Behind the Curtain: Flash Fiction Contest

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

by McKenzie Barham

Broadway is a very broad thing indeed, Tal thought, watching sadistic dancers filling the stage below him. The audience was empty, the broken stadium seating protruding like a spine stripped of it’s flesh.
            The lower classes and their obsession with fantasies intrigued him.
            We sweep their stages and let them play. Until they die... and the cast grows smaller.
            Tal shook his head, knowing what Rhiannon would say.

            “They only perform to survive, stupid.”
           

            He found Rhiannon in the wings, her face frozen with painful colors. She wasn’t happy to see him.

            “Hello, Rhi.”

            Rhiannon’s sharp breath gave her away, gave Tal hope, as she painted pictures to ask why he’d come.

            Tal ignored the frenzied questions. “Are you well?”

            She stiffened. Tal reached out to touch her face but she grasped his hand before it reached her. Tal gritted his teeth. He could barely ignore the ache in his chest.

            “Chamile’s taken the throne.”

            A small snarl curled her silent lips.

            “You have to come back; we have to be there for her.”

            Rhiannon pretended to throw a crown from her head and spit upon it.

            Tal snorted. “What are titles? What is royalty? Just a random selection of genetic material capable of feeding the masses.”

            Rhiannon pointed to Tal’s heart and shook her head. You’re a true prince, she mimed. True princes shouldn’t come to this hellhole.

            “And real mime’s shouldn’t have tongues,” Tal shot back. Rhiannon cracked a smile and she looked human.

            “Chamile is working to re-open the children factories,” he said eagerly. “Rhi! It’s everything we’ve hoped for… We have to go back.”

            Rhiannon’s mouth fell open.

            Tal took her hands. “There’s going to be children again, Rhi, and-and not just children! There’s going to be babies, Rhi, think of it!”

            “Babies,” Rhiannon whispered, tears filling her eyes. “Oh, Tal…”

            Tal nodded, grinning ear to ear.

            “I suppose I failed here,” she said hoarsely, glancing at the rafters above them.

            “All the world’s a stage, Rhi. You just have to write the script.”

            She stripped off her mime robe. “And I’ll give it a happy ending.”

351 Words

Only another hour to enter the contest! I'm squeaking in. Thank you, Anna, for inspiring me to write a flash fiction. It's been too long. :)

Love, Kenzie

Find the contest here: http://yearningforwonderland.blogspot.com/2012/10/behind-curtain-flash-fiction-contest.html

Menage Mondays

I won a contest. :)

*happy sigh*

You know that feeling when you get to the end of a book and you're sad that its all over but... ahhh, its just so good? Yep. That's what I feel like.

Cara Michaels has a fun flash fiction writing prompt on her blog called Menage Mondays. They happen on Mondays (surprise...) and are simply loads of delicious writing fun. You get three prompts: A picture, a phrase and a theme that all have to be incorporated into your 200 words-or-less entry.

This was the Mission yesterday :

The Photo:

The Phrase: too much damage (can be used anywhere.)

&

The Theme (or the Judges Prompt) : pretending

And my champion entry! I've been watching a lot of Grimm, Once Upon a Time, the Bourne movies and NCIS lately. Can you tell? X)

"What do you see?" 

“Ummm,” Lucy cocked her head. “A baby giraffe.”

“What about this one?” Lewis pulled out another photo. We watched from the dark side of the two-way mirror.

The General grunted. “She’s dangerous, Mr. President.”

“Empty words. That’s all you’ve had for me for three days,” I said slowly. “I need proof –her parents want her back and I don’t see why they shouldn’t.”

The General rubbed his forehead. He had dark circles under his eyes and had already consumed three cups of coffee.

“She’s caused too much damage, I can’t– what is he doing?!”

Lewis was holding a picture of an explosion behind a highway.

“That’s you,” Lucy said sweetly. I leaned closer to the glass. The General ordered Lewis out. They couldn’t get the door open.

“Me?”

Lucy nodded. Lewis swallowed, glanced towards the mirror and showed her the next picture. The picture of the destruction they said she had caused.

“Get him out of there!”

“Those are dead people.” 

Lewis frowned.

“Lucy…”

“What? I thought we were pretending!” She giggled and the camera feed crackled as black smoke trickled into the room. When the room exploded, all you could see were her blue eyes. 

Its funny, cause I wrote this literally 30 minutes before the contest closed and I wasn't sure I even liked it. Guess I do now. ;) 

Let me know what you think!