Flash Fiction Friday: Broken Mushroom

Broken Mushroom - Flash Fiction Friday prompt

My first try at Madison Woods’ ‘Flash Fiction Friday’ which she runs on her marvellous blog. It’s a great way to get some words out of me at the end of the week!

Here’s my attempt below. Did I mention I can’t write short things? This grew and became rather morbid. I hope that three sets of 100 words count and that they can each work as single stories. Couldn’t resist adding to it when I located a mini ‘arc’ regarding mushrooms, and pondered on their lethal possibilities.

***

Matty: I hate mushrooms. They’re slimy and full of sporesI mean, even in a stew, when broiled to tasteless nothing, I just don’t trust them not to fill me with nasty dots that grow and grow. I’ll wake up and look like a mushroom. They’re dirty as well, hauled out of the ground where animals poo and people tramp the earth. I stamp on mushrooms when I see them, and wash my boots before coming inside. They’re nasty things, I’d like to wipe them out. Disgusting. I’d break them all now if I could.

Kathy: Mushrooms make a dish taste fabulous, that’s what I told Matty. He hates mushrooms, though, and simply can’t stand them. Now I’ve put them in his favourite soup, cream of chicken, and I’m only going to tell him what he ate after he finishes the whole bowl of it. Once he’s tried them he’ll know how amazing they can be. I know he’ll love these in particular, because Darren from the local farm shop got me some wonderful ones that I know will make him enjoy mushrooms for the rest of his life.

Darren: Kathy is going to regret humiliating me at the last garden party. She kissed me all during the speeches, behind the greenhouses, and then made me look a total fool. She says it meant nothing, that I’m no one, that it was ‘only a bit of fun’. How dare she? Now I’m going to make her pay. I’ve swapped her ordinary mushrooms for some deadlier ones, some notoriously hard to trace Amanita phalloides. I was worried when she said my nephew Matty was joining her today, but he hates mushrooms, so there’s no way he’ll suffer like she will.

***

With some apologies to ‘Debt to Pleasure’. You’ll have to read it to figure out exactly why. Also, I was put off big blackened mushrooms after scoffing a big steak-mushroom on toast a few years ago. There was something not quite right about it and this put me off any mushrooms for ages. Getting over it now, though.

It’s also inspired a totally unrelated short story ideas for an entry to Innsmouth Press’ latest anthology. If I can write it fast enough. That’s what I’ll be doing this weekend, then! Lovecrafty goodness.