Very short stories #8

After the excitement of releasing A Quiet Rebellion: Posterity last week, I’ve been concentrating on promotional activities*. Of course, my daily very short story (#vss365) on Twitter didn’t get neglected. Here’s a selection.

victim

“Doc! Drawer 3’s rattling!”
Sigh. Newbies. “Being declared dead wrongly is an urban myth.”
A bang sounded next door.
“Uh, but I’ll take a look. To reassure you.”
Hanging off its hinges, the mortuary fridge door was the vampire’s first victim. Richer pickings followed.

Cartoon made on Storyboard That.

verify

“Verify payment,” says the robot.
I press my altered fingerpads to its screen. Copying fingerprints from this stolen wallet is a trial run. If it fails, I’ll pay cash.
“Connecting… ID confirmed.”
It works!
Cold metal fingers grab my wrist. “You are a wanted felon…”

vase

“Either your clutter goes, or I do!” he yelled, stomping into the lounge.
He slammed the door. Furniture rattled. Atop the cabinet, her most valued trinket wobbled and fell.
“She’ll kill me!” He dived to catch it.
“No, I will,” thought the vase as it landed on his head.

vacant

Snack tub in hand, a man swaggered up. “This seat vacant?”
She pursed her lips. “No, it’s for my invisible friend.”
“Great sense of humour, babe!” He sat.
Seconds later, he jerked to his feet and lurched off.
Her ghostly companion giggled. “Hey, he left the popcorn.”

Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay

verdict

“What’s the verdict?”
The sculptor frowned at the sarcophagus lid. “My workshop facilities—”
“It stays here.” She waved at a muscular gardener. “He’ll help.”
“If you insist. As I’m carving your husband’s likeness, could I meet him?”
“No!” Her smile returned. “Not yet.”

Image by engin akyurt from Pixabay

veteran

The splattered mess turned his stomach, as did the visceral smell. He began to sweat. A whisper of shame berated him. This wasn’t his first, and a veteran should cope better.
He carefully reached out. “C’mon, munchkin. Nappy change time, then I’ll clean up.”

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

vivid

Hunting horns blare. You dart behind a tree. A snarling beast lopes nearer, six riders in pursuit.
Panic grips you—
Your eyes flick open. The bedroom is dark. Your gasps ease. What a vivid dream.
A horn toots. You flinch. It’s only a car.
Hot breath puffs in your ear.

viking

The dead warrior gaped. “I get to live—uh, stay here forever?”
The doormaid grinned. “Did you live and die as a true Viking?”
“Sure, sure.” He sniffed. “Roast boar?”
“Mead, too.”
“I’ve always wanted to try ambrosia—”
“What?” She scowled. “Wrong tradition, mate. Out!”

Image by Janet Gooch from Pixabay

As a bonus, I’ve just made my flash fiction collection free (on Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, Apple – hopefully on Kindle soon), if you want to grab yourself a copy. It includes four stories set in the world of my novels.

*Note: Every day, thousands of books are published, probably more than half of them independently. It’s an enormous challenge to make potential readers aware a book even exists. If you share my posts, I’ll be very happy!