Meet the Family Part 1 - Flash Fiction Friday

I clutched the cardboard box containing a pumpkin pie between my hands to prevent them from shaking. "How do you think they're going to react?"

"It'll be fine," Jeff said and straightened my tie. "They're really open minded."

"Do they know about me?"

"They know your name is Mike," Jeff answered.

"Right..." I breathed as Jeff rang the doorbell. It was a normal house with a white picket fence and blue shutters. Everything was going to be fine. Nothing to be afraid of. Even if it was Thanksgiving. Not like it was a big holiday or anything...

The door opened and before me stood a tall green woman. The female version of her son. She smiled at Jeff, revealing her fangs, and then gave me a once over with her yellow eyes and the smile disappeared. 

"You're Mike," she said, her voice was more feminine than I had expected.  She sniffed the air. "And you're human."

"I brought pie," I said dumbly and outsretched my arms to show her. I wasn't even sure if they ate pie. 

She gave me a wavering smile and took the food from my hands. "How... lovely."

We followed her inside and I whispered to Jeff. "So, they don't know about me."

"I could never find a good time to tell them. Just relax and be yourself. They'll love you!"

As we stepped into the living room a group of people the same shade of green as Jeff and his mom sat around laughing at a joke someone must have made and I felt a little bite on my leg. 

"Ow!" I cried out and jumped back, and in the process my arm slammed against the mantle. A glass container fell and shattered upon the hardwood floor and purple gunk oozed on the ground. "I'm so sorry!"

Jeff squatted down and picked up the little girl at our side. "It's not polite to bite company," he teased her.

"I don't get to eat him?" she pouted, her sad yellow eyes staring up at him.

"Ahh.... no," Jeff answered and handed her over to a parent. He leaned over to me with a whisper. "Our family has been off of eating humans for generations, I promise. It's just... my sister is on this whole 'organic and going back to our roots' thing lately. I'm sorry, I should have warned you. "

I swallowed. "No worries."

Just remember, you love him and he's spending Christmas with your family.

Another family member was at the ground, picking up the pieces of glass. Lightning bolts almost darted out of her eyes when she looked at me. "That was grandma."

I paled. "What?"

"We keep our ancestors blood," Jeff explained and handed his nice over to another adult. "You know, the way you would when you cremate someone."

Shit.

I started to apologize again and knelt to assist in the clean up, but before any progress could be made Jeff's mother screeched from the kitchen. "IS THIS PUMPKIN PIE?"

Jeff's head, and everyone else's in the room, snapped in my direction. They stared at me as though I had just brought a bomb into the house. "You didn't tell me it was pumpkin."

I shrugged. 

"Squash is poisonous to us," Jeff explained as we rushed to the kitchen. "I thought you would make pecan or something."

His mother had her back against the refrigerator with a spatula shaking in her hand, held out as though it was a sword. "Get it out," she growled. 

I nodded and picked up the pie from the counter. "I am so sorry," I said. "I had no idea, I can go out and get something else."

"Just get it out."

The pie was sent to the dumpster outside immediately, and in spite of the chill in the air, I hid in the backyard for a few minutes. This was not going exactly as I'd hoped. I dropped Grandma and almost poisoned his family. Oh yeah, and could possibly become his niece's next meal.

Jeff was a monster and so was the rest of his family. There was no way I was ever going to fit in here. Why had we ever thought this was going to work?

From the inside pocket of my suit jacket I pulled out the box I brought with me. I opened it and held the silver band inside in my palm. Nothing fancy, but I had gotten an engraving put on the inside of the ring.

Against all odds.

"How could you have let him into our house?" Jeff's mom's voice echoed through the window. "And you never told me. Your own mother! How can you betray me like this?"

"I knew you'd react this way!" Jeff answered. 

"He's a human. They're so different and don't understand our ways."

"He doesn't but, maybe-"

"No maybe! If your father was here..."

I couldn't listen anymore and shoved the box back into my pocket to take a walk. So much for against all odds. 

After I had walked about half a block a set of footsteps came running up from behind me. What if it was his sister wanting an organic meal for her daughter? Or what if there were other things living in this neighborhood? I hurried my pace. Staying at the house was a bad idea, and leaving the house was a bad idea. What a disaster. 

"Mike! Wait a second, it's me!" Jeff called. "Where are you going?"

I slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief. I should have figured.

Jeff caught up to me heaving. His breath created small clouds in the air between us.

"This isn't working,"  I said. "Your family hates me, and I'm ruining everything. This was a bad idea."

Jeff was silent for a moment and tried to catch his breath. His eyebrows were furrowed and he frowned. He reached into his pants pocket and held out the ring. I must have dropped it in the backyard. 

"Then what's this?"

---

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Flash Fiction Friday- Under the Bed

I've been brainstorming ways I could try and share my fiction writing with you. Instead of just talking about writing all of the time, I want to show that "Yes! I do actually put words to a page which aren't a blog post!" None of my novels are published (yet), so it's not like I can share a link of where you can purchase one. I thought about maybe sharing peeks at what I'm working on such as sample scenes and chapters, but I'm not sure how publishers and agents feel about that when you're trying to go the traditional route of publishing.

But, what about flash fiction?

Flash fiction is a form of short story where you write something 1000 words or less. I'll be the first to tell you - I'm not good at short stories. I'm a novelist, and a long-winded one at that. Even when I was in elementary school and was told to write a one page story it would end up being at least three. 

Short stories just aren't my thing.

But, I also know it's a good skill to have, and one I should be practicing. This in mind, I thought it might be fun if here and there I added an additional blog post to my schedule where I try some flash fiction.

Have prompt ideas for any future flash fiction? Let me know in the comments, shoot me an email, or reach out via Facebook/Twitter!

Here's something I thought of for Halloween! I had a lot of fun with it, and I hope you do too.

Under the Bed

"And they all lived happily ever after. The end."

I heard the book shut and the mother placed her feet on the ground. I jerked my bony hand underneath the bed before she could step on it. 

"Good night, Sweetie."

The mother's feet made their way to the door until the child cried out. "Check!"

I heard the mother sigh and I slunk further into the shadows. The mother and child knelt down next to my entrance and shone a flashlight. The child's brown pigtails bounced as she examined the area. They couldn't see me in the light. No one could. But I could see them. 

"There's nothing there," the mother reassured her as she helped the girl back into bed.

"But I saw it!"

"It was just a bad dream, Sweetie. But, I can give you Bear. Will that make you feel better?"

I snarled at the sound of Bear's name. I had tried to get to it during the story while they were distracted.

The mother left the room and turned out the light. The glimmer of the moon and stars plugged into the far wall was the only thing which would make me invisible again. The moon couldn't even gaze inside with the dark curtains shut. Now, it was my time.

I waited until the child's breathing slowed as she fell asleep, then slid out of my dark home. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. It couldn't know I was there. It would ruin everything. My nails gripped the floorboards and made a small creaking sound, and the child gasped. 

I froze. Maybe she would go back to sleep. Something brushed against my hand. 

Aha! Gotcha!

I grasped it in my fist. Something smooth and cool. The girl's foot. 

She yelped and jumped back in bed and I slid my hand back where it was. 

I waited again. I needed to be more patient. She would be asleep soon. I let my breathing slow, matching hers in a peaceful rhythm. When it was safe, I slid out once again. The girl shivered and tugged her blanket close around her tiny body. The bear was snuggled against her chest, dressed in its little knight in shining armor uniform. I swore it smirked at me as I hovered over the bed, my shadowy cape filling the room. 

The bear slid out from the girl's arms and climbed up to the headboard. It lifted it's shield and sword up at me. The shield reflected the night light and it shone upon me, pushing me back away from the bed. 

No. I wouldn't let it get me. I needed to be closer.

I stretched my arms, embracing the air in the room, then pushed it toward the bear in a wave. He fell off the bed and I flew to where he landed. The nightlight no longer reflected off of his shield and he pointed his miniature sword toward me, his arm shaking. I pushed it aside and it slid across the hardwood floor. 

The bear shook as I pinned it to the ground. I had it now.

A small gasp came from the bed. The wind I created had swept off the comforter. Her lip trembled and her eyes sparkled. I swept to her side and held a bony finger to her mouth before she could cry.

"Shhhhhhh." 

Before I could move on, something thudded against my head. The bear had retrieved his sword once again. He reflected the nightlight toward me once again and I flew against the back wall then rushed to my hiding place. 

The girl started to cry and within moments the mother returned, turning on the light, and sat on the bed. She cooed soothing words to the child. I wouldn't be coming out again that night.

I pulled out the small bottle I had snatched from the bear labeled "Child Poison." I sneered then smashed it against the wall. It vanished in a purple haze.

I hadn't intended for the child to wake and cry. But, it didn't matter. She was safe. At least for tonight.