Monday, January 28, 2013

Flash Fiction: Dance Practice

Last Friday in my blog reading I found just the thing to bring me out of the winter dulldrums and spur me into a bit of creative writing:   A Flash Fiction Photo Prompt:  found at The World of My Imagination.   I must admit that I love a Flash Fiction Challenge.  Here are the rules:

1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story.
2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.
3) You have until next Wednesday to link up your post.
4) Link up with your blog hostess when you're done via the inLinkz linky.
5) Have fun, don't stress, let those creative juices flow.

The photo:



The five words are:
flamenco, spotlight, mud, runway, tragedy

And here's my latest creation: 

Dance Practice  (500 words exactly)

“Lisa, we need to practice our flamenco tonight. The test is tomorrow, and I’m still not getting it.” I turned away from my locker to see my neighbor from across the street pleading with me once again.


“Can’t Catherine practice with you tonight, Eddie?” I really have to get this drawing finished before tomorrow.”

Over Eddie’s shoulder I watched my best friend Catherine head towards the nearest school exit, the one on the way to the parking lot. Jon, the new guy, had his arm draped over her shoulders. My stomach twisted in a knot. Last week that would have been me under Jon’s arm. The tragedy was, I now knew that would never be. Grandpa had practically forbade me from ever even breathing the same air as Jon again anytime in my entire life. I also couldn’t help but know that Eddie wouldn’t want to see the couple walking out the door together. It was obvious from his puppy eyes whenever he looked at Catherine that he worshiped the very ground she walked on.

But then, maybe Eddie had already seen them. Maybe that’s why he was asking me, and not Catherine for help.

“Well, ok. Maybe for an hour or so,” I sighed, not wanting to disappoint him like I knew Catherine was doing. Eddie was a bit of a geek, for sure. But he was a nice geek, at least, once he got to know you. And he really did need as much dance practice as he could get.

Thirty minutes later we were on Eddie’s back deck listening to the Spanish music blaring from the boom box, and I was trying to show him how to move his gangly arms and legs in the manner our dance teacher had been showing us all week. Of course, he wasn’t getting it. I turned towards the house to pause the music, and was suddenly blinded by a huge spotlight. I squeezed my eyes shut as my hands rushed up to block the overpowering glare. “What the . .!!”

“Travis! Turn off that flashlight.” Eddie commanded his little brother. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

“I need to find something in the shed!” Travis shouted as he ran across the deck and opened the heavy wooden gate that led to the back yard. “I’m building a runway for my airplanes!” I could actually hear the toy metal airplanes bouncing against each other in his blue backpack as he ran past.

“Dad’s going to kill you if he finds out you took his spotlight.” Eddie lunged to grab his little brother, but wasn’t fast enough. “And he’ll kill me if he finds out that I let you take it.”

Travis was already halfway across the yard by the time Eddie jumped through the gate, slipped on the wet cement sidewalk, and ended up sprawled out in the mud of his mother’s garden. I laughed inside as I smiled at my nerdy neighbor. Well, so much for dance practice.









1 comment:

  1. Haha. This is a cute story. You packed a lot in to those 500 words. Thanks for joining the hop. :)

    ReplyDelete