Home at last. Miriam hums and kicks off her heels, then checks the fridge. No real food. Sigh. Her cell emits a boisterous, You Can’t Get no, Satisfaction.
She unzips her gray wool dress and peaks at caller I.D. What’s Trina, want? I quit the group months ago. “What’s up? Rotten weather for driving. Book-club on tonight?”
“Not sure. Time will tell. Sam’s out of gas—stuck on Exit 42.”
“How can I help?” As if I care.
“We need your gas can. Meet Doris at the Upper James Sunoco station.”
“Dor-ris? What for?”
“She’s offered to keep you company.”
“This is irrational. You know she’s crazy, right? She hates me.”
“Bite the bullet this once, sweetie. Even Doris doesn’t remember why your conflict started.”
“And CAA?” Miriam grinds her teeth and drops the dress.
“Will take ninety minutes.”
“Doris doesn’t own a gun, does she? I don’t trust her.”
~ * ~
This is the new Fall Quarter of Flash in the Pan. The theme is Disturbed.
The word limit for Irrational is 150 words. I used them all again.
Check how to join: http://mommasmoneymatters.com/flash-fiction/
November 26, 2013 at 7:30 pm
I want to see what happens next! 😉 it’s funny when we can’t recall just how a conflict started, isn’t it? Sometimes, best forgotten though.
LikeLike
November 26, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Best forgotten but some people carry a grudge…silly as that might be. 😉
LikeLike
November 26, 2013 at 7:41 pm
DON’T GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
November 26, 2013 at 9:28 pm
I agree. This doesn’t sound good. 😉
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 6:03 am
When you do ‘flashes’ do you ever finish the ‘thought’. Even if only in your head and not on paper????
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Sometimes on paper but usually I’ll write three endings. I can never quite decide because the reader can decide on any number of them.
That’s the beauty of Flash, you give the reader enough information and let them choose the ending according to their whim. 😉
LikeLike
November 26, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Love the Stones reference 😀 Nice story!!
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Thank YOU, SSM.
I wonder if Miriam gets any satisfaction, or Doris?
😀
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 1:35 am
bite the bullet – does she own a gun…nice. It is a story of “Well now what happens? ~ smiles.
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:42 pm
I suppose anything the reader imagines happens. That’s why I enjoy Flash. Reading is so subjective, the ending might be imagined many different ways. 😉
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 1:44 am
exactly and in a way the reader makes up their own ending 🙂
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 10:47 am
🙂
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 2:46 am
Excellent! where do you get your ideas crazy lady? 🙂
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:39 pm
You are spot on. I am a crazy lady…maybe not crazy-crazy but a little off the wall. Just enough to be quirky I hope. 😀
Thank you, Gilly. You have made me smile. 🙂
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 2:59 am
Now you’ve left us hanging in suspense again 😉
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Thank YOU. 😀
If that is true, I’ve done my job. *giggles*
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 11:00 am
I feel the tension. Good job with that. What happens?!
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Shall I kill her off? Get her into an accident on the way because she’s nervous? Should she refuse to go, or…?.
This is too much fun. What do you think happens, Jacqui?
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 11:04 am
Omg, I’m dizzy, lol. I don’t know how you do that Tess, jumping from crisis to crisis, yet not losing the reader. Seriously though….Miriam may need a valium, lol. 🙂
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Good idea. Maybe she’ll convince Doris to drive after they fill up the can so she can keep an eye on her, or… 😉
Thanks so much Debby. I’m pleased you’ve enjoyed this.
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Lol Tess! And, I always enjoy visiting your page 🙂
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 10:54 am
You are way too easy to please but I thank you for your thoughtfulness and kindness. 😛
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Oh, au contraire my friend! I say what I feel, if I don’t have anything constructive to say, I just don’t. 🙂
LikeLike
November 29, 2013 at 11:46 am
Thank you. You are s.w.e.e.t.
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 11:19 am
Great writing Tess! What happens next?
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:25 pm
The world is our oyster. I can think of three scenarios. What do you think happened next? 😉
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 11:38 am
haha to the Stone’s reference. Your writing always makes me want more. 🙂
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 3:25 pm
I’m practicing on you, Paulette. If I can pull you in, I figure something’s working well. 😀
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Wow! I need to know what happens next… 😉
LikeLike
November 27, 2013 at 6:16 pm
What do you suppose might happen? 🙂
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 5:28 am
Well, Doris IS irrational, and she needs the gas can and, well, we both know what irrationality can do to a person… 😉
LikeLike
November 28, 2013 at 10:44 am
🙂
LikeLike
November 29, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Loved reading this my gifted friend.
LikeLike
November 29, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Wow. Thanks so much. Can you see me pink up? 😉
LikeLike
November 29, 2013 at 4:15 pm
Old grudges die hard! 🙂
Nice one.
LikeLike
November 29, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Indeed. Thank you for coming by. 😛
LikeLike
November 30, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Uh oh – what happens next? I almost don’t want to know. But of course,I have to.
Dum de dum dum….
LikeLike
November 30, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Pick the first ending that strikes you. 😛
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 11:42 am
This was fun. I compared your flash fiction to Val’s regarding the word “irrational.” Both of them are scary. I think the Doris will be up to no good. She knows she’ll have you trapped and the “thing” that broke off your relationship will be hers to attack you about and you’ll be cornered. Why do I say this: I know it to be true from experience. Nothing irrational about this piece what so ever–oh good grief, I’ve got a stomach ache! 🙂
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Aren’t you fun! Thank YOU. Yep, I’m sure this is an opportunity for Doris… 🙂
Both flashes are scary because the theme for this quarter is ‘disturbed’. This has been a challenge for me as I don’t usually enter troubled water but now I have. 😀
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Is it snowing here on your blog or I’m wrong?
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Yep, it’s snowing but I don’t need to shovel it. Tee-Hee.
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 3:12 pm
I love snow, so yes, no need 🙂
LikeLike
December 1, 2013 at 5:06 pm
🙂
LikeLike
December 2, 2013 at 3:37 am
HI Tess,
I can just feel Miriam’s fatigue and stress, and fear. You are so good at loading your scenes and it’s always something that I take away and think about afterwards. You are such a talented writer.
LikeLike
December 2, 2013 at 10:37 am
Thanks so MUCH, Naomi. I do enjoy working on these characters and am pleased if / when they are appealing. You are too kind.
I, on the other hand, am in awe of your travel journals because you capture the best and most interesting parts so well. 🙂
LikeLike
December 3, 2013 at 11:17 am
Do you remember when we used to have Kerosene heaters? OMG the smell! The gas can reminded me of those cold days at my grandmothers house!
LikeLike
December 3, 2013 at 9:36 pm
Did YOU? No I didn’t have that experience. I grew up with wood stoves and oil heating. Now gas.
What country are you in. Interesting to discuss heating.
LikeLike
December 4, 2013 at 7:26 am
Well I am in the US. My father’s family is from Arkansas. IN the winter my dad would buy kerosene and fill up the heater. The smell was SO BAD! And I was terrified by the white hot coils in the heater. It was TO hot! My grandmother still uses hers… she’s like 92.
LikeLike
December 4, 2013 at 7:30 am
Old habits die hard. Kerosene sounds so dangerous and I know the smell. So long as your grandmother can still manage, at least she can keep warm. 😀
LikeLike
December 4, 2013 at 9:22 am
She’s NUTS! You can take the girl out of the country….
LikeLike
December 4, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Yeah, I know but old habits die hard. 🙂
LikeLike
December 3, 2013 at 7:37 pm
And if she doesn’t own a gun, would she have another weapon? This doesn’t bode well…!
LikeLike
December 3, 2013 at 9:27 pm
You know ‘some’ women…;-)
LikeLike
December 6, 2013 at 5:41 am
Oh no! What happens next!
LikeLike
December 6, 2013 at 8:12 pm
She and her husband drag the guy into their car as he screams he hasn’t found the ring, OR, a thick fog descends… ???
LikeLike
November 22, 2014 at 11:20 am
LOL… This sounds way too much like real life. There’s a good reason why i’m always “in another room” when the phone rings! 😈
LikeLike
November 22, 2014 at 3:44 pm
😀 😀 Thank you for your comment, Teagan. How do you find the time to browse when you’re on NaNo. Oh, weekends you rest?
LikeLike