Flash Fiction

Before your time

The light blinds me. I try to shield my eyes with my hand, but it's no good - the light is everywhere. I can hear a heavenly chorus, and I know that if I'd stayed at Sunday school I'd know which rank of angels has such beautiful voices. The fact that I didn't makes me wonder why I'm here.

"It happened again!"

A rough voice punctures the ambience and I can see properly. Angels in hard hats wander around carrying toolboxes. Scaffolding obscures much of the pearly gates, while a line of people file through the gap. The angel before me holds a clipboard.

'What's wrong?'

'You shouldn't be here,’ he replies.

'Oh. Should I be...’ I look downward.

'Not at all. But you'll have to go to admin so they can send you back.'

'Why?'

'Someone messed up the paperwork and took you before your time.’

 

Music Man

The peace doesn't last on a Tuesday morning. Footsteps ring out on the cobbles as streams of notes curl down the street like wisps of smoke. Children too young for school press their faces against windows, and adults stand smiling in doorways. Coins flash in the air, and for once, money buys happiness as the music man goes by.

 

It's Magic

A vast armada lies in wait in the darkness, silent and ready. Cannons are loaded, captains stand firm. The night hides their menace until Katie flips a switch and the lamp clicks on. The harsh light reflects off the glass, showing up the dust.

'Daddy, how do you get the little boats in the bottles?'

'It's magic,' he smiles.

 

The Fugitive

Charlie crouched under the porch, listening intently. The pounding of feet on the stairs subsided hours ago, but that didn't mean they weren't hiding, waiting for him. His ears buzzed with silence as he lay there with his head cocked on one side.

He poked his head out into the backyard. Abandoned toys littered the lawn, but their owners were nowhere in sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, he crawled out into the open. Almost immediately, a rough hand grabbed his collar and dragged him toward the house.

Yet again, he had failed to escape his monthly bath.