A. L. Kaplan

Tag: Flash Fiction

  • THE PROPOSAL

    Sweat dripped down John’s back, tickling like a stream of little spiders. He hated being hot, but the corporate sauna was the only place where he could work undisturbed. Stripping down to a towel had made it somewhat bearable. He squeezed the black satin pouch that hung from his neck and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. The proposal deadline was in a few hours. Holiday house guests, endless phone calls, and questioning coworkers had kept interrupting him, even in the bathroom. This hot, pit of cedar hell was his only refuge. His fingers tapped furiously on the keys of his iPad. He was almost done. Nothing could stop him now.

    A fire alarm screeched. John groaned in frustration. “This isn’t fair.”

    He stumbled to the door and yanked it open, dizzy from the prolonged heat. Cold air hit him like an arctic blast. Everything looked hazy, smoky. Panic pressed in on him. He raced to the exit, bare feet slapping on the tile floor. Relief filled John as he burst out of the building and hurried to his boss, Morgan and her administrative assistant, Tyron.

    “Sorry…Morgan,” he said, clutching the iPad with its precious proposal and gasping for air. “Proposal’s…not quite…done….Need another…five minutes.”

    Morgan’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, then she cleared her throat. Her eyes kept lowering, then darting away, finally settling on something behind his left shoulder. “Um…it’s okay, John. The fire and all….”

    “Really,” said Tyron with an enormous grin. “When you said you had an early holiday gift for me I wasn’t expecting this, but I love it.”

    Confused, John stared at his coworkers, then at the crowd around them. Fingers and phones pointed in his direction. It wasn’t until his heart stopped pounding in his ears that he heard the sniggering and the rapid clicking of cameras. A cold December breeze chased away the last of the sauna’s heat induced haze. Somewhere during his dash to safety, his towel had vanished. Warmth flooded John’s face. He lowered the iPad, then shrugged and handed it to Morgan. Sinking to one knee, he opened the pouch around his neck and pulled out a diamond ring.

    “Tyron, will you marry me?”

    Tears glistened in Taylor’s eyes. “Of course I will, you crazy fool.”

    Camera’s continued to snap amidst cheers and applause as Tyron wrapped his jacket around John and pulled him into passionate kiss. This was one proposal that would make history.

  • A HUMBLE REPAST

    Snow flew across the room as the door swung open, bringing with it the cold Mary and Frank had just driven away with their meager cup of hot soup. A few people barked obscenities even after the door closed. Frank’s arm tightened around her as a hulking figure stared at the empty kitchen counter. Nowhere felt safe since they became homeless.

    “Go away,” someone yelled, as the figure shuffled across the old linoleum floor. “There’s no food and no room for anyone else.

    Even from their distant corner, Mary could see the despair in the eyes of the grime covered figure. His shoulders drooped further when empty floor space vanished as he neared. That was no way to treat anyone, especially during the holidays. Mary made space by snuggling closer to Frank. The man nodded, then squeezed against the wall, clutching his long legs in tight.

    Both she and Frank had saved the crackers that came with their soup and muffin. Who knew where their next meal would come from? She pulled the two precious packages from the pocket of her threadbare jacket and handed them to the man.

    “Here,” she said. “It’s not much, but you’re welcome to them.”

    Tears pooled in the man’s eyes and he smiled. Mary returned the look, wishing everyone could be thankful for simple crackers. Exhausted, she and Frank drifted off to sleep. The stranger was gone when they woke. As they left the shelter, Mary discovered a large roll of cash in her pocket.

  • A.L. Kaplan Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

    A.L. Kaplan is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

    The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature on Indies Unlimited and a place in their collection of winners which will be published  at year end.

     

  • SWITCHED OPPORTUNITY

    Jessica watched Chad over her paint smudged canvas as he hiked up the trail to Goat Rock. His muscular thighs pumped up and down with the rhythm of the crashing waves below. Same time, same trail, again. Repetitious behavior was sloppy for someone in their line of work.

    Hidden below the half squished tubes of cadmium red and viridian paint, lay her weapon. There was a clean shot, but something held her back. Chad looked more familiar than her month long surveillance allowed. His piercing blue eyes held her gaze. Tightness spread across her gut. Instead she picked up a paintbrush and splattered cobalt blue across the canvas. As fine art it sucked, but she wasn’t that kind of artist.

    “Hi, Jessica.”

    The tightness grew. Never let a hit get close, ever. It was drilled into her, yet she allowed him to walk up and look at the canvas. Her fingers ached to grab her weapon.

    “I thought assassins were supposed to kill people, not art.”

    Her mouth felt dry. “What do you want?”

    “You always were direct. Do you know why they’re after me?”

    “You reneged on a contract, and we’ve never met.”

    Chad sighed. “Actually we have. They didn’t name the hit until after I agreed.”

    “Not my concern.”

    “It should be, little sister.” His hand brushed across her face. The familiar gesture caused images to flash through her mind. “They’ve messed with our memories enough. It’s time to stop playing their games and take back our lives.”

  • Author Interview

    Kathy Steinemann interviewed me this week. You can read the interview here.

  • HOWARD BEAR

    Santa’s village was in trouble, big trouble. A massive force of ogres, goblins, and gremlins advanced. All the land escapes were blocked. The village was unarmed and outnumbered; in short, doomed. Elves and other animals ran in panicked circles through the village, unsure of what to do.

    “We’ll never get everyone off the ground before they overwhelm us,” said Santa. His big jolly belly sagged. “What are we going to do?”

    Howard Bear scanned the marching troops. Monsters, all of them, out to destroy Santa’s peaceful haven. He may not have gotten his dream job, pulling Santa’s sleigh, but this was his home. There was no way he was letting those awful people win.

    “I have an idea,” said Howard. “Continue evacuations.”

    He ran to his workshop at the tinsel factory and did what he did best. Using steel instead of aluminum, his sharp claws slashed and twisted the metal with rapid speed. Howard raced back to Santa with bails of barbed tinsel.

    “Spread this out around the village. It will keep them back long enough for you to escape.”

    Howard got his dream that day. He pulled Santa’s sleigh and the last of the villagers to safety. The barbed tinsel entangled the monsters until the gnome army arrived. Thanks to Howard everyone was saved. If you’re ever in Santa’s village, check out the statue Santa had built for Howard the Hero Bear. It’s right next to the one for Rudolf.

  • A.L. Kaplan Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

    A.L. Kaplan is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge for “Claim Jumper.”

    The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

     

  • A L Kaplan Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

    A L Kaplan is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

  • BLOOD MONEY

    I backed deeper into dad’s half-collapsed toolshed and prayed Augie would stop counting long enough to turn around. My body screamed for oxygen, but my asthmatic lungs refused to comply. The man stepped with me, keeping the pistol inches from my head. Blood oozed from a gash across his neck.  Bright and red, just like the blood on the bag of money Augie and I found on the tracks. I knew we should have left it, but money was tight and that bag had a lot of it.

    “Ain’t nobody coming after this money, Wyatt,” said Augie. “There’s way too much blood.”

    A crooked grin split the man’s face. “I guess my name is Ain’t Nobody, kid.” His raspy voice sounded like the chain smoking guy at the station.

    Augie’s voice shook. “Please don’t hurt my brother, mister. Take the money. We won’t tell. I swear.”

    A flicker of sadness crossed the man’s face. “Just pack it up.” He pulled out a bottle. “Slow breaths, Wyatt. Drink this.”

    I swallowed the liquid he poured into my mouth without thinking. It burned my throat, but by the time Augie packed up all the cash, my molasses filled lungs had cleared. The man took the bloodstained bag from Augie and tossed a thick wad of twenties on the ground.

    “For your troubles.” He tousled my hair and smiled. “Slow easy breaths and a shot of whiskey, Wyatt. Worked for my brother every time. Remember, if anyone asks, Ain’t Nobody been here.”

  • A. L. Kaplan Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

    A L Kaplan is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge with her story, New World.

    The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature on their site today and will be published as an e-book at year end with the other 2014 winners.