31 Days Of Flash Fiction

I love October.

I love Halloween.

I love fall, the leaves turning and then gradually falling, one by one off the trees. It makes me want to create.

So this is what I'm going to do: Every day of October (barring a catastrophe) I'll be posting a flash fiction piece on my blog. The theme will obviously be horror. I'm going to try to keep the stories as close to a hundred words as possible.

Here we go.

With Sympathy

The card came today.

I knew I’d get mine sooner or later. When I open up the mailbox, the afternoon sun shining on my head, it’s the only thing in there. I open it on the way to the house, my hands trembling as the off-white cardstock comes into view, the words ‘With Sympathy’ on the front emblazoned in gold ink.

So I follow the instructions inside, just like I know my friends and family did before me.

One cup of bleach.

A half cup of gasoline.

Three tablespoons of lye.

I grimace as I drink it down.