Flash Fiction Fridays: The Pocket Watch

This is something new that I'm going to try out where I choose a stock photo and then write a piece of flash fiction about it. I've  always enjoyed reading other author's little bits of flash fiction so we'll see if you all enjoy my efforts too. :-)







Lara adjusted her goggles and leaned closer to stare at the pocket watch. How could such a tiny thing cause so much trouble?

"Adrian, get your ass in here!" She yelled to her second in command. "Now what?" She pointed at the watch. "You know damned well it's going to start a war on the planes if we don't figure out how to turn it off."

"Like I'm supposed to know? Good Lord, Lara, all you asked me to do was get it for you. You didn't say anything about figuring out how to work it." Adrian threw up his hands and turned in a quick circle. "I'm just your pilot, the person you turn to when you need an item, that's it. I have no idea how to work that thing." He gestured wildly.

"You're also my second in command. I thought I explained that to you. You're going to have to do better if you hope to hang onto the title."

"No on else would put up with you." Lara heard him murmur under his breath.

"What was that?" Lara turned on him, and she knew her eyes were flashing with the green fire that heralded the gift she'd inherited from their mother.

Adrian held up his hands in supplication. "Nothing, nothing." She watched as his eyes grew bigger and in a fit of temper she flung out her hand.

To her horror, she more heard rather than saw the pocket watch ggo flying from her desk, hit the wall and then land on the floor with a resounding crash.

"Bloody hell! Damned telekinesis. Why can't it work like that when  I need it to put gutter rats in their place?" She stormed over to where her brother was already crouched down and knelt at his side.

"I think it's broken."

"I doubt very much that it's broken, little brother." As if it heard Lara's words and deemed it to be so, they heard the watch begin ticking again, the tiny hands moving slowly around the face.

"Well, so much for hoping our troubles were over." Lara slapped her hands together to displace the dust on her leather gloves and stood up.

"All right, Adrian. I'm entrusting you with discovering how this thing works. I don't care what you have to do, or who you have to threaten, just figure it out and figure it out fast." She reached down, picked up the pocket watch and laid it back on her desk.

"Right then. I guess I'd better turn over the wheel to Giles while I just go and do that." Adrian's shoulders slumped a bit before he straightened up.

"And thank you, Adrian." Lara said softly. She hated being so hard on her younger brother, but he needed to grow up fast. There was a war coming and if they didn't figure out the pocket watch, they were going to lose.

(c) Copyright 2013 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

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