this homeless shelter. Been in so many, the food starts to taste the same. But now it’s time to move on.
“Come on, Captain,” I say, grabbing the old man’s arm.
Part of the fun and frustration with flash fiction–especially short flash fiction–is trying to tell a story. Because you only have a handful of words, much of the story must be hinted or implied. In the best flash stories, the story isn’t so much in what’s said as in what’s not said. The story behind “Broken” might be a little too subtle, but there is one. Can you see it? Of course, the great thing about art is even if you don’t see the story I intended, you might see a completely different story–maybe a better story–and that’s cool! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
