So you will recall I did a shout out the other day for emerging writers to submit their flash fiction pieces to me. It’s International Short Story Month, so what better way to honour that than to share some wonderful talent.
Here’s my original post which will explain everything if you have just joined us!
http://t.co/S11WqzA2yx
I have been so pleased with the amount of interest this post has evoked and I cannot wait to both read and share the submissions with you all over the course of May.
And to get the party started with a bang, I have the first submission right here for you all! So get comfy, make a cuppa and get ready to enjoy a lovely piece by Tanya Farrell that will resonate with so many of you I am sure. It most certainly did with me. If you enjoy the piece, please leave a comment for Tanya and share with your friends. And get those submissions into me!
The Camel’s Back, By Tanya Farrell
She looked around, conscious that she wasn’t alone. While they were not making it obvious she knew they were watching her. Of course they were, if the tables were turned she would do the exact same thing. Watching under hooded eyes, a quick glance over and ears straining to hear the conversation that she shouldn’t be listening to. So as she waded her way through the room she held her head high and slapped a smile on her face though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
As she eyed up a free chair and made her way toward it she avoided eye contact with everyone in the room. She really didn’t need the pity smiles they were all so ready to offer. None of them knew her, they thought they had some sort of ‘kinship’ but they could think what they wanted. She just wanted to do what she came here for and get the hell out again. Taking her money out of her bag she slipped it into her pocket all the while second guessing her decision to even do this in the first place.
The room buzzed with conversation and the temperature started to rise as it started to fill up. “Great” she thought, more people here, more people to witness the lowest point of her being. She shuffled on her chair trying to get herself that bit more comfortable, though lord knows she can’t remember the last time she felt quite so uncomfortable. Though if she thought about it she knew exactly when that moment was. She met Ciara her best friend for lunch last week. She knew her jeans felt a bit tight, but she blamed it on the fact she had dried them in the tumble dryer. Sure you know yourself they are always that bit tighter when you dry them like that, though it’s also true that she didn’t normally have to lie on the bed to fasten them up. That was new. That was the beginning. As much as she tried to deny it, it didn’t take a genius to work out that she was piling on the pounds.
Lunch was fun though, and the wine was cool crisp and refreshing. It was also a vessel for all those bad feelings to sail away in. Unfortunately the tide brought all those feelings back with interest when she logged into Facebook the next day and Ciara had uploaded lots of pictures from the day before. Pictures from every angle at that. That’s when she made the decision to come here tonight. She needed this, those jeans and the pictures were just the straw that broke the Camels back.
“Michelle Dalton”…… “Do I have a Michelle Dalton?” Michelle snaps out of it, takes a deep breath and stands up. Rubbing her palms against her trousers she makes her way to the front of the room. She’s got this. She removes her jacket and her shoes and steps up on those scales.
“HOLY SH*T” The girl has some work to do!
Tanya Farrell, 30, mother, wife, student, reading addict, book reviewer, blogger and ‘wanna be’ editor. Lives in County Waterford in the so-called sunny South-East in Ireland. This is my first attempt at fiction writing, enjoy! You can check out my blog on www.afterthefinalchapters.com and send me a tweet @aftrthfnlchptrs
