Flash Fiction Friday 2023 – Week 26

Flash Fiction Friday continues in 2023. New pieces appear every Friday on my Patreon throughout the year. The minimum pledge to read them before anyone else is $3 per month. and the number of pieces available is tied to the monthly pledge total so the more you support my efforts, the more you’ll get to read. Find out what they’re all about and check out some excerpts from this week’s update in this post.

Excerpts

Absolutely Perfect

Eva didn’t understand tattoos. She didn’t. Why anyone would choose to have their skin branded with ink on purpose was beyond her and made absolutely no sense. She had spent a little over a quarter of a century saying bad things about them, so why the fuck had she agreed to her friend Rachel’s suggestion to get one on her right wrist?

“I still can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” she said as they were about to enter the parlor.

“Come on, it will be fun,” Rachel said, nudging her in.

“Will it really? Because I heard this is painful as hell!”

“I won’t lie,” Rachel wrapped her right arm around Eva’s neck. “It does sting a little but you’ll used to it in no time and come out of this with an experience you’ll never forget.”

“And you’re getting the same design too, is that it?”

(…)

Test Screening

Dave Reynolds sat in a dark theater surrounded by dozens of people, all united in a common goal. He had a pair of 3-D glasses in his right hand and a small tablet in the other one, and couldn’t wait for the show to get started. He was both excited and apprehensive. They couldn’t possibly fuck this one up, right?

He had won a radio competition to be one of the select few to attend the first test screening of Hypnotist from Outer Space Resurrection, the sequel to last year’s reboot of the erotic sci-fi franchise from the 70s. The previous movie had done surprisingly well at the box office, elevating the concept beyond its non-lucrative cult status to a veritable Top Ten contender for that year and the studio behind it had done what studios do best: pump out a sequel as fast as possible to ride the successful wave before it crashed down again.

A fan of the original movie and its sequel at the time, Dave had enjoyed the reboot to a fault despite some questionable directorial choices, especially in the third act, and was curious to see how they would evolve the idea past that. Several old-school fans were in the theater with him but the majority of the attendees were either new fans who had only experienced the reboot or people completely unfamiliar with the franchise who were taking a shot at it for the first time. He hoped that meant the premise hadn’t been too dumbed down to attract more new folk, but he wasn’t particularly confident about that. The director chosen for this continuation had a questionable track record, to say the least, a sign that the executive producers had decided to cut some corners compared to the first outing.

(…)

Testimony

It was the most important trial in Debbie Watson’s lawyering career and it was going to shit faster than a speeding train because her client couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Senator Wilkes from Ohio had always been a controversial political figure in American politics but things had spiraled downward even further when he was accused of the traffic of influences and receiving bribes from foreign actors. Instead of listening to the advice of his lawyers when the charges were brought forth, he had taken every opportunity to appear in the spotlight, trying to salvage what was left of his reputation. The results had been disastrous and now no one expected him to win the case.

Debbie, however, was relentless, and even against all odds she kept fighting for his innocence. A last-minute revelation could be very well what she needed to persevere but not only was the approach entirely unconventional, but she also had to rely on the goodwill of Judge Peters, a woman no one in Washington couldn’t say wasn’t terrifying. She wasn’t too keen on accepting the inclusion of a surprise witness in the proceedings but after weighing all the pros and cons, had finally given her assent.

The witness in question was Wilma Richards, better known by her online persona Goddess Silk Moon. She entered the courtroom wearing a long black leather dress that highlighted her generous curves and when she took the stand, everyone wondered what she was going to bring to the table. Senator Wilkes seemed embarrassed to see her there but deep down knew she was her only chance of salvation.

(…)

Welcome to My World

(…)

As he stepped into the bar, he noticed a woman in the corner, smoking a cigarette. She was tall and beautiful, with long red hair and captivating green eyes. She was wearing a long black dress and her gaze appeared to be able to melt flesh and bone. He tried to look away, but couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

He slowly made his way over to her, not sure what to say. He looked around, feeling a bit out of place. As he got closer, he noticed that she had a drink in front of her. She smiled at him and said, “Hello.”

John felt himself blush as he stammered out a “hello” back.

“It feels like you want to take a seat next to me,” she cooed, and he complied, not wanting to seem rude. “Can I get you something to drink as well?”

“You’re buying?” he mumbled, unable to hide his admiration. He had paid for many women’s drinks before but the opposite had never happened.

“Sure, why not? Stay a while.”

(…)

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