Wednesday, July 11, 2012

harvest...... flash fiction

I always knew I was different, even as a child. People would look at me and see what they wanted, then take it. I’ve been plucked so many times that you’d think there would only be a hollow shell. Hair and freckles holding the bones together.  

Somehow I always refill.  But it’s gotten harder lately.
Probably because I’ve been doing it for so long.  I’m old, so very old. Pyramid old, horse and buggy old, before the internet old. And I’m tired. It takes a lot more energy, a lot more food to replace what’s taken.  Not sure how the universe balances that on the ledgers. There must be a give and take set of books. Bound in calfskin, the spines embossed with precious metal.
When I was young the give volume was fat and juicy, audibly humming with energy, but now in my mind’s eye it sits cracked and peeling, dry and fragile cowering on a shelf next to the take volume, its pages oozing out of the cover like overfed slugs, excess charge arcing out and grounding willy nilly like lightning on any handy metal surface.
My spark is almost gone. And it’s no wonder.  It’s been ages since I’ve felt the wind on my face, or had the bone melting pleasure of lying on the ground in the sun; the earth thrumming underneath my spine, refilling my well.
When he caught me, he hid me away.
He was a hungry man. Hungrier than most.  Full of ambition. Full of need. I was blind to his plan until it was too late. Millennia of studying human nature and still I was trapped.  Walled up. Sealed in.
I sit in my prison and watch the people below. Cars busily buzzing by, taking their drivers and passengers to who knows where. Purpose driven lives. 
I know he’s coming today. I can already feel the pull. This visit will be the end of me. One last harvest before my fields lay fallow, and dust returns to dust.

18 comments:

KjM said...

Oh my. There's a tone to this that won't let go. If this were simply a flash piece I'd be asking "what happened when he got there?" What happens next? And who, or what, is the narrator? Color me fascinated.

Alan W. Davidson said...

I agree with Kevin. The story leaves the reader with a "I must know more!" feeling.

That obviously works as a dust-cover intro to reel in the reader to learn more. I can hardly wait to see where it goes from there...

Suzanne Conboy-Hill said...

If I know you, this has the potential to creep out, screw up, spit out, maul, and dessicate a reader while it sparks, engrosses, fascinates, and inhabits them too. Go on - the novel, yes!

Cat Russell said...

I'm so glad to see you writing again! Great post, even though a bit sad.

Karen from Mentor said...

"a bit sad" is an understatement cathy. I was going for Grim. hee. nice to see you in my space.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
*smooch*

Karen from Mentor said...

color me delighted kevin. this story doesn't want to be flash. I guess it has an appetite..... [insert that scary woo woo sound here]

Karen from Mentor said...

no pressure Alan..... nope. none at all.

*giggling* I tried drawing the illustration for the dust jacket and just RE - reinforced my understanding that I'm a writer, not a drawer.

drawer: n. = one who draws

*hugs you and hands you a cookie*

Karen from Mentor said...

Lord suzanne, I want to quote you and get a tee shirt printed that says that.

But I won't cuz then I'd have a tendency to wear it 24/7 and a girl's gotta wear a little off the shoulder ball gown at least every other tuesday or life just isn't worth living.

[with of course a shiny skull necklace]

thanks for stopping in sweetpea.
Much appreciated!

Shannon Esposito said...

Say yes to the novel! I want to know what happens to her! I want to see her break free of her crusty old prison and gorge herself on life! Pretty please????

John Wiswell said...

I'm so used to you giving insanity that when she complaiend of being empty, I presumed it'd end with her eating people. Why exactly was she walled away?

Laura Eno said...

It's good to hear you're going to be jumping into a novel!

Okami said...

ah, what a wonderful jumping off place!

Anonymous said...

Love how your mind works, honey! I think that says everything *winks*

Karen from Mentor said...

@Julie and Estrella -- thanks for stopping in guys. I can feel the rays from your smiles beaming at me and energizing my typing fingers.

*hugs you*

Karen from Mentor said...

@Wiswell -- hee hee hee... you know me so well, yes, I like to let my characters give in to insanity and eat their problems. Don't think that's what's gonna happen here, but we'll have to wait until I get to page 325 and type "the end."

thanks for taking the time to read and comment john.

:0)

Karen from Mentor said...

@Laura -- yep, jumping in...and not bothering with a swim suit. Less water resistance will make taking all the [hopefully clever] plot twists and turns easier.

*smooches you*

Karen from Mentor said...

Shannon said:
"I want to see her break free of her crusty old prison and gorge herself on life! "

yes! yes! yes! that's where this story has to go. from dark to light. a sunrise in slow motion.

[she gets me]

*gives shannon a cookie fresh from the oven...*

Amy Branham said...

You left me wanting more... I want to know more about why she is empty, walled in. Who is this man? What of the woman she used to be?