It's that time of year again! Spooktoberfest is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.
This year the task was to write a piece of flash fiction 400 words or less and incorporate 13 Scattergory items. This was no easy task, but here's my attempt at it.
Sacrifice
An
owl is hooting when the limo pulls up. I take a sip from my Styrofoam cup. It’s bizarre that I can do something as
mundane as drinking coffee on a night like this.
The
back door opens and Lucian appears.
Delicate pale fingers are wrapped around his upper arm. The jealousy flares red-hot in my veins, but
I tamp it down. She won’t be touching
him much longer.
“Who’s
she?” she asks. Her wispy blond locks
glow in the moonlight, and her dress shimmers in various shades of blue.
“My
cousin. She’s here to make our evening
special.” The lie falls easily from
Lucian’s lips.
I
turn on the CD player that’s set up on a foldout table. The sounds of “Crimson and Clover”
fill the night. Then I gesture to the
snack table. There are potato chips
and a bowl of frothy pink punch. “Help
yourselves. The punch is to die for.”
The
girl still regards me with open suspicion.
Typical jealousy.
When
Lucian hands her a glass of punch, she takes a long drink.
The
drug works fast. Within a minute, the
girl’s emerald eyes flutter and close as she goes limp. Lucian catches her, and pulling out the steampunk-style
pocket watch he stole off a random kid, he says, “We have an hour.”
I
won’t need more time than that.
After
lowering the girl to the ground, he pulls a tin filled with wriggling worms
from his pocket and begins to snack on them while I work.
Once
the girl is positioned the way I need her, I flay the fish I caught
earlier and spread the entrails over her pale form. This is not the first virgin sacrifice I’ve
done, and I’m glad I lost my virginity early enough to avoid this fate.
The ceremony requires a focus for my power,
and the aquamarine stone in my necklace works well for the task. I grasp it in one hand and reach out to
Lucian. He places a chunk of pink coral
in my palm. One quick slice of his palm,
and he’s rubbing his blood on it. I’ll
get him a Band-Aid later.
Lucian,
once to be king of the mermen, will soon be fully human. Just like he wanted. I might have forgotten to mention that, since
I performed the ritual, he’ll be bound to me for life.
Details.
Word Count: 398
I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to check out the rest of the entries!
That last word completely makes the story, I love it!
ReplyDeleteYou rock, as usual, Laura! What an amazing piece! Thank you for participating in Spooktoberfest!
ReplyDeleteGreat flash, Laura! Creepo-o-meter high from the get go. Nice little touch with Lucien's snack of worms kept it going, as well as the mystery of what was going to happen to that pale girl. A feast (pardon!) to the last word. Genius of using all the Scattergorics! Too much for my brain at the moment!
ReplyDeleteDenise :-)
So good! Perfect! You do these so well. I would have participated, but just couldn't get my mind around another challenge. Oh dear, have I reached my limit?
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
LOL; yes, details. Yuck on the worm snack. Well done LG, this was great.
ReplyDeleteNow I have a Crimson and Clover earworm. I hope it's all worth it for Lucian. I like the ending.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, another great piece! You've got FF down pat LG. Loved the ending. Details. LOL!
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ReplyDeleteHa. Great twist! And congratulations!
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