Flash Fiction Two-fer

By Michael Seese

I managed to wrote two pieces of flash fiction yesterday. First, there was Flash! Friday.

Here is the photo prompt:

 





















Below is "The Empress"

The queen was not pleased. Her minister attempted to appease her.

“Please, your Majesty. It is for a short time. For the duration of the ceremony.”

“I won’t. I simply will not do it.”

“I'm afraid you must.

“I am the Queen of England... and other insignificant places. I do not have to do anything I do not wish to.”

“Your Highness, consider your female subjects here, in England… as well as those other insignificant places. You are a role model, and that includes fashion. My sources on Cacrnaby tell me that skirts of grass and necklaces of flowers are poised for a breakout season.”

Victoria sighed.

“But it looks like a pineapple.”

“It is a pineapple.”

“Damn my grandfather! If he had just let those bloody colonists have their way, they would be independent now, their bumbling buffoonery notwithstanding. And then, I would not be forced to degrade myself by assuming an asinine title like ‘Empress Of Hawaii.’ ”

For Janet's contest, you had to incorporate the words:

rose

berry

child

parker

finder

I came up with "Sharing."

“Finders, keepers.”

I hated it when she said that. It was so childish.

“Where did you find it?” I asked.

“Over there. By those wild blackberry bushes.”

“You’re not going to share?”

“No. Find your own.”

I sat down heavily and pouted. That <i>always</i> worked.

“Fine. Have some.”

“Please. You go first.”

“You're such a gentleman, Parker.”

We took our turns at the jugular, draining its blood until it resembled a withered rose.

“That was delicious.”

“It was.”

Over time, we’ve found it’s much easier to stomach our meals if we talk about them as “its,” rather than as people.

Feel free to share your thoughts on "The Empress" and / or "Sharing."