Lizzy Loomis is the Readers’ Choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. The winning entry is decided by the popular vote and rewarded with a special feature here today. (In the case of a tie, the writer who submitted an entry first is the winner per our rules.) Without further ado, here’s the winning story:
Balcony
by Lizzy Loomis
The sun setting cast a dreary shadow on Janet. The railing of the balconies became prison bars trapping her behind her shield of lies. She deflected all the questions concerning the completion of her house. Giving her friends a fake address was harmless until they looked it up on Google Maps. She had passed the construction site every day on her walk to the homeless sanctuary and from the street it looked like any other project. Behind the cranes stood the foundation of a million-dollar home.
The girls took no time researching the property and the floor plan. The estate covered 10,000 square feet of opulence. Each detail revealed a new crack in her armor making the truth even harder to tell. The billionaire, who commissioned the home found a new hobby halting the work and leaving Janet covered in the shame of her betrayal.
Straightening her secondhand homecoming dress, Janet rang the bell for apartment 25. The door buzzed releasing the lock. Pulling it open she marched toward the elevator. Her steps fell hard on the marble tile. The ride quickly delivered her to the second floor. The passage to the flat was unlocked expecting her arrival. Her besties gathered around the windows watching flames engulfing her dream residence. She joined them mesmerized by the pyrotechnic destruction. The fire erased her deceit, making it easy to tell them she need a place to crash. Happy birthday, Janet.
Congratulations, Lizzy. You won again! Your story draws us in to understand a character whose flaws and vulnerabilities make her very sympathetic, but how far would she go to cover up her deceit? I guess that’s the burning question!
Well played, Janet. Well played indeed. Two birds with one stone! 😀