He ran.
Not rushing . . . an easy trot.
From the flower cart he snagged a rose, tucking three dollars under the corner of the lady’s till. She only felt the wind from his passing.
He could run faster. He had somewhere to be, but showing up late was good cover. He just wanted . . .
not a rose, but an Iris–
. . . to leave a little something to brighten her day.
He swung by the News and left the flower on her keyboard, being careful not to cause a whirlwind of loose paper as he streaked in and out again.
Nobody saw him.
This 99-word Flash fiction is my response to Carrot Ranch Communications’ Flash Fiction Challenge:
June 3, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a rose. It can be straight-forward, romantic, funny. What is your rose today and what is its story? Who craves the rose or shrinks away? Why? Let the prompt fully bloom in your imagination.
Rob's Surf Report 
There’s both a bit of whimsy and tender beauty in this flash. Nicely written!
Thank you Charli, and thanks for having the challenge going — I hope to have more responses in the future. 🙂
[…] Meta by Surfer Rob […]
What a lovely romantic flash. I want to know so much more. Who was he?
I’m sure the true identity of this speedster would be the story of the century, though I admit that my story was inspired by my recent television-watching habits. “Flash (comics)” on @Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_(comics)?wprov=s
I’m sure the true identity of this speedster would be the story of the century — I admit that this Flash was inspired by my recent TV-watching habits, though:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(2014_TV_series)?wprov=sfii1
LOL I don’t know whether this has made it to Australia (it probably has) but it has past me by. That makes your flash even better with an extra depth that I hadn’t previously got. Thanks for the info.
You are quite welcome, Irene; thank you for reading and commenting. 🙂
Hey! Great job Rob! Glad to see that you found some inspiration and had a go at it 😀
Interesting and fascinating piece – lovely!
Thanks, MJ!
Lovely, Rob. 🙂
Thank you so much. 🙂
This is so cool; especially when you know what inspired you.
🙂 thanks Sandra, I do think knowing what to imagine really does add so much more dimension to the story!