#flashfiction

The prompt for this week: …as I rose in the dark…

My eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar room. The cool touch of silk sheets lay across my naked body. I turned to look at my companion. His hair tousled in sleep with lashes long and dark as his hair, lay facing me.

My heart skipped. Memories of his touch awakened the desire to touch his lips and trace the smile that had been my undoing.

As I rose in the dark to dress, I noticed the white line on his ring finger, picked up my purse, and let myself out.

Photo credit: Joey Francisco

Unable to meet the deadline for this Photo Flash Fiction, I thought I’d share it with my readers and fellow writers. Enjoy.

THE EXCURSION

Shivering, she pulled her sweater tighter. Why had she agreed to take this God-forsaken trip?

“Let’s go back, rekindle things. I know we can be happy again,” he said, squeezing harder. She tried not to wince as his fingers dug into her arms. His eyes told her not to argue. She looked down and let him pull her stiffened body against his, hating herself.

The first time here, she’d been an enraptured bride caught up in him and the romantic setting. The excursion into the river, with its hint of danger, added fuel to their desire.

His back muscles tensed with each row, and she remembered the alligators, how he’d laughed at her, rocking the canoe, teasing her, stopping only after she screamed. Blinded by love, she’d been oblivious to the red flag waving, day three of their honeymoon.

She watched as the first alligator eased into the water and wondered what his plan was today. He glanced over his shoulder smiling, a glint breaking the blackness of his eyes.

He just thought he was in control. She stood, bracing her feet against the sides of the canoe, pulled the object from under her sweater, and began rocking.