Today is National Flash Fiction Day, and I thought I’d whip up a story.
So, below is my effort for 2013 – a superhero story, because that seemed to be where my head was at today. If you want to see some other flash work by me, I’ve included some links underneath the new story.
Extraordinary
Lewis clipped the cape to his shoulders, placed the tiny domino mask over his eyes – it probably didn’t hide his identity much, but sure looked good – and opened his window wide. It was his first night out on patrol since graduating from Fire-Man’s Academy For Superpowered Youth, and he was so excited about finally being a proper superhero.
He scampered over the rooftop, hair blowing in the breeze, and ran up to the gap between buildings. With practised confidence, Lewis jumped. The extra energy within his muscles, amping up his every movement, pushed him further than any normal human could go. He wasn’t a student, apprentice or sidekick anymore – he was The Extraordinary Man.
Yes, it was cheesy, and yes, at eighteen years old he was at the younger edge of the “Man” scale, but legally it was fine. He’d done it. He’d arrived as a superhero now, he could feel it as his boots thudded down onto the next roof, collecting dust and filth
.It was about ten at night, and people were milling about in the street below, going about their business. The Extraordinary Man dashed to the edge of the rooftop, just like they’d taught him in class, and perched, dramatically and visibly, to let the citizens feel protected, make sure any nearby evildoers knew not to try anything.
That done, he made another leap to the next rooftop, feeling older than he ever had. Before he could consider his next move, though, he heard a yell of panic – a young man shouted from the next alley over. The Extraordinary Man paced over, knowing what he’d see before he even looked.
Sure enough, a group of scary guys in hoodies were chasing the victim down, shouting for him to give up his wallet. All of a sudden, The Extraordinary Man’s legs froze up, and he locked in place. Lewis stared, feeling his skin move beneath the mask, imagining the crash of their fists on his cheekbones, and finally, he pulled out his mobile and called the police.
Then, eyes still wide, he dashed back the way he came. One step at a time, he told himself. He was still closer to being a superhero than two hours ago.
Flash Recommendations
Some of my best received other flash work includes…
- Wake Me, a brief sci-fi romance
- the eloquently titled slice-of-life Don’wanna, which inspired someone else to write a sequel
- Flat Tyre for sheer comedy
- Popped. An old story, and quite a puerile story, but everyone always seems to remember it.
In general, you can find my flash stories under this category. Read to your heart’s content.