Reflex Fiction Q4 2019

 

https://creativewritingink.co.uk/competitions/reflex-fiction-flash-fiction-competition/

https://www.reflexfiction.com/flash-fiction/

I ended up sending them Coffee is Poison, which I had drafted for my coursework. This was a mistake, and I should've made something unique for it. For my notes on Coffee is Poison, check out its page on the Fiction Writing blog.

Coffee is poison.

 

Robert is nervous. Very nervous.

And he’s walking in to an office.

His boss’s office.

 

His boss talks first.

‘Please sit down.’

‘Ok.’

Robert sits down.

‘Know why you’re here?‘

‘No, sir.’

‘You look pale.’

‘Um,’

‘Sweating.’

‘Yea…’

‘I know work can be stressful,’

Robert nods, wipes his brow.

‘Tiring, even,’

‘Erm, yeah…’

‘I’m not mad.’

‘What?’

‘I said I’m not mad.’

‘Really?’

‘Really.’

‘And… What aren’t you mad about?’

‘The cleaning cupboard.’

Lilith had said using the cleaning cupboard would be discreet enough.

‘Erm, I see. And you aren’t mad about it.’

‘I feel I’m being clear on that.’

‘I get it.’

‘How?’

‘Huh?’

‘How can you get it?’

‘Hey, I used to have your job. Work’s tiring, sometimes you need a nap.’

‘Yea…’

‘In the cleaning cupboard.’

‘Ah.’

‘Caught you.’

Robert seems to relax. He raises his hands.

‘Caught.’

‘Need a coffee?’

‘Yea…’

The boss makes Robert a coffee.

‘Here you are.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Is everything going well at home?’

‘Isn’t anything to go wrong.’

‘Ah. But has anyone caught your eye?’

‘Erm, no. No, not yet.’

‘Tell you what Robert, I think I was about your age when I met Lilith.’

‘Y-you were?’

‘Yea. Met in the office, actually.’

‘I-I see… Anything to kill the monotony, right?’

‘Exactly! Keep this quiet, but we used to sneak off to the cleaning cupboard-‘

‘what!’

‘what?’

‘Erm, nothing… sorry.’

‘Don’t be sorry, drink!’

Robert takes a sip of coffee, then speaks.

‘So, how is Lilith these days?’

‘You tell me.’

‘Huh?’

‘You. Tell me.’

‘U-um, why- how would I know?’

‘How would you know.’

‘I don’t…’

‘Do you?’

‘I don’t.’

‘Well, ok then… Good. Right. Sorry about that.’

‘Not a problem.’

‘And speaking of problems…’

‘Y-yea?’

‘You won’t be sleeping on the job anymore, will you?’

‘No. Sir.’

‘Take the day.’

‘Hmm?’

‘Take the day off, you need a break… You need rest.’

‘Ok... Thanks.’

‘Goodbye.’

 

Robert left. He didn’t make it home.