Australian Writers Centre Furious Fiction Competition
Another First Friday rolls around and here is my entry for May’s Furious Fiction, the Australian Writers’ Centre’s monthly competition. Like last month we are still in lock down, although restrictions are beginning to be lifted in most places. Hopefully, not too soon. My heart goes out to the people of America who are now suffering the most.
As I’ve said before this competition is a fun activity with a terrific prize. You can read about it on their website.
Basically, it’s 500 words in 55 hours for a $500 prize.
The criteria for May were:
- Your story’s first word must be FIVE.
- Your story must include something being replaced.
- Your story must include the phrase A SILVER LINING (‘a’ or ‘the’ is fine).
This month I was able to achieve my aim of getting Frankie in front of the judge. I also realised in my first chapter of this story our protagonist’s name was Charlie and somewhere along the line I switched it to Frankie. Ah well, from now on our flamboyant dresser is Frankie!
This month’s entry was submitted on Sunday morning about 9 AM although it was essentially finished on Saturday afternoon. 496 words.
Andrea’s Surprise
‘FIVE YEARS? You’ve GOT to be joking? Because I wore brightly coloured clothes? FASCIST!’ Frankie shouted as the gavel hit the sound block.
‘ORDER!’ Judge O’Mallory shouted back, ‘Bailiff! Take him down!’
‘Five years? I can’t! I’ll die!’ Frankie pleaded with his barrister. ‘Please! Do something, you’ve got to appeal!’
The barrister nonchalantly scratched the itch under the horsehair wig as the door slammed on Frankie and the din of his wails receded.
Do the crime pal, pay the time! Andrea thought. Frankie had been a difficult client. He had flouted the law several times, had already served time and here he was again only a few months after he had been released. He shouldn’t be surprised.
He was a recidivist.
He deserved it!
Didn’t he?
On the other hand, these Fashion Police and the Fashion Laws were getting a little out of hand. She couldn’t help thinking it was just another “-ism” oppressing the poor.
Well, it didn’t really matter what she thought, it was the law!
The bubble surrounding her reverie popped as Andrea caught the eye of her learned colleague across the aisle, winking and nodding his head ever so slightly toward the door. Although her own reaction was equally as imperceptible, the message was received loud and clear, and thirty minutes later Lloyd and Andrea were shouting seductively at each other across the noisy crowd in a bar. Crime Does Pay was a very popular venue for the lost souls of the legal fraternity. There was no colour there, only a sea of grey. The black gowns and white jabots replaced by the sedate and State-sanctioned garb that kept the law off their own backs.
They could let their hair down, but not their guard! No-one was safe from the Fashion Police. No-one.
‘What I don’t understand,’ Lloyd bellowed above the ruckus, ‘is why you take on these cases in the first place, Andrea?’
She had liked the look of Lloyd, but the more she got to know him, the more she realised their values were not aligned, and maybe looks were not enough. But then, it was Friday night, and it beat going home alone.
‘You know I can’t resist the underdog!’ she laughed.
Lloyd pulled her close, ‘Ready to go? I’ve got a real surprise for you tonight!’
Andrea was perched on the window sill of the hotel room, high above the sparkling harbour. She smiled at her reflection, knowing the pink negligee was irresistible. She sipped her Moet and in her best bedroom voice called out,
‘Where’s this surprise you promised me?’
Lloyd emerged from the ensuite, naked. Naked except for a black cape with a silver lining.
He twirled.
The cape sparkled.
She gasped.
It was then that Andrea realised the real benefit of money was not buying expensive things, but rather a way of enabling you to hide your own vices and avoid detection. Crime did pay – her!
‘Now, that’s what I call a surprise!’ she cooed.
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