Whispers on the Shadow Wind — Daily Flash Story: Chapter 5
Each chapter will be written by improvisation and inspired by a random InspiroBot poster until we reach a natural end. I hope you enjoy it!
Click the chapter to link to other segments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
WHY ME?
Austin couldn’t understand why Lillian seemed so upset. He’d just informed her of a wonderful gift, an amazing opportunity to take her life to a whole new and unexpected level. Of course, he rarely understood how other people reacted to anything, seeing as how his definition of importance never matched that of his peers.
“You’re saying this will kill me?” Lillian asked incredulously, staring down at the cup of coffee in her hands. They’d migrated to the kitchen table to discuss the situation, mostly because the kitchen had the closest chairs for her to sit down on.
Sighing deeply, Austin replied, “No, it could kill you. That’s not nearly the same thing. I can make sure you don’t die to it, I can even make sure you thrive from it, if you’re willing to learn.”
“Of course she’s willing to learn,” Dawn said, more to Lillian than to Austin. “She’s just in shock and needs more reassurance that everything will be okay.” Dawn rose from her chair to move around the table, sitting down next to Lillian and wrapping her arm around Lillian’s shoulders.
“Somebody’s in love,” Shannon whispered in Austin’s mind. Austin snickered and took a sip from his cup to cover the action.
Dawn glanced his way and raised an eyebrow. “What was that?” She asked. “Did you say something?”
Austin shook his head and said, “No, certainly not.”
“Yes, you did,” Dawn said, looking up at him. “I heard something about love. And, for your information, my love life is none of your concern.”
“Shannon, they heard you!” Austin said to the empty air, knowing that Shannon would pick up on it wherever she currently was. He bowed to the two women and said, “my apologies, I meant no judgment.”
“Love?” Lillian said, glancing up at last. “Wait, why are we talking about love? I thought we were talking about me?”
“We were,” Shannon said wryly, earning Austin a sharp look from Dawn.
“Why do you keep talking shit?” Dawn asked.
Austin shook his head. “It’s not me, it’s Shannon.”
“Your mouth is moving, your voice is saying it,” Dawn said. “You come in here, telling Lillian that she’s first ‘pregnant’, and second ‘going to die’, and now you’re cracking jokes about my sexuality?”
“Jesus!” Austin said, laughing. “Maybe my dad is right about our generation? Millennials are always getting offended about shit when they shouldn’t. Who said that Shannon was making fun of you? She doesn’t care about you being a lesbian.”
“You’re a lesbian?” Lillian asked, staring at Dawn suddenly. “I never knew.”
Dawn sighed and moved away from her, but Lillian held her fast. “No, stay. It feels nice.”
Austin rolled his eyes. “And this is why we don’t keep our mouth shut. You are who you are, why be ashamed of it? The same applies to you, Lillian. Embrace it, let me lead you.”
Lillian met Austin’s gaze and held it for several seconds before nodding. “When do we start?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank you for reading! I write fiction for a living, and I’m currently trying make ends meet. If you like this short story and would like to read my other work, find out more at Patreon or email me at Samuel.D.Roe@gmail.com.
This story brought to you by my Patreon supporters: Michael, Bill, Charles, Amr, Don, James, Joe, Jos, Mark, Mark, Paul, Steve, John, Matthieu, Frank, Sam, Jay, Scott, Lachlan, Matt, Haldon, Darren, and Richmond.
READ THE NEXT CHAPTER HERE.
