What follows is a piece inspired by the prompt over at Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner. The key elements were the photo below, the phrase “a blinding light,” and no more than 200 words.
**I did cheat just a bit this week by switching the phrase from “a blinding light” to “the blinding light”–sorry!
Keep Walking – 200 words
My stomach lurched when I saw the blinding light of the flare.
Fiona had told me I should stay a mile or so behind her. “No need to risk us both. If there’s trouble, I’ll send up a flare.”
We’d walked this 90-mile route from Kalamazoo to Michigan City more than I could count in the year after the blast. Fi was certain her husband and daughter would look for her along that route, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
Early on, I-94 was filled with cars as people tried to get somewhere safe. Now that it was clear there were no more safe places, the highway was a reminder of what once was, an artery connected to a heart that no longer pumped.
We’d been watching a curl of smoke in the sky for two days. Fi believed people wouldn’t light a fire if they didn’t want visitors. I remembered the family whose crumpled bodies we’d found in a ditch the month before.
As Fi headed toward the faint light of the fire in the distance, she looked back over her shoulder at me. “Gotta keep walking,” she said, and then melted into the night.
Poor Fi. She risked everything for her friend. Great story.
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I was thinking about the saying “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Fi risked the most but also had more to gain if she found her family. Thanks for the visit! I have been sick and didn’t get a chance to post for a couple of weeks so it’s nice to get back into flash mode!
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Glad you’re feeling better!
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Exciting story, Amy. I was just on that stretch of I-94 a few days ago. Hope this wasn’t the end of the line for Fiona.
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There’s something about that route–any part of 94 running toward Chicago–that just seems perfect for trouble! 🙂
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Great story. Would be awful circumstances in but I get why they walk that route, seeking their family. Well written.
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Thanks… I’ve been watching/reading too many “end of the world” things lately, I think!
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Melting into the night is such a powerful phrase…..nicely done….
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Thanks–love that idea of the world without any electronic light and how easy it is to disappear. We don’t get that much now since there’s so much ambient light.
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I hope they’ll be okay… It’s a great story 🙂
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Interesting story good building up to the climax.
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Thanks for the visit! It’s so hard to try to have much story arc in these short pieces. I have this odd habit of beginning at the end and working backwards to be sure I get some sort of character change. Some days it works better than others.
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Yes, sometimes you have too much to tell/say. Cutting back on length makes it difficult to keep the story going at times!
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It’s also kind of a nice gift when I’m not sure “the rest of the story.” I’m used to writing longer pieces, so these flash adventures have stretched my skills in a good way.
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This storyhas a sci fi feel to it? Have you written in this genre before?
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Rarely–I tend to find the “real” world complicated enough, but I read/watch plenty of post-apocalyptic speculative fiction. There aren’t any strange creatures or technology in those, so I can go there. I was rather surprised this piece went that direction. Love that about these quickly little flash pieces!
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I agree with Michael, the last sentence, …”melted into the night.” Is a powerful sentence. I wonder what happened = the end of the world? Great story!
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Not exactly sure of that myself… I think I was imagining some sort of catastrophic disaster, but I didn’t get too far. The empty road just got me wondering why… Thanks for stopping by!
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Wow! Great story!
So I nominate you for the Liebster Award! And I really hope you accept! Here is my post on the award, https://motherwifeme.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/award-liebster-1st-my/
🙂
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Very kind–thanks! I haven’t managed to get something posted for these awards yet, but I’ll put it on my to-do list and give it a try. I appreciate the consideration!
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Very intriguing, Amy! I love reading stories set in the States – they always seem more exciting somehow!
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I’m not sure that the stories are any more exciting, but we definitely have much more space to mess things up here! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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