Here's My Advice
A double shot of flash fiction
This is the latest serving of ‘Double Espresso’; two short stories based on the same prompt - a 50-word tale, and a 100-word imagining. Two sho(r)t stories … the Double Espresso.
It has been a lean spell, other priorities nudging fiction writing aside. I have felt the keenness of an ‘absence’, missing something that always brings me joy. I need a quick injection, to feel the words coursing through my veins, the flash of inspiration that sparks flash fiction.
‘Fifties by the Fire’ is the home of micro-fiction on
; the prompts offered generously by elicit 50-word compositions of the highest quality. Belatedly, I grabbed a space close to last week’s fire before the embers died and the heat left the inspiration. The prompt is ‘proffered advice’ … one story came to mind immediately (I don’t know as I type this whether it is the 50-word or the 100-word shot in my ‘double espresso’. But I’ll never find out unless I ‘Just Write, Right’).I hope you enjoy these short stories, designed to be sipped as Coffee Break fiction.
Twist
“Here’s the deal”, he rasped, nicotine-stained fingers tapping his cards. “Take back your stake, walk away, no harm done, young fella”.
“Yeah right, old man”, the hustler snarled, splaying his hand. Three Kings.
Silence.
His arthritic fingers ached but he started turning over Aces.
“I tried to warn you, kid”.
(50 words)
Morning Boys
Most weeks they were there. Leather jackets proudly declaring they were on the Road to Hell, frequent appearances at the Courthouse confirming that prognosis. Lank hair, foul mouths, bad skin. Bad sorts. Strewn across the steps while they waited for charges to be heard, fines to be paid. Backslapping raucousness greeting today’s ‘hero’. Wolf whistles and licentious invitations to ‘straddle my ride’ greeted the willowy leather-clad woman striding confidently up the steps. She paused briefly, locking each leering face in her memory. “There’s a new judge in town, boys, and you might want to know, I don’t take no shit”.
(100 words)
Here is the original ‘Fifties by the Fire’ prompt and the stories it inspired (in the comments).
Perhaps you’ll add your own?
And if flash fiction is your fix, knocked back in one short powerful hit, then here are some other ‘roasts’ you might like to try:
Kick Start
Ideas pop up when you least expect them. I was sharing a 100-word story on Notes, gauging how to encourage folk to peek in. I offered a sense that it was a ‘coffee break story’, short form like an espresso, not a frothy cappuccino. It got me thinking about a feature ‘Double Espresso’; two short stories based on the same prompt
Together
This is the second serving of ‘Double Espresso’; two short stories based on the same prompt - one 50-words, the other 100-words. Picture inspiration by Alexander Ipfelkofer
Paper, Unfolding
This is the latest serving of ‘Double Espresso’; two short stories based on the same prompt - a 50-word tale, and a 100-word imagining. Two sho(r)t stories … the Double Espresso.
These are two splendid stories. Fifty and one-hundred word stories are the poetry of our age.
Wow! Both of these are beautifully constructed, complete stories - succinct and clean, yet detailed, and so engaging! Perfect concluding lines in both. I loved this image: "She paused briefly, locking each leering face in her memory." It looks easy to write these, but it is not. We can learn from these models. Thank you