Sick Day

~ theceaselessreaderwrites

via Daily Prompt: Dim

Word count = 272 / Reading time = less than 1 minute

Hello friends & fellow Bloggers!  I have not posted since last Thursday because I’ve been too busy with work then chaperoning a weekend trip to Georgia for my daughter’s Junior Thespian troupe to the annual conference down there.  I hadn’t expected to post today, either, still having plenty of catch-up to do at the office, but when I saw today’s Daily Post prompt, I decided I could sacrifice half my lunch break because it inspired me to make my first-ever attempt at flash fiction.  At 164 words, I think this qualifies as such.

I hope you enjoy, and please do let me know what you think!

Sick Day

The dim light of a gray dawn failed to elevate my mood as I locked my door then turned toward my car, and a sudden cloudburst doused what little cheer I had begun trying to muster.

As I exited the highway and turned onto the treacherous county road winding through the rocky hills on my final approach to work, I found myself once again bemused by how I’d arrived there.  The drive had become so routine that my mind disengages, and muscle memory takes over.

But when a sudden, stentorian ripping sound drew my eyes skyward as I approached the tunnel bored through Crummer’s Knob, and I saw an enormous, hairy arm begin to emerge from the slit in the torn clouds, I was instantly present.  Heart pounding and coated in a sheen of chill sweat, I entered the tunnel, pulled to the side, killed the ignition, and reached for my phone.  “B-Boss,”  I stammered, “I don’t think I’m gonna make it in today.”

Published by theceaselessreaderwrites

I'm a husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin, homeowner, Probation Officer, and Blogger in Middle Tennessee, USA. See my blog's 'About' page for more.

50 thoughts on “Sick Day”

      1. I want to know …
        But it’s your call to continue or not.
        Sometimes flash fictions have more impact when you leave people wanting (as I’ve found out to my cost when I’ve attempted to evolve something short into longer pieces … like John and Riya!!)

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you, Viola. So many possibilities, right? Another Blogger asked me to write a sequel. I challenged her to write it instead with the only rule being it must be 200 words or less. Feel free to do the same. You can link it to my original post; then, I’ll re-blog yours with a link to your Blog. I mean, I know your blogging schedule is very full and all, but I’d love to see what you do with it!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I’ve just read the sequel and loved it … and commented on her post.
        What a great idea it was to challenge her 👏🏼
        Whether I can do anything with it now … hmmm … let me think 🤔

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I really enjoyed this. Great depiction of the emotions experienced when going to work. I particularly loved the idea of taking such a scenic route to work which I’m surprised didn’t elevate the characters mood! The end was gripping and realistic because there’s so many possibilities that can arise and be thought of depending on the readers personality. Do you go to the police, tell a loved one or instantly google to find out if anyone else saw the hand too? I would go with the latter. The first may just perhaps earn me a place in an institution.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Sophia. So many possibilities, right? Another Blogger asked me to write a sequel. I challenged her to write it instead with the only rule being it must be 200 words or less. Feel free to do the same. You can link it to my original post; then, I’ll re-blog yours with a link to your Blog.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I would write a terrible sequel where the character would probably end up becoming friends with the hand and possibly transfer him to a strange land where he/she could commune with aliens. But do leave a link here to the sequel that the other blogger is writing so I can read it!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. What’s so terrible about that? Do it! I’m fixin’ to reblog her response and would love to be able to do the same with yours! She did a greaet job, I think you’ll love it, and I know you’d do differently great too!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. It’s not too… insane? You know what? I think I will! It feels like it’ll be a lot of fun. I’ll get started on it this Sunday after my blog-rest. I’ll keep a look out for the reblog of the blogger in the meantime.

        Liked by 1 person

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  24. Reblogged this on The Ceaseless Reader Writes and commented:

    I posted this short-short story on 2/28/18. It led to a fun collaboration with a couple of fellow Bloggers. I eventually developed it into a proper short story, which to my surprise was published in the 2018 edition of Tennessee’s Emerging Writers. I hope y’all enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!

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