Category: Visual

Flash: Energy Alignment

Erin Penn

Image by Nurlan Imash on Unsplash

“Enya,” Cressida ran her hand down the energy super’s back, “have you been visiting your family again?” A tense of muscle answered the question without words. Cressida pressed firmly on the bunched flesh. “We’ve talked about this.”

“It’s the holidays. They are family.”

“They are toxic. Half your chakras are spinning too fast and the rest, too slow.” Cressida drew her hands down either side of Enya’s spine. “You can’t pass your energy if your Chakras are not aligned properly. You will burn up.”

(words 84; first published 11/25/2023)

Flash: A Chilled Reception

Erin Penn

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“Are you sure you want the windows open Mr. Gladman?” The receptionist cranked open the third window while the presenters set up the workspace for the meeting, pulling in her charm. The company president hired her for her looks but didn’t appreciate being influenced by them. “We are fifty stories up. The wind is cold.”

“The brisk will keep us all awake.” The silver headed COO rubbed his hands together gleefully as the temperature dropped.

The woman, finished with the task, turned off the thermostat before leaving the meeting room and closing the door, grateful Mr. Gladman didn’t need her to take notes.

Marvin, Angela, and Mr. Wickin from the Power-ful Answers eyes lingered on the door, partially in a daze from her heady charm ability, and partially longing for the heat on the other side of the door.

The presentation they had would take nearly an hour.

Unfortunately for Power-ful Answers, while they had done extensive research on Mercy & Glad in relation to the marketing project they had been hired to prep, they hadn’t looked into the shell companies the company leads shuffled their money through. Mr. Gladman owned two of their competitors.

Like all supers, Mr. Gladman’s powers carried an obvious tell. In his case, victims felt cold as he drained their lifeforce. Once the annoyingly successful entrepreneurial team had collapsed, he called his adjuster to make them more open to a takeover. The mentalist never failed to give Mercy & Glad the inside advantage.

(words 248; first published 11/28/2023)

Flash: Light Spear

Erin Penn

Photo by Nassim Allia on Unsplash

The plasmabolt speared through the atmosphere and carved a hole into the side of a mountain and rapidly moved across the surface of the planet at nearly 1,500 kilometers per hour a little north of equator. Or more accurately, the light destroying a troth less than the width of a human pinky finger remained motionless at the world rotated beneath it. The depth varied with the planet surface but persisted in length. Areas where mountains soared tens of thousands of feet up, it vaporized tens of thousands down. At ocean level, the blade of light danced across waves, burning off the crests. The precise length remaining one third of a meter above sea level.

In twenty-four hours, the weapon, because weapon it was whether malice was intended or not, had cut a path of destruction through the most populated portion of the northern hemisphere at the 25th parallel before winking out.

And restarting in the southern hemisphere, fifteen seconds later.

(words 160, first published 9/14/2022  – from a picture prompt for a Facebook writing group. Aim is about 50 words)

Series: Light Spear

  1. Light Spear – link to 11/28/2021
  2. Light Spear Expanded – link to 12/5/2021

Flash: As Luck Would Have It

Erin Penn

Image from freedigitalphotos.net

No matter how many ways he juggled the numbers, they didn’t add up the way he needed them to. Time to get creative if his company would qualify for the loan to save them. Jef at the bank had been working with them for decades and knew their numbers were always solid before, he wouldn’t pay too much attention even if this is the biggest loan they ever asked for. And, maybe, they could delay payment of their payroll taxes, just for a few weeks. That should keep them afloat with their suppliers another month, keeping things under the 90-day payment requirements, until the loan finalized and gave them leverage. He would need to check with the CEO and the chairman of the stockholder board, but they cared more about the company remaining solvent than the legality of it all. Just one more month until 2020, and then their luck will turn around.

(words 153; first published 11/21/2023 – from a Facebook group prompt, the goal of 50 words)

Flash: Character Study

Erin Penn

Image from Yuiry Bogdanov on Unsplash

He held up the wall waiting while the street remained clear. How soon the action would be, he didn’t know. Being a gumshoe had always been a waiting game. One he had never been very good at, which is why he was something other than a gumshoe now.

(word 48; first published 11/30/2023 – based on picture prompt for a Facebook writer’s group, aim is 50 words)