Facing the Future #prompt #Mondaymotivations

Posted on Oct 2, 2016 by TanGental

Esther Newton has given us a prompt for a flash fiction piece.

Write a flash fiction piece of between 50-250 words with the following line in it somewhere:

He didn’t want to turn around; he knew just what he’d see and he could face anything but that.

 

Facing his future

Herbie Hine knew one thing for sure. He was ugly. And not just a bit. Utterly repugnant. He knew, from as early as he could remember, that people would  draw away from him, like they were scared of the monster they were seeing. He avoided mirrors and reflecting glass and preferred the dark, when he could pretend no one could see his horribly deformed face.

Life was awful and mostly Herbie found himself alone and miserable.

Until last Thursday. As usual he had stayed indoors, hiding and only when the night had fallen and the last residents of Decent, Illinois had shut their doors did he venture out to the park.

‘Who are you?’

The voice was female, husky and Herbie wanted to run.

‘Here. Sit.’ It was the sort of voice that expected to be obeyed.

She was gorgeous; in the filtered light of the moon he could see her perfect skin, raven hair and saucer-shaped eyes.

‘Why won’t you look at me?’

She sounded kind, drawing him in.

‘I’ll frighten you. Even hates looking at me.’

‘Of course they do.’

Herbie was stunned. Only cruel little kids called him out on his looks. ‘You think I’m ugly?’

The woman fumbled in her bag, and offered him a mirror.

He didn’t want to turn around; he knew just what he’d see and he could face anything but that.

‘Look at yourself.’

Reluctantly Herbie obeyed. He peered. He stared. He gawped. ‘But,’ he stuttered, ‘there’s nothing there.’

The woman patted his leg. ‘Of course. You’re a bloody vampire. I’m sure a few people find you unattractive but mostly they’re shit-scared you’ll bite them in the neck. Now, would you like some soup?’ She held out a flask. ‘O positive. But be quick before it scabs.’

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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17 Responses to Facing the Future #prompt #Mondaymotivations

  1. Miriam says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    Oh bravo! This was brilliant. I really enjoyed it.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. rogershipp says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 2:26 pm

    Great twist… I was not expecting that one at all. I was going for the ‘blind’ person….

    Liked by 1 person

  3. pensitivity101 says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    Terrific post. Didn’t see that end coming!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. esthernewton says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 7:17 pm

    A super twist! Very clever. Thanks for this, Geoff. Great story.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. thecontentedcrafter says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    Nope, didn’t see that coming at all! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Let's CUT the Crap! says:
    Oct 2, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    Love it. Love it. Perfect for October or anytime. Delicious. Hahaha.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Norah says:
    Oct 3, 2016 at 8:00 am

    Ha! Nice twist. Love it!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Pingback: Monday Motivations | esthernewtonblog

  9. Sarah Brentyn says:
    Oct 3, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    Ha! Decent, Illinois. Brilliant. I must say, I didn’t see that twist, either. Great story.

    So… How is she pretty? Can he shift and just doesn’t know? Or is she a human who likes to hang with vampires? 😈

    Liked by 1 person

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