Sunday Fiction – “Stay With Me” and “Khanom-Tako”
Two flash fiction stories – icebergs and droids and secrets, oh my!
Hello again!
Well it’s about time, isn’t it!
I tell you, when people talk about the fatigue that comes with Covid-19 they are not kidding. Anyway...
Since the next story for Where the Stars Used to Sing isn’t quite finished yet (working title: “The Shell and the Lighthouse Keepers”), I thought I’d share two other short pieces that I’ve written for Flash!Friday’s new competitions.
The first, “Stay With Me” had to include something in the water and the second, “Khanom-Tako” had to include a droid.
Stay With Me
The memories of my words hung frozen in the air. We’d all tried to describe the iceberg, but none had been able to capture its sheer magnitude and beauty.
“I’ll never be able to fit this in one photo,” Pat said.
“I wish I could go climb it,” Clarke said.
I heard someone call my name and whipped my head around.
“Shh – listen.” The frozen word hung in the air for a moment. Everyone paused, looking at me.
“What? I didn’t hear anything.” Pat started snapping away with his camera again.
I looked around. None of the other tourists seemed to have heard it either. All were talking and taking selfies.
The ice groaned and heaved as it started to flip over.
“Stay with me,” the waters whispered.
I stared into the dark depths, saw her face etched within wrinkled shadows. She smiled and then reached up to me. And knew I would never leave.
Khanom-Tako
He reminded me of the man who’d assembled me long ago. Haunted eyes glanced at me. He wiped his brow.
The air – I’d been told – was stifling in here. It made me glad that I couldn’t breathe.
I handed the old man a palm-sized box.
He took it gingerly, then grinned as he smelled the coconut of the khanom-tako that I’d made for him.
I wished I could smile back.
But I think he knew.