Exorcism (microfiction)



Their hold on me had long since loosened. But I felt Darien’s hands days later. 

I felt them across the conference room, Monday after the office party. I felt them when his eyes followed me out the door. 

Something had to give.

Closing my résumé, I inhaled, and dialed HR. 


Comments

  1. Ana O'ReillyNovember 9, 2020 at 2:37 PM

    At first, I thought this could be an affair. As I read it again, I thought this could be about assault or harassment in the workplace. That's the beauty of micro fiction: it leads to many different places and leaves you pondering.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AshaNovember 11, 2020 at 7:13 PM

    This is so timely (especially in Australia) and you did a really nice job of incorporating and maintaining the voice from the prompt sentence. My singular quibble is that the title didn't neatly to fit the piece.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Katie E.November 12, 2020 at 1:27 PM

    Great Story, Jen! There's actual action, stakes, decisions, specificity, momentum, relatability, and hope, all in this small space!

    ReplyDelete
  4. NorthieNovember 12, 2020 at 3:28 PM

    You always do so well at micros and this keeps up the standard. It's hard to believe this much story is contained in 50 words.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownNovember 12, 2020 at 3:30 PM

    I was just marching along thinking this is a juicy, office romance, but that last word really drove it home (for me, at least), that is certainly not the case. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. D3athLilyNovember 12, 2020 at 4:05 PM

    When I started reading this, I thought it was maybe a haunting. Like Darien's hand was ghostly. I think maybe because of the title? But once it ended, I understood completely. Well done on writing such a complete story in 50 words!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ChristineNovember 12, 2020 at 4:31 PM

    (Hmm, I think my original comment disappeared into the ether!) Repetition is hard to do well in micros because you're so limited by wordcount, so when you use it, it has to be for effect. In this case, repeating "I felt them..." ratcheted up the tension nicely!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Danielle DayneyNovember 12, 2020 at 5:39 PM

    What a great little micro with all the things! The punchy ending is perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  9. MargaretNovember 12, 2020 at 6:38 PM

    This gave me chills and made me cheer for her at the end.

    ReplyDelete

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