Over at Chuck Wendig’s blog this week, there’s a flash fiction challenge to
create a character in 250 words or less, and then let someone else run loose with it the following week.
Here’s mine:
Never try to hang a magician.
That should be a law or something. Save everyone a lot of time and
inconvenience for a start. Remove a share of panic, and struggle, and pain.
These are the thoughts that tumble through Isbel’s broken head as the noose tightens around her throat, as the rough rope bites. Breath slowing to a choking burning halt, heart beating hammers as the world darkens all around the edges of her vision.
Her trembling feet kick and jerk.
The mutts around her smirk and snort. Their mocking laughter spills
across her eyes as stripes of red and blackened light.
Planning on doing something, best make it soon, she says.
Don’t make me tell you twice, she says.
I aint kidding here.
Do it, she says.
Do it now.
A flare of brilliant white. Narrow like a blade and slicing deep
across the rope high up behind her head… and then she falls.
The laughter stops as she drops heavy and hits hard and rolls and
stands in one fluid movement. A broken black winged bird, rising up to fly again, she is, with hands still tied behind her back, noose still strung around her bruised neck, eyes cold blazing blue.
These would be killers stare at her with mouths gone slack and stupid.
She locks eyes with each of them in slow and steady turn and wishes
them all dead. It doesn’t do anything, but it sure makes Isbel Blake
feel better.