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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Survive a Surprise Day of Pandemic Insanity

Image
Wake up rested and ready to face Tuesday. Kid #1 may be staying home with a sore throat, but Kid #2 got on the school bus successfully, lunch packed, water bottle full, and mask on, so that’s a win!  Walk the dog. Several blocks from home, answer a call on your cell. Listen to someone at your kid’s school insist that you pick up Kid #2, who isn’t sick. Listen as they explain that the school district’s COVID-19 plans, which they’d sent to parents in the form of an indecipherable flowchart, require all children in the family to stay home if one child has even a single symptom of COVID-19. Ask questions. Listen to them say that all four members of our household must either have negative COVID tests or quarantine for 10 days before the kids are allowed back. Question this directive, which differs from the guidance you recall reading, and be told to expect a call from the school principal.  Drop off the dog and drive the old-clunker car to school. While driving home, explain to a perplexed
Read more

I’ve Been Thinking About My Doorbell

Image
So I’ve been thinking about my doorbell. No, really. We just got it. It’s the Ring doorbell: My husband purchased this doorbell. It records 30 seconds of video every time it senses motion. If you’re a Luddite, like me, you may be thinking, “Isn’t that kind of nosy for a doorbell? Isn’t a doorbell’s job description, like, the simplest job description on earth? We, the human race, could be curing cancer, but we spent that money developing this?” So far, our Ring Doorbell has recorded: 18 visits by our mail carrier 36 trips to and from the school bus 15 visits by Amazon couriers delivering boxes (don’t judge, it’s the holidays) 157 times our next-door neighbor has walked from his side door to his driveway Our neighbor’s young adult son coming home at 2:30 AM A low-flying finch Me yelling at the dog  Useful? Debatable. But my husband is a gadget guy, so now we have it. I had my doubts about this doorbell. But I kinda like it. Having lived in big cities most of my
Read more