Fiction

The Turning

I really wanted to use a prompt for this week’s flash fiction, but I may have forced this super short story. The content is fine. Conservative word choices, which are mandatory if your limit is a measly 100 words. I have no issue with the flow, either. It’s just that there’s hardly even a complete scene here.

Even when I’m writing a story as short as this one, I like to leave the reading feeling like they’ve witnessed something. This plays out more like you’re about to witness something, but then it just stops. Like a dream you wake from right when it’s getting good.

That’s okay, I guess. I’ll chalk it up to the potential beginning of something longer. But, eh–I’m still not thrilled with it.

Some days, that’s how it goes.

The prompt comes to us from The Prediction:

100 words maximum, excluding the title, of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above (‘contour’, ‘prevaricate’, and ‘recipe’) in the genres of horror, fantasy or science fiction.

the turning

“Forgive my prevarications.”

“English, please.”

The first nodded by way of apology. Hector couldn’t help but notice how the contours of his pale skin caught the light.

“Of course,” he said. “The recipe is simple enough. However, the one who possesses it possesses great power. Not only over my kind, but over all.”

Great. Another noble vampire.

Hector was done. “Spare me the speech and hand it over. That was the deal.”

The vampire nodded. “That was indeed the deal, but heed my words. ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men.‘ With this, you turn it.”