Literary Lion. Space.

 

The time is finally here, week one of ismithwords’ new weekly flash fiction challenge, Literary Lion. This morning I plucked a neon orange paper strip from under the watchful king and unfurled its corners to reveal the word ‘Space.’

So go ahead and commence with penning your pieces of 400 words and under, using the word ‘space’ as a prompt. It can be interpreted as literally or metaphorically as you wish. Remember to pingback to this page and to include the tag ‘literary lion’ so we can find you in the WordPress reader.

Good luck, and here is my space inspired tale…

 

Poison.

It was a bullshit phrase. As he uttered it his face glazed. For weeks I had ignored how closely the words were from tumbling off the tip of his tongue.

I was seventeen years old and it was a Friday night. I had just doused myself in Christian Dior’s Poison and smudged charcoal kohl across my eyelids. That scent was now destined to be etched into my brain alongside that phrase. A phrase of three little words that no one ever wants to hear.

“I.

Need.

Space.”

Bullshit. If I walked paces from where I was stood I was giving him what he asked for. But I couldn’t have stayed tethered at ten footsteps. He wanted an easy way of saying “I don’t love you anymore.”

It must have been the love leaving that glazed across his face. A demonic exorcism of something that was damaging. I’m sure if I had bothered to look in the mirror, I’d have seen it seeping from my pores too.