Early Days of Writing

I was just going through some old material I had wrote a few years ago when I was experimenting with flash fiction.

Flash Fiction is a short story written below 300 WORDS or so. It’s a great challenge to get tension in a plot within a minimal amount of writing.

Here was my first attempt at it:

Nightstalker

Exhausted gulps of breath funnel out as his chest rose up and down in sweaty anticipation.

Where is it?

Frantic scans across the four walls. Wall one, wall two, wall three, wall four, wall two, wall one, wall four, etc.

His watch, on the bedside table, beeped 3 am. Silence followed, except for his rasped breathes.

He held it but was unable to stop the bombastic, resounding beat of his heart. Soon to explode out of his chest.

Where is it?

His eyes flew up to the ceiling. Tracking centimeter by centimeter.

Nothing but quiet. Sweat dripped down his nose to his haggard torn sheets. Eyes scanned each corner of the bedroom. Nothing was there.

He exhaled slowly.

It’s gone.

He fell to his knees in tired relief antecedent to the sound of an out of tune violin that started playing in his right ear.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

Arms flew out and swung wildly around his head.

A flat string plucked in his ear with frequent pauses.

He stood up to get away when his toes caught on tangled sheets. He catapulted on to the floor, hitting his moist forehead on the corner of his bedside table.

As the mosquito feasted on his still body and took small breaks to buzz victoriously in his ear, the
man lay silently, finally able to get his much needed sleep.

Being summer, many of us have dealt with this thirsty menance. I wanted to illustrate the turmoil, panic and frustration I have felt when they are around. I am always pulled wide awake when that first buzz flies by my ear at night and I can’t sleep until it’s gone or dead. Ah, they make my skin crawl. Who else feels that way?