Flash Fiction Friday: February 24th!

Hello, dear readers! Let me tell you, I am half-tempted to just take a picture of the scene outside my window right now and use that as a fiction prompt because it is just beautiful! We got a few inches of heavy white snow overnight, and one of my favorite parts of having moving up to the second floor apartment is that I see all the bare tree branches dressed in now, the rooftops of my neighbors blanketed in a similar fashion, and it’s just lovely. It’s still snowing a little bit, too, making me incredibly grateful to have the day off today as well. Everyone always gives me crap because I was griping about this winter not having enough snow, so it always makes me happy to see some, even if it’s only probably going to be around for a few days or so.

Let’s move onto the prompt, shall we? If you’ve been following the blog, you know the deal. If not, it’s pretty simple. I’m going to post a picture from the fabulous Five-Minute Getaway (today’s is probably the complete opposite of snow, of course!), and, if you’d like, go ahead and try to spin a yarn in about five minutes or so to go along with it. Post it here, post it in your own blog, keep it to yourself, it doesn’t matter, just have fun, and who knows what will come out of it? I love flash fiction because, sometimes, they’re perfect little nuggets by themselves, and, other times, they build themselves into bigger, better thing. Let’s go!

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(Image courtesy of Five-Minute Getaway)

I was surprised to see that the veranda was empty, with only the few chairs and no one in them. There were the trappings of their presence scattered around, Marlena’s towel, Scotty’s bag, Jenn’s sunglasses, and, for a moment, I wondered if they had been snatched right up from where they stood and sucked up into the endless blue sky. But then a bark of laughter rang from below, and I realized that my imagination was getting the best of me and they had merely failed to wait and had gone ahead without me down to the beach. I drifted over to the railing, peering over at the sea and the white sand, and the three bodies down there, moving and running and splashing in the sun.

I could probably stand there and watch them all day, until they tired themselves out and fell, exhausted, into the warm embrace of the sand and let their already tanned bodies bask in this tropical warmth. It had been Scotty’s idea to take the trip, and the girls were more than happy to go along with the idea, managing to procure new swimsuits and luggage sets mere seconds after the holiday was announced. They were all so overworked and tired that a get-away was just the thing they needed.

I must admit, it was just the thing I needed, too. Briefly, I realized how perfect this opportunity was. The veranda was up high on the cliff, and I looked down on their frolicking selves at a good height. I would have to go back inside to get the gun, but this was a sniper’s dream. They probably wouldn’t even realize that the bullets were raining from above until it was far too late. I could make quick work of them, and everyone would assume they were here, having a good time, giving me an entire week to enjoy myself before having to deal with the messy business of the real world.

Jenn must have spotted me, since she stopped, turning toward the veranda, and she shouted something. The wind carried away so I could hear what the words were, but she bounced, waving, and even from this distance, I could appreciate the way her pert breasts jumped in her halter. She was smiling, too, I could feel that. I lifted my hand in a little wave back, thinking to myself that, easy as it would be, I wouldn’t do the job now. Let them have this last week of paradise, and no one could accuse me of being a cold-hearted killer, at the very least.

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Happy writing, everyone! Also, have you ever chilled out in one of those huge round basket bench/chair/bed things before? They’re awesome.