“No, no. That’s east. I’m sure of it.” Angela looked back at the three strangers she’d managed to pick up along her travels.
The tall, ginger-haired boy tilted his head. “I think that’s west.”
“North,” the little girl toddled up next to him. “South!”
Ginger-hair sidestepped the girl, giving Angela a look. “Why did we bring her?”
Skinny girl punched his arm, “Shit, she’s a baby. We couldn’t leave her. What’s wrong with you?”
Ginger-hair rubbed his arm then shrugged, “Kids are sticky and loud.”
“Okay,” Angela took a breath, blowing it out loudly. “Enough. We go that way. With the little girl.”
“Which way?” Skinny girl asked. “You’re flailing your arms around and expecting us to know what you mean. Also, let’s not forget we don’t know where the hell we’re going and no one agrees on…anything, actually. And can we give the girl a name at least?”
“Toward the sunrise,” Angela said.
“Sunset,” Ginger-hair corrected.
“Dammit!” Skinny girl flung her hand at the nearby house, “I’ll say it again. It’s right there. A house. Signs of life. Possible help. No-brainer. And, fine, I’ll give her a name. She’s…Pam.”
Now-Pam yelled, “Pam!” Skinny girl smirked. Ginger-hair did not. Angela opened her mouth to argue and Now-Pam lowered her voice, “no house.”
“It’s right there, squirt,” Skinny girl pointed. “See?”
“See?” Now-Pam poked her stubby finger to the branches seemingly growing out of the roof.
“Huh,” Ginger-hair said. “I don’t remember that tree being there.”
Angela backed away, “It wasn’t.”
“No tree,” Now-Pam said. “Bad house. Run.”
My attempt at #writephoto, a weekly writing prompt for poetry/flash/short stories hosted by Sue Vincent
Uffda…suspenseful!
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I wonder who gets eaten… Or grabbed. Eek.
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😮
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Ooh, creepy ending, Sarah – liked this very much 🙂
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Thanks, Helen. 🙂 That thing is pretty creepy-looking.
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This reads much like a dream – not necessarily a good or bad dream – but one of those that makes you wonder what you ate last before bed.
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Hmm… Sharp cheddar, wine, Pringles, and hummus. That does make one wonder.
Hadn’t thought of it as a dream but, now you mention it, it kinda does read that way. Cool.
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Sounds like my kind of meal
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Okay, we *really* need to get together.
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Funny how you picked up on the tree growing out of the roof! I didn’t notice it until I read the story. Nice one, Sarah, with lots of open questions. 🙂
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What tree? Run!
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Ha! Lol.
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I’ll be here all week.
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Uh-oh.
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Indeed… 🙂
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At first I wasn’t sure what direction the story was taking…
but it was headed to no away from the house of the rising no setting sun…
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Did you just…break into song? I can sort of hear it. (It’s been the ruin of many a poor soul…the house of the rising – no setting – sun…)
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I’m hoping it’s just their vivid imaginations and not real… 🙂
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It’s possible. Or something more sinister is at work. Either way. 🙂
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So. Damn. Good!!! ❤ #frigginmast ❤
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Ha! Thanks, my friend. ❤ #SuperFrigginMAST
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Great take Sarah, you have to wonder the set up story as much as the conclusion.
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Ah… Music to my ears. I love that. What happened to them? How did they get here? Are they the only ones? What’s going to happen now? This sets my imagination on fire. Thanks, Michael. 🙂
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Eek! A tree growing out of a house. It certainly does look that way, now that you mention it. Run!
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Please do run, Norah. This is not looking good…
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Nice detail! I love the dialogue too.
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Aw, thanks, Jane. Much appreciated. Dialogue between kids/teens is fun. 🙂
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You do it well 🙂
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Thank you. 😊
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🙂
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I loved all the mystery in this flash! Who are these people? How did they get thrown together? Why did they get thrown together? Apocalypse? Group amnesia? Escape from Dystopia-land?
And then it got downright creepy and I loved it even more.
Being a fan of the weird fiction, I also love it when those questions never quite get answered. 😱
(Also, great character building — the interactions were superb.)
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Woot! What an awesome comment! This is the essence of flash, no? I mean, so many directions to go, so much for your mind to create. I love weird fiction, too, and am honored to have this be considered somewhat near that genre. Yeah, character building is a wicked fun challenge in something this short. I enjoy that part. Thanks!
Haha… “then it got downright creepy and I loved it even more.” Thank you! 🙂
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Nice 🙂 I do love a story that gets me writing a dozen different beginnings and endings in my mind 🙂
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Ah, yes. This is what I love so much about flash. What is going on around the edges? So glad this worked for you. As always, it was pantsed so I always like feedback. Thanks, Sue. 🙂 And thanks for the inspiration via the photo of the tentacled monster tree thing.
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It was such a pretty place too 😉
yes, I like flash for that reason…
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Splendid piece of flash fiction, Sarah.
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Thank you, Robbie. 🙂 ❤
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Ooooh, this is rather creepy, Sarah! That tree is definitely up to no good! 🙂
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I don’t think it is. And I don’t think it’s a tree… Could be. ? 😳
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Loved this “Children are sticky”. Love your ending. ❤
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Hee… They are sticky. *eww* 😉 Thanks, Debby. ❤
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Lol woman! 😉 xxx
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