Jan 19 2009
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Flash Fiction Challenge - “The Package”
I visit a forum called absolutewrite.com, where every Sunday they have a Flash Fiction Challenge. The premise is this: They give you a prompt, and 90 minutes. This is the result of my first foray into writing with a deadline. It was fun!
The Package
He waited for an age while she stood over it, cooing with admiration. She kept touching it, stroking it, like she couldn’t bear to leave. Finally she did, pausing in the doorway to look back at it for a moment after turning out the light.
He stayed hidden for another minute, listening to her descend the stairs, making sure she wasn’t going to think of some excuse to come back. Safe now, Cillian crept out of the shadowy corner that had been hidden by the open door.
This one was locked in a heavy wooden cage, but he was undaunted by the prospect of getting inside. He sidled closer, dropping to the floor to check underneath for booby traps. Most of them were too stupid these days for that, but some of them remembered, and left iron in unexpected places. Not here though.
He backed away and took a running leap, landing daintily on the top edge, where he looked down at the package. It was sleeping soundly. He shimmied silently down one of the bars and stood over it for a moment, making sure his movement wasn’t going to disturb it. He reached into his bag and grabbed a handful of dust, which he sprinkled onto the package’s face. It sneezed, but that was all. He waved to the others waiting outside the window.
Outside, Shamus, his second-in-command this evening, bent and whispered to the window latch. There was a soft click, and they quickly raised the window, Shamus and another holding it open, whilst the rest of them dropped silently to the floor as one, cradling the decoy. They streamed toward the cage, where, first laying the decoy gently on the floor, they started working on the bars.
They worked quickly - in less than ninety seconds, they had removed three bars, creating a big enough gap to facilitate the switch. Cillian oversaw it in silence, using the hand signals they had practiced.
Back at the window they lay the package on the floor, and gathered around it, letting their wings unfurl. They rose and dropped back to the floor a few times, warming up. The packages were always heavier than they looked, so they saved their energy for the last part by not flying until it was absolutely necessary.
Suddenly, Shamus hissed, and gestured frantically from the sill. They froze for a second, as footsteps began to ascend the stairs.
“Now. Go!”
They shot upwards towards to open window as the door began to open again. They made it out with barely a second to spare, the package suspended between them in its blankets. Cillian snickered as they flew higher, disappearing into the night. Mab would be well pleased when they delivered this one.
