Flexing my Fiction Muscles once again! This week Charli’s Flash Fiction prompt over at the Carrot Ranch is:
In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a fantastical element or creature:
It was hot but the door was closed. She snuck up to peak through a gap. She’d not been allowed to the barn since the birth, but Mother was distracted with Tommy.
She’d heard the grinder going. The horses were stamping and whinnying just like when there was a fire in the hayloft. Her father and the men were holding the newborn while the blacksmith seemed to be branding its bleeding head.
A shout – she’d been seen! Father rushed to get her. Gently he said:
“You mustn’t tell anyone – there are bad people trying to wipe out the unicorns”
Lisa Reiter - Sharing the Story 
June 11, 2014 at 9:06 am
I do so love a happy ending!
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June 11, 2014 at 8:38 am
This is such a sad but powerful story, Lisa. I think of it not only in terms of animals that are no longer with us, but also children and adults who lose a little of themselves when forced to conform. Love it!
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June 11, 2014 at 8:52 am
Thanks Norah – I was thinking just the same but how there are always people trying to do some good in the world. Perhaps my young protagonist had only seen her gruff father as a hard labouring farmer with little sentimentality and now he’s revealed as something else – I imagined this story carrying on until the unicorns were free to be unicorns again so please imagine the happy ending!
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June 11, 2014 at 8:38 am
Great post Lisa. A lovely twist at the end, totally unexpected. You knew there was mystery but not what.
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June 11, 2014 at 8:56 am
Glad it caught you Irene. When you’ve fiddled with these for 20 or so minutes, they seem like they’re going to be fairly obvious to other people.
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June 11, 2014 at 4:20 am
It certainly does come across as saving the unicorns and I’m going to consider the possibility! 🙂
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June 10, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Great flash, Lisa. After Charli’s photo and this story, I’m convinced unicorns exist and there’s a fascist plot to obliterated them.
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June 10, 2014 at 5:17 pm
Thanks Anne – I feel I’m getting the hang of it – at least getting rid of a few hang-ups, which is maybe more important!
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June 10, 2014 at 11:38 am
You really had me with this flash Lisa, I loved the ending and I can imagine this as really happening. I’ll never look at ‘normal’ horses in quite the same way again…
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June 11, 2014 at 8:55 am
Things are never as they seem..
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June 11, 2014 at 2:47 pm
True that… 😉
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June 10, 2014 at 2:05 am
I love it! This is a great response to a fun prompt. You and Charli are tempting me to join in on your flash fiction fun! 😀
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June 10, 2014 at 10:14 am
Go on then! Let’s see what next week’s prompt is – unless you’re quick with this – I seem to think you love all things magical, fairy-bride!
For me it’s flexing muscles I want to use eventually. I find it much harder than just ‘telling a truth’ but when I’ve got an idea I just write it as if it was and some of the hangups about creativity disappear.
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June 11, 2014 at 3:46 am
Come to the darkside, Tui Skywalker…:-)
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June 11, 2014 at 8:39 am
“Like” !
Tee hee
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June 10, 2014 at 2:03 am
Whoa. Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Well done! So sad though. I love my mythical creatures. Sick thing is, this would probably really happen. That or taking them for “testing” and I’m really over-thinking this. 😉 Great flash.
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June 10, 2014 at 10:17 am
I’m disturbing myself with being drawn to the dark side of things! There’s a word for using fiction to process real event I can’t remember or find, googling – can anyone help me out, here? I think i’ll be getting my cynicism off my chest in a few years..!
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June 9, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Whoa! That’s a fresh take on unicorn mythology! You make is sound so realistic with the details one would encounter on a farm with horses, but you also position us to expect a mystery to unfold. The moment of her discovery feels like a right of passage. And you accomplished all that in 99 words!
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June 10, 2014 at 10:31 am
Thanks Charli – I hope it comes across that they were saving the unicorn by removing it’s horn so it couldn’t be identified.
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