Regina owned a used bookstore in uptown and lived in the studio apartment on the second floor. Aside from the occasional English major coming to buy a cheap, worn novel for a class, the store remained empty for most of the day.
Regina used the bookstore as her own personal library, her gateway into another realm. At night, while suffering from insomnia, she’d sneak downstairs with a flashlight, curl into a corner behind a dusty bookshelf and read James Patterson. She was currently obsessed with the Women’s Murder Club series.
A lonely woman reading suspense through the darkest hours of the night. It took her mind off of her abusive ex-husband. How he abandoned their marriage for a relationship that was borderline statutory rape. That he was courteous enough to leave her with enough money to buy this store and fill it with her favorite books.
When she heard the glass from the front window shatter, she didn’t look up. She knew it was just a fellow insomniac looking to escape her reality.
word count: 173
—Nortina
Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers is a new weekly fiction writing challenge. The goal is to write a story between 100-150 words (give or take 25 words) based on the provided photo. I am happy to take part in the inaugural prompt! Aspiring writer or not, everyone should participate!
Lovely Curses 
Nice character/story building. 🙂 There were a few moments where you were ‘telling’ us what happened where it would have added poignancy if you had ‘shown’ though.
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Thanks for the feedback 🙂
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Oh this totally didn’t go where I expected it to go. I love the idea that her husband compensates their marriage with a bookstore, like that makes up for their relationship. I thought the 2nd half was so much more powerful and was begging for more about her escapism. I think you could take the first two paragraphs and make them more concise to free up some words for the meat of the story in the second half. Hook us in the beginning. Good job!
I’d love feedback on mine: https://romancedonewrite.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/flashfictionfriday-vol-1-the-book-tour/
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Thanks for the feedback, and I will gladly look at yours
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Oh I liked this! Someone curled up and reading mystery stories. Escaping reality. Sleep deprived. This can’t have a good ending 😦
Ellespeth
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Great story, we know so much from so few words
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Insomnia must be at times horrible to deal with, but this is a great little story!
Well done!
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I really like your story! The last two sentences really pull the whole story together and give you a better glimpse into her “reality.” Excellent! Thank you for participating and hope you continue.
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Love the last sentence! Good job 🙂
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