Tears

The thing I love about micro fiction is the word limit. Having to tell a story with a cap of two hundred and fifty words forces me to focus on my diction and keeping the narrative tight. With that limitation, I’m willing to experiment with genres that I’m not entirely comfortable with, like romance and comedy. However, that doesn’t mean stories always flutter to the forefront of my mind. So, when I sat down to outline this piece of micro fiction, I pulled a random first line to kick-start my creativity juices.

‘He opened the door to find her standing there, crying.’

While the first line prompts are wonderful starting points, they’re not entirely conducive to these micro-tales. While I continue to return to the well, I end up adapting the spirit of the words to the central storyline. OF course, I needed to figure out how I would blend that guide with a narrative. Thankfully, my mind connected a few unpleasant memories and the beginnings of a story crystalized in my mind. Thankfully, the first few decades of my life were mostly pleasant, however, life sought to make up for those good times with more recent events.

With each pass through this narrative, I leveraged those painful memories and leaned into them as I crafted this brief romance.

Come, sit down and allow me to give you a mini-escape and kindle your imagination.

Luke shouldered the door open, and sobs bombarded him. The bouquet, clutched in his grasped, tumbled to the foyer as he rushed up the stairs. When he reached the second floor, the tumbling flowers struck the ground. Instantly, he raced through the hall toward the sobbing.

As the tears softened, Luke’s fingertips halted and hovered over the knob. A feminine voice cut through the walls as the cries stopped. “Why?”

With trembling legs, Luke traced the metal doorknob. As each sob rang out, the sorrowful melody emanating intensified, wrapping itself around Luke’s heart. While the sobs continued to flow, Luke’s eyelids slammed shut as his chest expanded. When he opened the door, a tear tumbled down his cheek.

Once he could see inside, he found a woman lying on the floor, lifting her head.