Trifling Storyettes

Here's a little story I wrote a while back for a flash fiction competition. It was a 50 word limit at the time and I really struggled getting it into that, so I've edited it to add a bit of length. It's a silly little idea that just came to me lying in bed one night and has no potential to be expanded into any lengthier fiction but I enjoyed getting it down. So, here it is: Life is a zero-sum game     Ella looks thoughtful for a moment, before saying "Why is it that whenever I hit a high I feel like I'm immediately dragged crashing back to earth?". Ash "Mm-hmm"s in acknowledgement, adding "And we can never reach the high together. Every time You are on the up I'm always on my way down. Why is that?"   The pair continue philosophising back and forth for a time, until an impatient stranger cuts in, "You've been on the see-saw for ages, it's our turn now!"  

A Criminal Have you ever wondered if you’d be able to live life as a criminal? Every day looking over your shoulder, waiting, wondering. Is today the day? Is the jig up? Can I keep running forever? It feels like a lifetime ago, the day I stumbled off the straight and narrow. I was young and foolish - how was I to know how this would feel? One impulsive moment and my whole sense of self changed, I’m forever tarnished. Once a criminal always a criminal, the proverbial leopard can never change her spots. The day started like any other, I went through my routine. Shower, brush teeth, dress, I call goodbye as I walk out the door and head to get on with my life. A morning of drudgery, a busy lunch break getting in the gossip, then counting the hours of the afternoon. Nothing suggested the criminal act awaiting me. That afternoon I headed to meet Jacky, a friend of my mother’s, and we ran a few errands together. Some groceries from the corner shop, drop by the newsagents for the paper, and th...