I'm writing a novella! Kinda. I'm more so just throwing some words on the page, but I can't do that without attention. Also calling this flash fiction is a little misleading. Sure some days I might only write two paragraphs, but generally you can expect a little more than that. And yes, they will be (by and large) unedited.
Tune back every weekday in February to see how this tale turns out. It'll be dumb, I'm sure. Feel free to throw suggestions at me anytime to get mentioned at the end of each chapter (if I use your idea). Enjoy!
Next Chapter >>
~~~~~
Usually avoiding fluorescent lighting was a blessing, but Terrence didn’t feel that way today. After hearing that the government shutdown was temporarily suspended, he was again excited for his trip to Dublin. Missing the authentic and plentiful varieties of whiskey, he was eager to reclaim his title as Black Irish. Instead, a blizzard plagued BWI so fiercely it knocked the power out completely.
As the backup generators buzzed and dim yellow lights illuminated the halls, Terrence timidly approached TSA to find only one officer working. It appeared most of the employees were still boycotting or too broke to afford gas money or bus fare to work. Or maybe they knew the blizzard was coming. Why didn’t anyone warn him? He was one of the few passengers in the airport
He arrived to the TSA gate to find what looked like a preteen girl in a TSA uniform. He rubbed his eyes knowing “black don’t crack” but not this severely, yet sure enough there she was: hazel colored hair, blue contact lenses, abnormally taller for a girl her age - or so Terrence assumed - and a nametag that read Penny Marks.
“Well, g’morning, Penny. How are you? Some weather, right” he asked.
“My name is Penelope,” she responded without any childlike innocence. Perhaps she was older than he thought after all.
“Oh, my bad. It’s just your nametag…”
“I keep trying to rip it off this uniform, but every time I do it reappears. Even tried covering it with tape but it won’t stick. I ain’t gone by Penny since I was eight.” A shitty clue for our protagonist, still trying to figure out how to address her. “I would ask for your ID or passport, but I really don’t care. I just care too much about perfect attendance.”
A school bell rung. Terrence felt a presence behind him and turned to look: five more passengers lined up behind him, all in ascending height order from him. Suddenly he was at eye level with the TSA’s kiosk. Startled, he jumped back. He really liked being 6’0” and he was sure only 5’4” at best now.
“Ow, that’s my toe, bitch,” screamed the twenty-year old behind him.
Penelope looked down on him now. “So, where you headed?”
“He’s going to Ireland,” the tallest among them answered.
“Excuse me, sir, I’m gonna need you to mind your business at the back of the line where you belong!” she commanded.
“Actually, I prefer…” they had to think for a moment, “sa’am. No. Ma’ir? Yikes, fuck that. Just call me bitch. That gender neutral enough.”
Penelope’s eyes rolled so far back she fell off her stool and passed out. With her body’s thud, four of the passengers ran through the gate. Only Terrence and the tall passenger remained behind. For some reason, Terrence found himself concerned with Penelope’s well being, as if she served some purpose beyond this role.
“Don’t worry about her,” the tallest said. “ I’m pretty sure she’s dead. Ooup, yup. There’s that small stream of blood now. You know those highchairs are surprisingly higher than you think. You’re Terrence Parker, right? Ohmagawd, I love your tweets.”
Terrence hadn’t turned around to face them yet. He focused on Penelope’s leaking skull, wondering how the stranger knew him. Yes, he used Twitter often, but he barely had 72 followers and knew them all. Terrence reached for his phone and saw a notification: he had two new followers.
~~~~~
Prompt contributor(s):
April Nicotera's Dice Roller: Penny Marks - 11yo, 5’6”, sharp blue eyes and chestnut hair, quiet and proud but can be evil and is scared of the dark; Starter - “The old woman turned and smiled”; Setting - an airport during a blizzard, where all flights are canceled and all passengers are stranded together for the weekend
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