A Dark Night

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.


A piece of flash fiction, inspired by wondering what flash fiction was and entered for a Guardian competition with a Late Night theme. I think my story didn't quite fit the bill.......

It was late. You could tell that even in this place without time. There were subtle changes: pearls of moisture on a wall, a hazing of heat near the entrance, indistinct bird chirrups outside. Dawn would come, they would arrive and it would be too late.
This must happen under the secrecy of dark; rich, intense, all covering blackness. When the story got out there must be no witnesses. There must be mystery or it was all for nothing.
However there were several eyes watching.
A spider swung on her line. She saw the matted hair; this could be a great spot to anchor her web.She observed the head thoughtfully but noted no life breath so she spun her silver. She hurried to secure her snare and only glanced at the man. She was concerned to finish before Day brought the flies
Wandering across the sandy slab a beetle bumped into cold flesh and dislodged a flake of dried blood.The beetle skittered but his collision disturbed no-one.The beetle was hungry but wanted no accidents. He maneouvred his smooth cased back between the corpse and the blood. He felt afraid but started to move his feast to a secure place.
They worked hard but Spider snd Beetle both felt it immediately, their bodies jerked as particles of air trembled. If there’d been time they might have believed it was an earhquake, but time ran out. Searing blue light transfixed the creatures while immense power surged through them. For long seconds both of them expected to die. Then it was over. The beetle staggered and fell on his back because body and bloodfleck had disappeared. The spider swung loose in the charged air, her knots tying nothing in place.
The man was gone, only a sweet smell remained.