Back to the Valley
Flash Fiction
This was a flash fiction exercise I did from one of
’s Flash Fiction Friday prompts. The options were: Write about a long day; light fell like pinpricks; “You don’t understand”; and The type of character who is lying about something. It wasn’t necessary to use all of them, but I tried to incorporate each of them to some extent. I tried not to be too precious about it. Writing and editing was about an hour and half. Just an exercise in trying to convey something in ~500 words.You’ve never had a black halo hanging over your head, some empty aureole drained of all God’s light. So I doubt you’ll understand how I felt when she, the very girl whose memory I’d hidden within myself these long years, walked into the pizzeria, sat down across from me and next to Neil—the one from whom I’d kept her hidden—and planted a kiss on his cheek before turning to greet his companion. She was surprised, too, though in a more sincere way than the shock of rage that coursed through me then.
—You two met before? Neil asked.
—No, I said cutting Vittoria off. We haven’t. I’m Sammy.
She took my hand with a curious tentativeness. The glassy blue center of her eyes reflected pinpricks of light that passed through the perforated window shades behind me. Why would you lie, she must have wondered.
I had to admit as I watched them throughout dinner, Neil seemed much changed with her. But a dog is a dog with mange or a collar. So what if he had dropped the lascivious grin or stayed his hand from creeping up her thigh beneath the table? I’d known Neil long enough, and if I could hide the anger I felt at seeing them together, he could hide the rest.
—Let’s go for a walk, I said as our server dropped the check.
----
The greening tubes of budding leaves jutted from branches in Harbor Park. The grass along the boardwalk still somewhat sallow in early spring. Vittoria clutched her arms against the cold, leaned into Neil as they strolled beside me.
—So, where do you go to school?
Again, that confused look, but she was willing to play along. Trusted I had a reason.
—Our Lady.
—No kidding. Are you religious? Not Neil’s usual type.
Neil threw me a warning glance, letting me know I should watch where I was going.
—I am. Very, she said. I’ve found nothing so fulfilling.
—Interesting. You know, Neil has quite a past.
—Sammy, he hissed.
There was that flash of anger. I knew I could draw it out of him. But Vittoria grinned, as though suddenly in on a joke.
—That’s what I’ve heard, she said. Quite the conquistador. But I also heard a friend set him straight. Showed him the error of his ways. Inspired him to settle down.
Yes. But not with her.
The past meant nothing to Vittoria. As she’d always said, You could start in the valley, even remain there, but you could not return to it. If she was guiding Neil to the mountaintop, I’d have to be the one dragging him back to the shadows. I couldn’t horrify her with our past, but I could incite him back to it. I could already feel his fists knuckling into my ribs. We’d both be in the valley then, but at least he wouldn’t have her.
—Let me tell you about the longest day of my life…
END