The door was wide open.
She never had that screen installed and cursed herself for it now. Nothing stood between them. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
She shifted, torn, wondering if she should relent or fight. Quickly dismissing her chances winning, she thought of running. How far could she get? Her eyes darted to the back slider, the yard beyond stretching into dense woods.
“It’s cold out here. You going to make me push my way past you?”
“What? Oh, sweetie, you caught me off guard,” she smiled, shield up. “Come in, please. What a pleasant surprise.”
Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch
April 10, prompt: Face Shield – In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that declares, shield your face.
Lemon Shark Reef 
Awww, man! Now I want to know the rest of the story!!! *grumble, mumble*
Well done, Sarah! 🙂
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Ha! What do you think happens next? 😉 (Thanks.)
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Not sure, but I’ll bet between the two of us, we could come up with some interesting tales. 😀 You go first. 😀
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Ugh. Fine. 😉 But, first, is it a man or woman at the door? (I purposely left out any indication of gender to see what people thought.) Then I’ll go forth with a line and we can play.
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Ah extended family! 🤗
I thought COVID, but this works well for many other situations, too!
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It really could be any situation. I was wondering how people would read this one. Thanks, Liz!
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So vivid in the internal emotion warring behind the mask of protection. Wow. great story from the shark shadowlands.
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How often do we use smiles as shields? I think more often than we admit. Even just in response to some slight annoyance, not a threat, like a nosy neighbor. (LOVE the ‘story from the shark shadowlands’!) 🙂
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It’s sad when we hesitate to welcome our family and friends. Short may be the reign of this tyrant.
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Yes, it is. Sometimes, we need shields.
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Yikes. That surprise doesn’t sound so pleasant to me. Yikes. ‘she smiled, shield up’ says a lot.
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Unpleasant, to say the least.
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Dark undertones, Sarah. Hopefully, she’s just an introvert. 🙂
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Somehow, I don’t think that’s the case. 😉 But we can pretend. Hope you’re well, Diana.
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With him saying invite me in, my mind immediately went to a vampire. Just the way my brain works, I guess.
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Haha! Could be… 😈
I’m curious. Other than a vampire, who did you think this might be? I specifically worked it to leave out age and gender. Did you notice?
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I assumed a man since she dismissed her chances of winning in a fight, but then she calls the person Sweetie, which makes me wonder if he or she is younger.
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I thought people might assume it was a man. Interesting. It could be anyone. Friend, ex, daughter, nephew, cousin, neighbor… Yeah, the ‘sweetie’ could be an actual term of affection but more likely a way to placate. Or out of desperation? Or…who knows? Thanks, Teri.
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Oh boy – that was a mistake!
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It really was… 😉
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Great story, by the way!
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Thank you!
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