After a picnic lunch in the park, Phil and I were lying side by side on the grass, enjoying the sunny summer afternoon. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the sun disappeared behind ominous, dark clouds.
Sitting up, I said, “Honey, I think it’s going to…”
A bright streak of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
Phil lay motionless on the ground. “No!” I cried, holding his inert body.
His arms suddenly came around me, and I found myself snuggled against him in bed, his hand stroking my hair.
***
Author’s Note: My late husband Bill was struck by lightning years before we met. He and a friend had just finished a picnic lunch in a park somewhere in New Jersey, I think. The lightning seemed to come out of nowhere. Bill’s friend was killed. Bill was hospitalized briefly with minor injuries, but this may have caused his vision loss later in life. That is what partly inspired the above work of flash fiction.
By the way, you can read more about Bill and me in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, which, along with two of my other books, is available free from Smashwords this month. Please see below for details.
Thanks to Cheryl McNeil Fisher and Kathy King at Writing Works Wonders for also inspiring the above story with their current prompt to write about a thunderstorm in 100 words or less. You can click here to read other responses and post your own.
Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography
Photo Resize and Description by
And now, I’m pleased to announce that my books, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, The Red Dress, and My Ideal Partner are ABSOLUTELY FREE from now until July 31st as part of the Smashwords summer/winter sale. You can visit my author page to download these books. Happy reading!
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to: newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
Photo Resize and Description by
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
***
My Corner 
One thought on “In a Flash of Lightning #WednesdayWords #WritingPrompts #Inspiration”