FFfPP

Rescue at Sea — FFfPP Week 30

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

Title:  Rescue at Sea
Source:  FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER
Word count:  170 words

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Shelly refused to address the situation. It was easier to sleep late, swim in the sea and toast the day with an entire bottle of chardonnay. Today reality hit, she was out of time, money and even excuses.  She needed a plan, one she didn’t hate.

She didn’t swim today. The sand was warm where she sat contemplating the horizon. It was a perfect illusion.  Her mind in turmoil, dark clouds filled the sky and mountains of waves swept over her, tossing her to a rip current she could not escape. Shelly fought, and as her strength drained, she realized she would drown.

Drown? The thought shocked her, yanking her from the self-pity tidal pool. She was a strong swimmer, a lifeguard and knew you didn’t fight a rip current.  You remained calm, swimming parallel to the beach until the current ebbed, and you could swim diagonally towards the beach. Shelly stood and dusted the sand from her pants. She had the answer and everything she needed to rescue herself.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

High Seas – FFfPP Week 29

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Title:  High Seas
Source:  FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #28
Word count:  176 words

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The ferry scheduled two trips a day to the island. Today, reports showed a storm with the island in its direct path. Computer projections called for rough seas, so no ferry service would be possible for two days. Based on radar Logan expected six missed trips. He plotted and considered everything that might happen. Logan needed a window when everyone would be busy with the storm. He calculated how long the Islanders would be worried about their own safety.

He built his house at the island’s highest point and dug the foundations deep underground. It was hurricane proof and ran off the grid. But Logan didn’t plan to be at his house during the storm. It started six months ago with weird things happening. Signs showed they were getting close, and he realized he had waited too long.

The storm passed leaving the island in turmoil and people even more worried.  The island sheriff was busy and he called for help from the mainland. Three homicides and two missing persons were more than his office could handle.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Gut Instinct – FFfPP 28

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

Title:  Gut Instinct
Source:  FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #28
Word count:  200 words

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Kate boarded the plane, first one on, aisle seat behind first class. It gave her the opportunity to view the passengers as they boarded. Two caught her attention, a man Caucasian approximately sixty and a woman mid-twenties, Asian. The woman seemed groggy. Kate speculated it was drugs. They took their seats, row eight. The woman sat next to the window and soon fell asleep.

She waited until they were in the air to check with the flight attendant. The names she gave Kate came back clean when she keyed them into her laptop. Kate didn’t buy it, so she grabbed her cell phone and snapped two pictures on her way to the bathroom. Facial recognition software gave her an answer, and she notified the authorities in Rome.

Nine hours later, Kate shadowed them as they entered the terminal. She nodded, and the officers of the Guardia di Finanza set up to intercept the pair. The report Kate read stated the woman had disappeared three weeks ago from her job in the IT department of a Swiss bank. They suspected the man of multiple counts of money laundering and international bank fraud. His bags contained enough evidence to guarantee a conviction.
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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Peter’s Express – FFfPP #27

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: Peter’s Express
Source:  FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #27
Word count:  156 words

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Lou hurried down the stairs, late his first day back since the incident. Turning the corner, he stopped face to face with Peter. Peter stood motionless, his back to the rails and the speeding express. He stared at Lou the question plastered on his face. Someone knocked into Lou and he looked away, off balance. When he turned, Peter had disappeared into a swirl of air left by the express. Lou tried to dismiss the image.

He never knew Peter; the cops introduced them last week. A college student going to class they said. They questioned him looking for a connection, a motive. A security camera analysis gave them an unsatisfactory answer. The crowd veered, like a school of fish, and Lou swayed with them, knocking into Peter. Off balance, Peter fell onto the rails in front of the oncoming express. A freak accident Lou would question every morning when he saw Peter and the express.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Gottcha — FFfPP 26

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments

Title: Gottcha
Source:  FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #26
Word count: 190 words

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Margaret placed her hands in the small of her back and stretched. Her morning chores complete it was time to fix the children’s midday meal.

“Children,” she hollered as she reached for the screen door, “Get washed up for dinner.”

The screen door slammed behind her. The kitchen was cooler than the hot sun. Margaret darted around the kitchen, the sooner she finished this task the sooner she could sit and relax before starting supper.  She spread seven sandwiches across the table along with seven glasses of lemonade as the children stampeded to their assigned seats.

“Jason? Where is Jason?” silent shrugs answered her question.

At the back door, Margaret called Jason’s name through the screen. The yard was empty. Concerned creased her brow as she stepped into the harsh daylight.

“Jason?” she called, clean sheets billowing on the clothesline next to her.

“Grrr,” Jason growled slapping the sheet from the side opposite of her.

Margaret screamed, and Jason laughed. She flipped the sheet aside, grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her.

“Never do that again,” she said, swatting at his backside as she dragged him into the house.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When She’s Gone – FFfPP Week #25

/ JoHawkTheWriter

Title: When She’s Gone
Source: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #25
Word count: 200 words

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It took Andrés months to get over her. They met at a charity event and talked the night away before finding a café for breakfast. She captivated him. Over the next year, they met whenever they could manage. Texts and emails and countless late-night phone calls filled the spaces in-between when they planned their perfect life.

One evening Andrés asked her to move in with him. She sat for long minutes before she whispered, “No,” and she gathered her things and left. Too late he realized this was not a girl who just lived with you. This was the girl for whom you got down on one knee.

He had been that guy. Drunken calls in the middle of the night after hooking up with nameless girls from forgettable bars. At first, she talked to him. Then his calls went to voicemail, and he begged her to come back. His texts and emails remained unanswered.

The years passed, and he sometimes saw her on the street or in a cab. He had moved on and work filled his days. Happy now he walked the city streets.  A big yellow taxi rushed by and he turned, hoping to glimpse her face.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Going Home – FFfPP 24

/ JoHawkTheWriter

Title: Going Home
Source: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #24
Word count: 200 words

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How many times have I ridden these escalators up and down, Monday thru Friday and sometimes even on the weekends? I’m not sure of the exact count but Deb in Human Resource said my length of service was five years and six months. You do the math; I know it is more than I want to contemplate.

Now, here I stand, staring at my final descent. The box I carry holds the few personal items on my desk: a calendar, a few photos of my family, my collection of coffee cups – one for each day of the week, and wacky and funny gifts from my co-workers. The tangible results of my waking hours for the last five years and six months nestled in one banker’s box. One small box was all I had to show for my hours of dedication, hard work, and determination.

The people I passed eyed me with pity, imagining the worst, imagining I had been “let go.” It left me with a hollow feeling in my chest and a tear threatened to cascade down my cheek. But I wasn’t crying for the obvious reasons. They were tears of joy for I had won my freedom.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Never Again – FFfPP 2018 Week 23

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Title: Never Again
Source: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2018 WEEK #23
Word count: 200 words

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Neil stood in total darkness, surrounded by strangers. The crowd swayed with the drumbeat; it pulsed through his chest and radiated out to his extremities.  Heat competed with contrasting aromas emanating from the throng. It assaulted his senses leaving him overwhelmed.

A brilliant flash of light accompanied the crash of a cymbal before the venue plunged into shadows again. The glare echoed across his vision and Neil blinked. He no sooner regained his bearings in the gloom than the cymbal clashed, and the accompanying light blinded him once again. The intervals between the blasts shortened until it synchronized with the drumbeat.

The sight of the band emerging on stage pushed a deafening roar from the crowd overpowering the beat of the drum and the clash of the cymbal. Neil clapped his hands over his ears and turned searching for a way out.  He bounced against people fighting his way towards the green light and the door beneath it. Neil crashed through as music rushing from the stage propelled him forward. The door shuttered shut; he gasped and sputtered, falling to the floor in a heap.

Later in the safety of his car he deleted the band’s music from his phone.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Digging Deeper – FFfPP

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: Digging Deeper
Source: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2017 WEEK #21
Word count: 200 words

Kurt stood at the edge of the pit glaring at the idle excavator. He had just arrived when his radio crackled, reporting an injury on site. Kurt rushed to the pit to see Pete slumped over the tractors of the excavator. The emergency crew whisked him to the hospital leaving Kurt to complete the paperwork and arrange for a replacement operator.

He lifted his hard hat and ran his hand through his hair. Concern for Pete competed with frustration in another delay. They were behind schedule. Kurt glanced at the office clock, time slipped away. He relied on Pete, counted on his expertise to get them back on schedule.

The radio crackled, the voice informed him the replacement operator had arrived. In an hour, the excavator growled and sputtered and the bucket took a bite of dirt. Kurt headed back to his truck.

Alone he dialed the number of the hospital. He spoke with a nurse who connected him with Pete’s doctor. Dr. Barton said Pete was dehydrated, but responding well to treatment. They predicted Pete would be fine by tomorrow. Relief flooded through him, Pete, his baby brother was okay. Kurt knew he couldn’t run the business without him.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Commemoration — FFfPP

/ JoHawkTheWriter

Title: Commemoration
Source: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER- 2017 WEEK #20
Word count: 200 words

The clock ticked in Sakura’s office. It echoed down the hall and through the empty stacks. She loved the library. As a little girl, she fell in love with the books and she never wanted to leave. It was why she had become a librarian. She knew every inch, all the library’s secrets, and she wanted to share them with everyone. Each year she helped the students with Mr. Ayer’s final writing assignment. Sakura found joy in locating the perfect book for each reader. Everything had changed, everything and everyone except Sakura. She kept current with technology so she could continue to help her patrons, but it wasn’t enough. The books remained, but the library was empty. It broke Sakura’s heart. The people had forgotten the joy in her library.

People from the town and from years ago and miles away attended her funeral. They each told a special story about Sakura. Their beloved librarian, who taught them so much had slipped away, they would not lose her library too. They buried her ashes in the courtyard under the window of her office. They planted a cherry tree to mark the spot and to remind them of the real treasure.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer