Now here’s a flash fiction short story from Marlene Mesot.
Anticipation
Flash Fiction Story
By Marlene Mesot
01/09/2025
Mark.
Lightning flickers on the horizon; electric clouds march toward me filling my soul with wondrous excitement. I watch the outskirts of the parking lot with bravado, fascinated, where irregular bursts of light freeze wind-whipped branches; green froth riding the sturdy wave of tree and trunk and branch. Rain pelts me with stinging drenching joy as I marvel at the sight and sound; rolling roaring thunder heightens my senses.
With a sigh I wipe water from my eyes and my watch, reminding myself I have to travel across town in this exhilarating deluge to pick up Ellie for our date. My stomach tightens with anticipation, knowing I should go, but first I tilt my face up impulsively and open my mouth to catch fat cold drops out of the thick humid air. Soaked and refreshed I walk to my car and open the driver’s door.
Ellie.
At the library window in my house, I stare into the ink of night, transfixed and foreboding, as irregular bursts of light intrude upon the cacophony of wind and rain, causing me to jump with dread. . Rain pelts the windowpane, gathering and sluicing its exposed surface. The scene matched my melancholy mood. Adding to chaos the slow rumble begins. I shiver knowing the horrific boom is coming ever closer. I can feel it in the vibration of the floor, echoing around the walls. Glancing around I take note of the sturdy shelves of beloved books standing silently in this room. They should be a welcome comfort, a needed distraction from my gloom and the doom outside, but no. The will to concentrate flees with running shivers.
Where is Mark? He knows I fear thunderstorms most of all. How is he not here yet? I can’t help questioning as my disappointment mounts. I rub my hands up and down my arms but it does not stop the chill. Please, make it stop before we have to venture out in this.
I gasp, stifling a scream with my hand, at the abrupt darkness. Now there will be only the brief slash of light from outside to penetrate my aloneness. I freeze in place as terror grips me.
I hear loud pounding to compete with the growling thunder and howling wind from outside. I go to the door instinctively, touch the cold unyielding orb with a death grip, and wait.
“Ellie, it’s Mark. Open the door.”
Ellie.
Sighing, I wrench the knob and fling the door wide. “Is this your idea of a blind date!”
Note: This story resulted from a prompt for thunderstorm with a paragraph and word list to use as a guide for up to 500 words. I used all but two of the words in the list and some of the phrasing is not my own from the original paragraph.
PRPMPT: Thunderstorm
Lightning flickered on the horizon; electric clouds marching toward me. At the library window, I stared into the ink of night, awaiting its arrival. Irregular bursts of light froze wind-whipped branches; green froth riding the sturdy wave of tree and trunk and branch. Rain pelted the windowpane, gathering and sluicing its exposed surface. The scene matched my mood.
Word List: Doom, gloom, foreboding, joy, excitement, terror, melancholy, anticipation, disappointment, bravado, sadness, Peace,
Directions: Begin a flash fiction piece of no more than 500 words using the paragraph-prompt above. Select one word from the list. Incorporate that word into your story.
Author Marlene Mesot
Marlene Mesot’s passion for mystery is reflected in her writing of contemporary Christian fiction and poetry. She shares her love of God, family, friendships and animals with her readers. She is legally blind and moderately deaf due to nerve damage at premature birth. Marlene has loved writing since early childhood.