(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)
What's new with Ashleigh?
As you know, I love participating in National Novel Writer's Month. This year, I decided to be a rebel and edit a large project for the month of November. However, as usual, last-minute inspiration struck on October 30th.
For some time, I have wanted to try my hand at flash fiction. The last time I tried, I ended up with a novel. So I wanted to try again.
But this time, I had a specific project in mind. I found an image suitable for the season and wrote a flash fiction for this newsletter. But did you realize I send out three newsletters at a time? One for young adult readers, one for romance readers, and one for mystery readers.
So I decided to write three flash fiction stories: one for each newsletter. All three use the same image.
My goal for 2023 is to share these stories with you each newsletter instead of (or maybe in addition to) my little blurb about what I've been doing since my last newsletter. Each story will be independent of each other, not an ongoing story.
So without further ado, I present:
The Park Bench
(jump to your favorite genre)The Park Bench: A Young Adult Romance
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Amber loved jogging through the woods. She inhaled the crisp autumn air, enjoying the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. She was the only runner this morning. The path was peaceful. Closing her eyes, Amber sighed. Why couldn’t everything in her life be as perfect as this morning? But even her jog had to be flawed. Her foot slipped beneath her and she lost her balance. Snapping open her eyes, she thrust her arms in front of her to break her fall. She landed in the brush on the side of the path. Plenty of leaves were around to break her fall. She took a quick mental inventory of all her body parts. Everything was intact. She was more embarrassed than anything else. “Are you okay?” |
Amber turned toward the voice. A boy about her age was hurrying along the path from the opposite direction. Oh no. Had he seen her fall? She could feel her face grow warm as he kneeled beside her.
“What happened? Is anything broken? I know first aid.”
Amber couldn’t help but laugh as she shook her head. “No. I’m fine. I wasn’t watching where I was going and tripped. But I’m not hurt.”
“Well, lemme help you up.” He took one of her hands, reaching around her to grab her opposite elbow as he stood.
As soon as Amber got to her feet, she took a step away. “I promise. I’m fine.”
The boy looked around, pointing to the nearby wooden bench. “Let’s sit for a second.”
Amber rolled her eyes. What part of I’m fine did the boy not understand? But, he was kind of cute. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to him for a minute.
The boy dusted the leaves from the bench before sitting. Amber settled on the opposite end, angling herself to face him. The wood was cool and Amber could feel the morning dew seeping into her pants.
The boy looked around before turning to her with a hesitant smile. “So, uh, do you run here often?”
Amber nodded, trying not to laugh. He was so cute. “Yeah. Every morning.” She pointed toward the south trailhead. “I live near the end of the trail.”
He pointed in the opposite direction. “We just moved in over there.” He frowned, looking in both directions before swearing under his breath. “Now I’m all turned around.”
Amber giggled. “Elm Street or Maple?”
The boy pulled out his phone. “Uh, not sure. We literally moved in yesterday.”
“Do you run a lot?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was on the cross-country and track teams at my old school.”
Amber got to her feet with a smile. “So, I guess that means I’ll see you tomorrow?”
The boy stood. “Oh. Yeah. I guess so.”
With a wave, Amber jogged away. She had only taken a few steps before the boy called out to her.
“Hey. I never caught your name.”
Not breaking her stride, she looked over her shoulder with a smile. “I’ll tell you tomorrow!”
As she turned her attention back to the path, Amber smiled to herself. She was looking forward learning his name as well.
The Park Bench: A Romance Story
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Chloe raced along the path, not even sparing a glance for the other runners along the path. She didn’t have time. She could hear Kevin’s pounding footfalls behind her. And they were getting closer. By the time she reached the bench that marked the half-way point of the trail, Chloe was out of breath. Panting, she brushed off the leaves and collapsed on the damp wood. A moment later, Kevin sat beside her. She smirked. “I win.” He smiled. “That’s the fifth time this week. I think you deserve a prize.” Chloe could think of many ways he could reward her, none of which were appropriate for a park bench where someone could pass by at any moment. Biting her lip, she sent him a coy smile. “What’d you have in mind?” |
Reaching into the pocket of his running shorts, he slid off the bench. As he got on one knee before her, he held out his hand. “Will you marry me?”
Chloe stared at the diamond ring on his palm. The morning light made the gem sparkle. Her eyes watered at the sight. It was the most beautiful sight Chloe had ever seen in these woods.
“Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” She threw her arms around him, sealing the deal with a kiss.
As he slipped the ring on her finger, she narrowed her eyes at him. “What would you have done if you had gotten to the bench first?”
He shrugged. “I would have let you win again.” He got to his feet, extending a hand to Chloe. “Race you back?”
Chloe frowned. “What do you mean again?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “On your mark.”
“No, seriously. Have you been letting me win all week?”
“Get set.”
Chloe didn’t wait for him to finish. She sprinted back along the path. She was faster than Kevin, right?
The Park Bench: A Mystery
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“So then I said, What do you mean you lost the keys to the patrol car?” Adam laughed at his friend’s joke, even though he lost track of how many times he had heard it. The two men had been jogging this same path every morning for nearly thirty years and Mark told the same story at least once a month. As was their habit, they stopped on the wooden bench that marked the midpoint of the trail. As Adam dusted off the leaves, he unearthed a length of rope. Frowning, he held it before his friend. “Huh. Wonder what this is doing here.” Mark glanced around. Adam saw the change in his friend’s eyes. He was no longer his running partner. He was all cop. Mark squinted at the trees on the other side of the path. “Is that a shoe?” |
Adam looked where his friend was pointing and shrugged. “I don’t see anything.”
Mark crept closer to the tree in question. Swearing, he pulled out his phone. “We’ve got another one.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “Another what?”
Mark didn’t answer immediately. He was too busy calling dispatch. It wasn’t until he ended the call and started using his camera to take photos of the scene that he looked at his friend over his shoulder.
“Remember I was telling you about that serial killer? This looks like another victim. I can see the strangulation marks around her neck.”
Adam held up the rope in his hand. “You don’t think this—”
Mark sighed. “Yeah. Good thing you found that rope. Make sure we have someone get your prints so we can rule them out. This is the first time we’ve found the rope. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the guy left some prints.”
As Mark returned his attention to the crime scene, Adam smiled to himself. He knew the police wouldn’t find any fingerprints. He always wore his gloves.
Hartfield Chronicles
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When Melinda is invited to join a new dance class, she sees this as her big break, a chance to advance her skills. Before she can accept, however, another kind of break stops her in her tracks. Pat wants to be the supportive boyfriend, but his efforts seem to be making Melinda uncomfortable. He can’t go to his own friends for advice, because they can’t understand. After Melinda calls for another type of break, she and Pat must examine their relationship to determine whether they are meant for each other. |
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you missed:
(Click on the chalkboard to read)
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| Pat has a party and everyone's invited | Pat sings his song for Melinda |
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