Flash Club September Flash Club 2020

[Barbara]

Hi All,

Welcome to the September Flash Club.

To participate, use the writing prompt as well as the word limit given to write a piece of flash fiction, then either post below, or click here to make your entry.

Please note, your entry will be anonymous. So take a risk and try something new.

We still need your votes. You can vote by clicking 'like' or 'love'. If a piece grabs you, please hit the 'like' button. If a piece sweeps you off your seat, please hit 'love'. At the end of the month, I will count up the votes. In a tie, 'Love' will trump 'like'. The entry with the most votes will be the winner. Please don't vote for your own. The Flash Club isn't about about winning. It's about trying something new. It's about grabbing readers with words, and gaging the response. Self-votes don't show if the writing works for the reader.

The most generous voter will get a mention. At the end of the month I will announce the most supportive Flash Voter who will get a special shout-out. The prize? Kudos. And please don't just hit every entry to ensure a win. That's not helping the author. The voting is designed to help writers gage the effects of their work.

And please keep to the word count. Writing to a specific brief is good practice.

The competition is open to all members. Feel free to enter more than one. The main rule here: we ask you not to critique.

Here is this month's prompt.



Word count: 100

Enjoy. Any questions, PM me.

See you next month.

B

 

[Litopian]

Locked

It started with a simple padlock

To protect a bruised ego.

The echo of their laughter

Rattled and faded

But did not vanish.



The second lock

Was inspired by a crush

On an older boy

Who called her ‘little girl’.



After that, it became natural.

A lock for every hurt.

A shutting down,

A shutting out.

Protection

From the sting of rejection,

The ache of loss,

The roiling nausea of failure.



Only later,

Did she wonder

Where the keys had gone.

 

[Litopian]

Knock, knock.

Let us in!
We know you’re in there, Barbara.
Go away!
We just want to talk.
I’ve told you everything you need to know.
Yeah, in two hundred and seventy-two words. I counted.
What do you want?
More words, Barbara.
You can’t have any. They’re all mine. Mine, mine, I tell you.
Open up this minute.
No.
Now, Barbara.
We’re going to count to three.
You can count as much as you like.
Yeah? How exactly?
Silently?
Hurry up! We’ve used eighty-one, make that eight-four, no -five, no -seven.
Idiot. One.
Come on, Barbara.
Two.
Please. We just want more

 

[Litopian]

Unlocking the answer?

What are they trying to keep secret with five padlocks?

It must be something quite important to warrant such levels of security. But behind a very unassuming and beaten-up old door?

Hmm.

Perhaps the door's state is a double bluff. Question: where's the last place you'd expect to find this thing? Answer: behind something as clapped-out as this door.

And the number 41. Is it a clue? Is it a riddle to solve? Could it just be behind the door is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything? 42? Just add one? You never know.

 

[Litopian]

Locked Rock

Another one. What’s special about this ole house, Mr. Barratt?
Joe said there's this old piano and they play it hot. Listen.
I only hear laughter. What are you doing?
What does it look like? Shakin’ my hips.
Control yourself. It’s past midnight.
Woo! Weeah!
Pipe down. And stop your clapping. You’ll wake the neighbours.
I wish they’d let me in to join the happy crowd.
The eyeball’s owner didn’t appear enamoured. Bring a milk bottle next time?
There’s a song here, waiting to get out, I can feel it.
Really? And what will you call this masterpiece? Green door?

 

[Litopian]

Double-blind

"Take no notice. Them's the hinges, not the openin'. Just move to the other side, lift the metal spike, and step back. Yeah, that's it. Now we go to work. You grab the chairs, I'll get the fancy umbrelly things. We'll set up the ice-cream truck out the back entrance to the footy."
"This isn't your place, is it?"
"Nah, mate. Not nobody's place now. The old lady offed it, and nobody noticed, so the stuff she had tucked away got stoled, and when I foun' out, I locked it up good an' tight. So, now it's mine, and until a legal tell's me to bugger off, it's where I store the stuff I find."
"I've got some stuff that needs a temporary home."
"What? Hot, warm, or cold?"
"Cold."
"Yeah, arright. When?"
"Tomorrow okay?"
"Yeah. Just don' let anyone see how you open the door, yeah?"
"Yep."
Finally, Rory had somewhere to store the old freezers and their contents where no one was likely to look, or to link to him if they did. And he'd keep an eye on this bloke while selling 'ice-cream' for him.

 

[Litopian]

Locky lock-lock

So I asked him – what’s all them locks for?

What locks? he said, like an idiot.

All them locks there, on the door, I said.

Nah mate, he said, there’s only one lock on the door.

What about them other locks? I said.

Oh them, he said, like he’d just noticed them.

Them’s are locks on the wall, he said.

Why do you need locks on your wall? I said.

Come, he said, listen.

I put my ear to the wall.

I can’t hear . . . I said

Shhh . . . he said. You’ll hear it soon . . .

Then I heard it, and understood everything.

 

[Litopian]

Pick The Lock

Which one is it? Quickly. I’m going to count.
She squinted at the grainy image. Even magnified, she hadn’t a clue.
I don’t know—
Ten, nine—
Crap, they all look the same.
—eight—
Sweat dribbled into her eyes.
—seven—
The third one down!
Sure?
No.
—six—
Shut up! Let me think!
—five—
All of them!
All?
Or none.
—four, three—
The big one on the door.
Is that your final answer?
She swallowed.
—two, one—
YES.
Click.

 

[Litopian]

The Covid Room

The photo lay on the desk.

‘I like it,’ said Boris Janestone. 'I like it a lot. It’s solid, say's we've got it sewn up, contained, locked up tight. Everyone is safe to come out now and get back to work.'

'Thought you might,' said Dominic Bummings. 'Lots of research went into the psychology. Had my team of crackpots busy on it for a month. Lock Down is old hat. Now we have Covid Locked Up. Could win us the next election.'

'Maybe we could stick it on the side of a bus and tour the country with it. A sort of victory parade. Make the peasants feel better. Tell them we have everything under control. We do have everything under control, don't we?'

'Now don't go bothering with trivialities. Eventually, it will be true, so best we anticipate it. Get ahead of the curve. That's our job.'

'Slogan is what we need. No more Down, think Up. That sort of thing.'

Bummings nodded. 'I'll get the crackpots on it after school. Meanwhile, why don't you get the Health Secretary to prematurely announce the new campaign? Perhaps give him a bunch of keys to dangle in front of the press.'

'Bummings, you are brilliant.'

'I know Boris, I know. It's why I told you to appoint me.'

 

[Litopian]

41 Revolution Road

One lock for safety to shut in our stuff
Two locks for peace to keep out the rough
Three locks to stop us from crying to sleep
Four locks is madness but
Wolves are out killing sheep
So the fifth lock's for us
Our
Blood
Won't stain the streets


The wolves are out killing sheep
You
Must
Spread the truth that we keep