Five Sentence Fiction - Vision

Here are four separate FSF entries [all at no extra charge] on the prompt VISION, for the four main characters in what is either a developing story or a semi-coherent jumble of intertwined vignettes.

 SLUMBER [76 words]

After dinner, Marci was drawn again to the roll top desk.

Almost absently, she opened it and slipped into the heavy oak chair.

Suddenly sleepy, she laid her head on her arms, close to the cubby holes holding some of Uncle Albert's weird artifacts.

She missed the old man, and welcomed the connection the old desk offered.

Soon she drifted off, and in her strange dreams saw life-like visions of [what she thought were] imaginary creatures.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HOMECOMING [76 words]

When Cheryl arrived home, she checked herself in the rear-view mirror and was disappointed in what she saw: sunken eyes, no make up, hair in a disarray of droops and tangles.

What would Gil think when saw what a mess she was?

But he greeted her with a kiss, and told her she was beautiful.

She ran her fingers through her hair, saying, "That's sweet, I'm a sight."

"No, darling," he replied, "You are a vision."

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

REVELATION  [79 words]

“Yes,” Rob cautiously admits when the bottle of wine was drained and he again stands with Marci gazing on her painting, “I’ve seen visions like this.”

Marci turns him toward her.

"That must hurt!" she says, lightly brushing over the mark on his cheek with her fingers, then her lips.

Then she draws back, eyes wide, as if shocked, and smiles knowingly.

"Rob," she says, leading him into the bedroom, “there are things we need to tell each other.”

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

DEAD RECKONING [89 words]

Gil tries to act normal, but isn’t sure how to navigate his marriage, now that he’s an adulterer.

Is he overcompensating, being too attentive, not attentive enough; how does he act when he isn’t acting?

That night when they make love, Cheryl seems uncharacteristically different in some undefinable way, almost as if she were desperate. 

He really does love Cheryl, but Marci has an allure that quickly became addictive.

He’s sailed into rocky shoals without a chart or even as much as an astrolabe to guide his muddled vision.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

See also here.

Cheryl's Thread

Gil's Thread

Marci's Thread

Rob's Thread

Friday Flash 55

On Saturday.  I'm a day late, but have a dollar in my pocket.

Here are two entries, continuing the weird story that is building itself in a variety of flash formats.

CHERYL'S BABY

[continued from here]

Cheryl gazes at her new-born daughter’s beautiful face, not quite identical to hers – a variation on a theme.

Her wisps of blond hair are curly.

Her little dimpled knees, her fingers and toes are perfect.

Everything about her is perfect.  Everything.

She yawns and stretches the way babies do, and flutters her tiny diaphanous wings.  

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

[continued from here]

As Cheryl and Gil are preparing dinner, she says, " We haven’t cooked together for a while."

Gil catches her meaning.

Later that night, as they lay with their limbs entangled, Cheryl whispers, "I really do love you."

"Really?,” Gil wonders.  How much was she doubting herself?

"And I really do love you," he replies.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Friday Flash 55 discovered via Ann Pino

Cheryl's thread

Gil's thread

100WCGU -- GREY

Following a link in the side bar at shadetheraven, I discovered the 100 word challenge for grown ups at Julia's place.   Julia gives a prompt word, and we accept the challenge with a story of no more than 100 words that is suitable for a PG certificate.  I think what follows qualifies.  If you're visiting from 100WCGU, welcome.  This vignette, from Gil's PoV in exactly 100 words, is part of a developing story, with segments written in response to 4 different flash fiction memes.  The immediate prequel is found here.  Gil's and Marci's threads can be accessed from links at the end of this post or in the right hand frame.

 Source

GREY DAWN

Marci is tall and thin, with a dusky oval face framed by straight dark hair hanging just past her shoulders.

She is reasonably attractive, though not one to turn many heads.

But in the early dawn grey, as she lays with one long leg draped over Gil's thighs and one tiny breast pressed tight against his chest, she is as beautiful as a Greek goddess.

Gil’s joy darkens to grey as he thinks about Cheryl.

Marci, as if reading his mind says,  “Don’t worry.  I don’t want to take you from your wife  -- just borrow you when she’s away.

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

 Reduced to a haiku

 In the early grey
dawn, guilt and regret - but he
Can take some comfort

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I was amazed to find the perfect picture for this entry. Sometimes you're just lucky.

Gil's thread

Marci's thread

Five Sentence Fiction - Joy

This is the Joyous moment I've been waiting for.   Continuing from here.

Source

THE JOY OF  .  .  .

Gil empties his wine glass of the last joyous ruby sip, then reaches past Marci to place it on the counter.

Then he puts his other hand on the counter, enclosing her in his arms.

She puts her arms around his neck.

He slips his hands under her blouse; gripping her slim, taut waist.

Her smile is knowing as she takes his hand and leads him toward her bedroom, pausing to whisper in his ear, "Just as I remembered - not so unpredictable, after all."

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Reduced to a haiku

Alex Comfort laid

It all out for us in his

Book, "The Joy Of Sex"

12/06 Update: Inspired by Laura McHale Holland's entry.

From somewhere without
Or better still, within — joy
Is where you find it.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

 

UPDATE:  Next installment is available here.

Gil's thread

Marci's thread

Gil's Thread

This post contains the story fragments in which Gil is the PoV character.  They are presented in story order, not posting order.  Links to the original posts are provided with the prompt words.

Five Sentence Fiction

Originally, I had no intention of writing a serial story, and now I have two of them going.  Each has character named Marci, since I was simply going to use that as a stock character name from central casting.   This has since become confusing, even for me.  I haven't yet discovered if they are the same Marci. [UPDATE: Yes I have, and yes, they are.]  One story line is real world based and the other is a weird fairie tale; but I'm not sure that pre-empts anything.

On to this week's installment.  I wrote this a while back, since Gil and Marci were bugging me. OK - it's a bit of a stretch on the prompt, perhaps, but I still think it fits, in a way.

The [real world] story of Gil and Marci continues.

Part 1   Devotion

Part 2  Detour

POTIONS

Image Source

One evening when Gil's wife is out of town on business, he runs into Marci in the wine section of the market near her apartment. 

She gestures toward a bottle of imported Chardonnay, saying, "My boyfriend Rob is quite fond of this." 

But she reaches for a bottle of Gil's favorite Pinot Noir and looks at him in a way he understands very well. 

Gil suppresses a nervous laugh and blurts out, "I get kind of unpredictable when I drink that." 

"I know," Marci says, as she slips the bottle into her basket and heads for the checkout line.


Update: This is the first time Marci has appeared on stage, and I'm getting to know her better.  Now I believe it is the same Marci in both story lines.  Her back-story is starting to take form, too.  She's not an evil person, by any means, but she rejects conventional ideas of morality, and very much lives in the moment.  'Nuff said, for now.

Five Sentence Fiction

DEVOTION

It was an awkward moment when Gil ran into Marci at the pharmacy on a cold December evening.

Their last night together - what had it been, four years, five maybe - had not ended well.

But she seemed genuinely happy to see him; and, damn, she looked good.

She looked so inviting, even eager, as she invited him to her apartment to catch up, "for old time's sake."

Gil took off his gloves, looked pointedly at the ring finger of his left hand, sighed wistfully, and said, "Thanks, but I need to get home."


Link to FSF Central