Friday, June 26, 2009

The Find

Jerry and I are dumpster diving when we find it.

He thinks it’s perfect, a genuine find. A tall armoire, deep maple finish.

“A beaut,” Jerry says. “Stop.”

I pull the truck over—we’re off the main streets here, out behind an older lot of row houses. The sun has started to set, and twilight is pouring on the shadows.

“C’mon,” I say. “Let’s get that fucking thing in the truck.”

There’s no breeze in the alley. No breeze and no god-damned light.

“Just a minute,” Jerry says. His arms are wrapped around the thing in some kind of bear-hug as he tries to walk it over to the truck.

I hop out of the cab. “Pansy.”

“No.” Jerry releases his grip. “Too heavy.”

We look at each other for a second. One of those quick moments of “hell-no”. We know we shouldn’t open the thing, but I yank the door toward me anyway.

It wasn’t that the body was in there—I almost expected something worse in that alley, behind those decaying houses. What got me was how fresh it was, how the blood dripped off the fingers when her arm tumbled out of the open door.

(a work of fiction, of course)

I plan on doing some sort of flash fiction bit on Fridays--at least during the summer. I'll reprint some things, do a little podcast or two, possibly ask for some guest writers. (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)

Call it Flash Fiction Fridays or Flash Fridays or F3 or even Friday Flash. Whatever works.

14 comments:

Jamie Eyberg said...

Whenever I read a story from you I always wonder what your students (who know your super secret identity) think about your stories and does it embolden them in your classroom with their own writing.

Very nice piece of flash by the way. I liked the last sentence best of all.

Aaron Polson said...

Jamie - I wish my students would be a little more bold sometimes.

I thought that last line sold the piece. Robert Swartwood had a nice post a while back about punchline stomps. I'm trying to get better at not killing my stomps.

Katey said...

Yeah, the whole thing was really fun, and then the last line was a real punch to the gut. Beautiful stopping sentence-- I love a good image.

This makes Fridays even more fun. I'm excited!

Rebecca Nazar said...

I'd love a maple armoire. Mine is pine, a piece of crap. Body be damned.

Aaron Polson said...

Katey - Fridays should be fun...that's the goal.

Rebecca - most of the furniture around here is pine, too...or particle board. The bloodstains should clear up with a little work.

Cate Gardner said...

You're going to flash on Fridays - woot ;D

Love that end line.

Brendan P. Myers said...

Thought with "the sun starting to set" you were going in a different direction. But I liked it!

Fox Lee said...

Call it "Flasher Fridays." Sex sells!

Aaron Polson said...

Cate - I'd never...(well, maybe...)

Brendan - Now that you mention it, I see what you mean. That's the beauty of the reader/writer relationship.

Natalie - Coming from the author of "Relentless Sodomy", that means something. ;)

Robert said...

You definitely did not stomp your punchline on that piece, Aaron. Great ending image!

K.C. Shaw said...

I like that! Very nice ending too.

Now we have a reason to look forward to Fridays. Er, an extra reason.

Benjamin Solah said...

I liked it.

I occasionally [Fiction] Friday which is a prompt-based writing challenge done through the blog writeanything.wordpress.com

Jameson T. Caine said...

How did I miss this yesterday? That was awesome. Short, but it really built up the tension great. The last line provided a perfect visual in the mind.

Danielle Birch said...

Whatever it was, it was great. I loved it.