Smog in Skopje, Macedonia (20th December 2013)

22nd December, Aerodrom

Eighty Second Friday Flash: The Magic Pillowcase

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 The air was thick with the smell of damp hay. John scooped up all the muck and grime off the floor. Hard work but it distracted him from the pain he felt in his heart. His wife was close to surgery, the doctors said it was touch and go on whether she would make it. Her mother was with her and she blamed the situation on him, which only frustrated him further, he only wanted the best for his wife.

Most of the animals were in the barn today, it was too cold for them to be out. With his work done, he went over and stroked the bull Moosby's neck. The bovine moved and stamped his hoof in appreciation. Moosby's eyes darted to the side and he shied away. John searched the room, it was a mouse sitting in the middle of the floor staring at them.

John gripped the handle of his broom. Ready to shoo it away, but it seemed to beckon his with its little paw, curious, John followed it. The mouse went up to the second floor of the barn, where the bales of hay were kept. It stopped to look at him a few times, as if to check he was still following it.

Dodging a few spiderwebs and climbing over some hay bales John found himself in the corner. There was a shaft of morning little shining through a hole in the roof. One day he would have to fix that. The mouse was sitting on something white and dusty. He couldn't believe it, it was his wife's favourite pillowcase. It had gone missing a week before she was rushed to hospital.

John got out some of his breakfast nuts and berries and gave it to the mouse. It sat there chewing as John gently pulled the pillowcase away from it. With the pillowcase in hand he rushed to the farmhouse.

The washing machine and tumble dryer seemed to take forever. He had to get it to his wife, he knew it would comfort her.

When he reached the ward she was staying in he was shocked to discover that she wasn't there. In a panic he grabbed the nearest nurse.

“My wife?”

“Oh, Mr. Johnson, didn't you know? She is in surgery, your mother-in-law said she would inform you.”

He would need to confront his mother-in-law later. “How is she?”

Just then his wife was wheeled in. She looked so tired, but he was so happy to see she was okay. He glared at his mother-in-law and she stared back. The nurse took in the situation.

“Come, Mr's Arden, your daughter needs her husband.”

His mother-in-law began to protest but stopped when she saw the pillowcase with the rainbow design in his hand.

John sat down next to his wife and took her hand in his. It was warm, but unresponsive. With the nurse's help he changed the pillowcase.

He felt a gentle squeeze and opened his eyes. Her other hand rested on the pillowcase. She looked very weak, but there was a smile on her face. It was all that he needed to see. It was going to be a long road, but everything was going to be just fine.

Eighty First Friday Flash: Bump

 Ruza was filing away some dusty files, she was an intern, what else would she be doing?

“Boo!” said Bob, her fellow intern behind her.

Startled, Ruza smacked her head on a cabinet draw. She saw a whole sprinkling of stars before the whole world came back into view.

“Ow!”

“Oh, Ruza! Did you hurt yourself?”

Ruza turned and growled at him. “Damn right I did!”

Bob looked ashamed with his large eyes, fuzzy cheeks and button nose. Wait, something wasn't right. Ruza laughed.

“What is it?”

“You look like a panda bear!”

Bob's frown deepened. “Maybe you should see a doctor?”

“Nah, I'm sure it's nothing,” said Ruza.

“Go have a break, I will finish here.”

Rubbing her head Ruza went to the coffee room. A bright pink flamingo was standing on one leg drinking a latte and nibbling on a doughnut.

Ruza giggled. Maybe she did have a concussion or something after all.

“Don't look at me that way! I used low fat milk.”

That confirmed it, it had to be Angela from reception she was always concerned about her appearance. This was too much fun, she had to go see what the others looked like. Bill from accounting was a mole with thick glasses. Busy body Beatrice was a bumble bee. And showoff Ted from marketing was a peacock.

They all looked at her as if she was high on glue.

She only had one more person to see, Catherine her boss. Ruza burst into the main office. She had to see before the affect wore off.

Ruza laughed louder than ever before. She was right! Her boss was an old and hairy shrew! The giant shrew in a business suit squealed.

Moments later Adam the wild boar from security hauled her away towards the elevator. A confused Bob tagged along saying they must get her to the hospital.

Ruza looked at herself in the mirror of the elevator. She was a penguin.

Ruza liked penguins.   

Eightieth Friday Flash: Fresh off the Battlefield

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Everyone was dead. All his friends, his horse, even the fearless general lay in a pool of his own blood. Mark Sheldon wasn't far from it himself a shot to his upper thigh. He was bound to bleed out sooner or later. It was all too much, to top it all off there was a scavenger moving among the dead. Grabbing rifles and picking pockets. Mark wouldn't stand for it. Wearily aiming his gun he got the plum shaped man in his sights and fired. Like a sack of potatoes the vulture went down.

The man let out such a wail. Not wanting to have to deal with the noise Mark moved closer to finish the job, every step more painful than the last. Within feet of the man Mark raised his pistol.

“No! Wait you don't understand. They didn't need them anymore. They are long dead!”

Mark spat. Long dead!? Just five minutes ago Leopold had smiled at him as he took his last breath.

“Scum.”

“They are priceless, I just couldn't bare to see them rot.”

The more the man spoke the harder it became for Mark to pull the trigger. Closing his eyes the thought of the man pick pocketing his corpse coming to mind.

“Here I will show you...” the man had a card in his hand.

There was a loud crack.

Fearing dark omens for not honouring the dead man's wish Mark leaned over and picked up the bloodied card.

It read:

Tim's Time Travelling Antiques Store.

Seventy-Ninth Friday Flash: Cylinder

It was a busy morning. The rains of the last few weeks had finally stopped. Everyone was doing their best to cram as much work into the dry time as possible. Toby and Don were digging the foundations. Toby by the dig site and Don behind the controls.

“Just a bit deeper now,” said Toby over their two way radio.

“Right, oh.”

The head of the digging arm went deeper into the rich soil, bringing up bits of rock at the same time. Don took a few more sizable chunks out of the earth before there was a loud clanging noise.

“Whao! We've hit something.”

“And we were making such good progress.”

“I know, I hope we don't have to call in the boffins. The last thing we need is an archaeological dig.”

“Let me dig around it to see what we have.”

Don was surprisingly adept with the large machine. Within in a few minutes half it was unearthed. It seemed to be a cylinder.

Don joined Toby be the edge of the site. “Do think it's a bomb?”

“Nah, look there's a window in the side of it. Maybe it's one of those time capsules.”

“Quick, let's check it out before the others notice. Might be something valuable in it,” said Don rubbing his hands together.

“Haha, I doubt it, but let's go look.”

Don was the first to crouch down and get eye level with the window. He let out a yelp and scrambled backwards bring down loose dirt on top of him.

“What is it?”

“There... there's someone in it.”

“Impossible!”

“Look for yourself.”

Toby tentatively went down, he had never seen Don shocked before, but maybe it was part of an act to scare him. Toby cleared away some more of the dirt and leaned down to have a look. Sure enough a man with bright eyes waved at him.

“Holy moly!”

“What should we do?”

 “We have to get him out. Can't just leave him in there.”

By the time the cylinder was pulled out and placed on level ground there was quite a crowd gathering. The man seemed to be happy and cheery. The most miraculous part was that he seemed to be healthy. There was a long and thin hatchway that included the window. People had tried, but it wouldn't open.

Local media had gathered and some said the military were on their way. There was a loud hissing sound and the hatchway opened.

The main wearing only the most modest of clothing stepped out.

“Who are you?” asked Don, stepping forward, he felt that it was his discovery and wanted to make sure people remembered that.

“I am Adam. Part of the next of wave colonization. Where is my Eve?”

Everyone looked to each other speechless.