This 250-word short story won eighth place in the first round of NYC Midnight’s “250-word Microfiction Challenge 2021” International Writing Contest. Contest participants were given a prompt at midnight, and then required to turn in a 250-word maximum short story within 24 hours.
The prompt consisted of a required genre, action, and word.
My prompt was:
GENRE: Ghost Story
ACTION: Running
WORD: Play
Cozy Saturdays
I love cozy Saturdays.
I get to stay home, where it’s just me, my book, and…my annoying little sister Suzy.
“Alex! Come play with me!”
Suzy sprints from one end of my room to the other like a runaway train. The tutu from her Tinkerbell costume bounces violently as she moves, making her look like some kind of ethereal bullet.
“Watch how fast I can run! Are you watching?” Suzy’s voice fills my head like a bee buzzing.
“Very fast,” I say, distractedly. “Keep going.”
Two tiny feet enter my vision. Suzy hovers her hands over my book.
“Stop reading.” Her fingers wiggle.
My irritation bursts out. “Suzy, my life doesn’t revolve around you! I want to read, not watch you run!”
Suzy’s face crumples. I feel a rush of shame.
There’s a knock on my door.
“Alex?” My mother peeks her head in. “Would you and your friend like some dinner? Oh. I thought…are you talking to someone?”
She looks crestfallen. “Do we need to call Doctor Roberts, again?”
I glance at Suzy, with her translucent face, the blood-stained tutu, and the half of her skull that was caved in when she flew through the windshield of our car three years ago.
Suzy shakes her head.
I paste a big smile on my face. “Just reading out loud.”
“Oh! Well, that’s…that's good.” My mother returns my smile with a much more sincere one.
I look at Suzy’s transparent face. She grins back at me.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m good.”