A Late Submission

This piece of flash fiction came to me about four hours after the deadline for Chuck’s challenge. I’m posting it here anyway.

“It’s a tragedy,” the woman with the gun said.

The woman kneeling in front of her on the kitchen floor did not reply.

“Technically, a revenge tragedy,” the older woman continued. “Revenge tragedy, a film critic once told me, asks the question, ‘How much are you willing to hurt yourself after you’ve already been hurt by someone else?’”

She pulled the trigger. Blood and other matter covered the threadbare window drapes.

“A fair amount, it turns out,” she said.

She turned and walked toward the bedroom, leaving her daughter’s body on the cheap linoleum.

Comments

[R.L.W.]

This is awesome. Sorry you didn't get it into the contest on time, you would've stood a good chance of winning, imho.

[oldestgenxer]

The familial relationship is always the most volatile, isn't it? I agree, good story--one of the top ten (there were so many damned entries...)