Five Sentence Fiction - Shenanigans

Head in hands, throbbing pain behind both temples, David waited for the computer program to search each account for the missing bank deposits.

The immediate shock of discovering the scope of the theft was now overshadowed by his growing humiliation.  How could he have allowed Allan’s finely honed trickery to wreak havoc in his world again?

There could be no cover up big enough, nor explanation good enough, to makes sense of this betrayal.

David realized after twenty seven hard-fought years, his business, his closest friendship and no doubt his marriage, would soon be over.

Five Sentence Fiction - Mistletoe

Susan stood in the hall wondering why she had accepted the gift of mistletoe; with no chance of being kissed, it seemed ridiculous to hang it above the door. Then she remembered that the florist had smiled at her, just before wrapping the posy in with the advent wreath. Susan had felt she had no choice but to feign happiness, cover her grief yet again, and smile back. Now she wished she had told him, no, yelled at him, that this gesture of seasonal joy had instead pierced her heart. She let the flowers drop out of her hand, white turning crimson as they fell to the floor.

Five Sentence Fiction - Sacrifice

The question formed in her mind but she forced herself not to ask it. She kept her head tilted down, eyes closed, panic racing her heart . He didn’t slam the kitchen door to make his point - he closed it gently. His heavy boots kicked up small stones in the driveway as he strode away. She pushed the chair away from the table, went to the sink, and searched through the dirty dishes for the sharpest knife.

Special Five Sentence Fiction: Jubilant

Kern stared forward, the disconnected phone shaking in her hand, the caller’s words repeating and repeating in her head. She heard keys fumbling, the front door scraping against the hallway tiles, then hurried footsteps making their way to the living room. “What’s wrong – you look positively stricken”. Kern turned to the people she loved most in the world, meeting their concerned gazes with the beginning of a smile so heartfelt she was quite certain it would never leave her. “The final edits were approved - my novel goes into print tomorrow.”

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Christmas present for @oddparticle on the Twitter.

Five Sentence Fiction - Poison

Staring in the mirror, she understood why he had taunted her with "black and blue". Her purple cheek continued to swell, pulling and distorting the right side of her face. She touched the cool wash cloth to her eye, jerking as the material stung her red hot skin. Downstairs, glasses shattered as they hit the hardwood, bottles rang as they fell together. Then silence - frightening silence.

Five Sentence Fiction - Nineteen

Rae steadied the umbrella above her then tilted it to hold back the dark sideways rain. She hurried across the parking lot but got to the corner only in time to see the #19 pulling away from the bus stop. Annoyed, she slumped down onto the wooden bench in the shelter to wait out the next twenty minutes. Staring into inky puddles, listening to the streetlights hum, Rae thought about how much she hated working at that crappy store. Distracted, she didn’t notice immediately that someone stood behind, but feeling uneasy, she turned slowly to her right just as the sudden blast of light cracked the silence.

Five Sentence Fiction - Secrets

“Swear?  Pinkie swear?” Bobbie wasn’t sure exactly what that meant but, even at 6 years old, she understood what Heather needed to hear. “Pinkie swear” Bobbie said solemnly. The two friends crawled out of their hiding place behind the shed at the end of the yard,and gripping each other’s hand, walked slowly back towards the darkened house.