Masking the Moment

This story is written for VisDare, a weekly prompt challenge hosted by Angela Goff. 

This story--much like my previous story for Visdare--also includes a mask, only it's not so dark this time. Weird, I know.

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"Mommy, why does Daddy wear a mask in the garden?" Becky asked.

"That's just so he doesn't get sick, honey?"

"But you never wear a mask when you're in the garden."

"That's because I'm not allergic."

"Is being allergic a bad thing?"

"Yes, it can be a very bad thing if you're not careful."

Becky shifted her attention toward the stairway, trying to make sense of what she'd seen the night before, then looked at her mother again curiously. "Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Is Daddy allergic to you?"

"Of course not. Why would you ask me such a thing?"

Becky shrugged. "After I went to get a drink of water last night, I saw him coming out of your bedroom with the mask on. He said he was just playing a game with you."

Becky's mother blushed and raised an index. "That's enough, Becky. Go and wash up for dinner."

148 Words

VisDare 53: Misplaced

This story is linked with Anonymous Legacy's VisDare, a weekly writing challenge hosted by Angela Goff and is being brought to you this week by the word "Misplaced" and the photo prompt below.

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I stand by the door and pretend it's an escape portal toward another dimension. I put on my mask, switch off the lights, and hear my brother, Joey, wheezing between hits from his inhaler..

"Why did you turn off the lights, Molly?"

"Space is dark," I said.

I never understood Joey's fear of the dark. Had he forgotten what it was like hiding in corners where darkness served as our only guardian, protecting the value of our misplaced youths?

"I don't like this game,"  Joey said nervously.

"It's not a game," I told him, raising an index in the air. "It's a quest."

"Quest for what?"

I hear a drip coming from the hall. Joey said he heard a voice from there, but I told him there wasn't--not anymore.

I take Joey's hand, lead him outside to stand with me in the middle of a dormant night. "Our new home."

150 WORDS

Flash! Friday story: The Wish Fields

The following microfiction story was written for Flash! Friday, a weekly flash fiction contest taking place every Friday, and is hosted by Rebekah Postupak.  This past round's winner is Gordon B. White and is featured in this week's "Sixty Seconds" feature.

And now, my story...

~*~

"She was something," Edna said while overlooking the dry fields from her porch. "Wasn't always the great ballet dancer she turned out to be. She would let frustrations get to her too."

Emma's legs clanked as she walked over to her grandmother's side. "How did she deal with them?"

"She went into the fields one day--came back--became the greatest dancer ever known."

"How did going into the fields help her do that?"

"Emma!" Emma's mother called as she came out of the house. "Found your jacket, honey. We're running late to therapy, so we better get moving."

Emma hugged Edna. "Bye, Grandma."

"Bye, sweetie."

Emma's mother waited until her daughter was inside the car before turning to Edna. "Stop it!"

"What?"

"There's nothing in those damned fields! They're all just blatant lies!"

"Beg to differ," Edna's eyes shifted toward Emma then back to her daughter. "Your own baby came from those fields, honey."

155 WORDS

Jodie's Whisper

"Why are you still wearing that silly cape?" Jodie asked.

Billy looked back to where Jodie sat on a large rock, the cave behind her looming like a wide-mouthed rugged beast. His fists were on his hips as he stood defiantly near the edge of a cliff looming over the small town. He was used to playing the superhero and have Jodie played the one that needed saving. The cape was a recent addition to the game, but this time, he wasn't playing any game.

"This is all part of my plan," Billy said.

"Your plan?" Jodie raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to jump off the cliff like some crazy person?"

Billy shook his head. "I'm going to find him," he said, then turned to Jodie with a serious look. "And when I do I'm going to destroy him."

Jodie's grin faded. She rose to her feet and walked slowly toward him. "It won't make things any better."

"Maybe. But it will make me feel better."

Now standing beside Billy, Jodie placed a hand over his shoulder. "Do you really believe that?"

Billy shuddered, the whipping winds around him hurling dust into his watery eyes. At least that's what he hoped Jodie would think. "I guess not," he said solemnly, his eyes shying away toward the ground. "Guess I'd still miss you."

The winds clamed momentarily. A faint howl erupted from the cave as Jodie whispered softly into Billy's ear. "I'll always be with you."

The winds picked up speed again. A massive boulder rolled off from a curving mound nearby, partially blocking the cave opening. It was as if nature had given its fair warning over the howl of the beast, stealthily guarding the darkness that had taken Jodie, one year before that day.

300 Words

The Realm Watchers

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"There was evil in that horned statue," Martin said. "I felt it clenching every part of me."

"What statue? The one downtown?"

Martin nodded. "But this evil comes in many forms."

"And you encounter this evil often?"

"Yes," Martin said, staring blankly toward a window. "Grace used to see it too, but I never believed her until I started seeing it for myself--after she died."

Seated next to Martin's bedside, Dr. Nguyen tapped a pen lightly over her lips momentarily, then slowly leaned forward. "I'm sorry for your loss. Sure it's been a very difficult process for you, but you must understand that leaving the facility the way you did only puts you into more danger."

Martin shook his head. "You just don't understand."

"Oh I understand," Dr. Nguyen said, her brown eyes bulging into neon red spheres. "I understand that you've been a very naughty boy, Martin!"

150 WORDS

This story is linked with Anonymous Legacy's Visdare , a weekly writing challenge hosted by Angela Goff.

A Cheap Dirty Trick

"I can turn this one-dollar bill into a one-hundred-dollar bill," the magician told the homeless man he approached on the street, dangling the bill in the air in front of him.

"I don't believe you," the homeless man said skeptically.

The magician stretched the bill with both hands, blew it, and the bill instantly turned into a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill before it inexplicably vanished into thin air. "Guess the magic made it disappear!"

Feeling taunted, the homeless man took a deep flustered breath and said, "Yeah, well I can make any man look like a donkey."

"I don't believe you," the magician said, before a knee to the groin forced him to drop to his knees, the loud wail out of his mouth bearing an uncanny resemblance to the animal.

This story is linked with Six Sentence Stories where word prompt of the week is "TRICK"

Elijah's Lake

Elijah's Lake

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Elijah never had a friend and regarded true friendship as an artform, like so many things people around him took for granted.

His only comfort was the way the sun shined over his scarred face while on a path to a lake and the way its gleam showered over the beautiful trees that flanked the lonely road like a loving mother.

Every moment by the lake felt new and inspiring, blessing him with lucid creativity that helped fill his notebook with characters that spoke to him through nature.

He closed his notebook when light began to wane and started a mile-long walk home.

"I'm proud of you, son," a voice came through a gust of wind before a tear rolled down his face.

This story is linked with Lillie Mcferrin's Five Sentence Fiction