Author Information
Walking Home From School: Flash Fiction
Walking Home From School by Suzy
The leaves were falling swiftly off the trees. The smell of autumn was arriving. As she walks down the sidewalk the leaves crunch underneath her feet. The window is blowing calmly as the sun peaks through the clouds. She wonders if it’s going to rain.
She walks steadily and realizes she’s at a crosswalk. The embarrassment. Waiting for the signal hand and countdown to show up so she can across the road. She hates being looked at, she notices people looking at her, waiting for her to cross the road. Finally, she walks across the street and continues down the road.
Staring down at the ground she notices an empty one serving size bag of potato chips, a few crushed cans of soda and beer and strips of newspaper.
The crickets chirping are overwhelmed by a train whistle. She looks in front of her as the train passes by, shaking the ground in its path.
The wind gets colder, she zips her jacket and tries to warm herself with her hands. Her hair brushes her face. The sun hides further behind the clouds. The air smells like rain.
She walks faster, hoping to get home before the storm.
She looks at her watch. She’s almost home.
She begins to wonder about her homework assignments and which to do first. Not paying attention to where she’s going, she trips over a crack in the sidewalk and almost falls. She acts like nothing happens, hoping no one passing by saw.
She turns into her road and heads up the hill to her house. A burst of thunder echoes throughout the sky. The color of the clouds turns to charcoal.
She arrives at her front yard, lawn uncut. The front door creaks open and she enters.
The rain suddenly pours.
