FLASH FICTION:-- HORROR, SCI-FI, HUMOUR, CRIME, SLICE OF LIFE, ETC.

Friday 7 September 2012

The short cut (Part 1)

I had found the short cut completely by accident.
Feeling nauseous, I just had to get out of the crawling rush hour traffic, and had turned into a narrow lane not much wider than the car.

After switching off the engine I climbed out of the vehicle, the space to breathe in a little fresh air calmed my heaving stomach, and before long I felt well enough to continue.

I travelled on along the little lane looking for somewhere to turn around, passing beautiful glades and greenery along the way.

After a couple of miles I came to a quaint wooden bridge spanning a shallow but rapid stream. The sign at the side declared:- “TROUTBROOK CROSSING … POACHERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.”

I drove over the bridge, and after another quarter of a mile or so the road emerged onto a major A road which I recognised immediately, I was only about two miles from home, the short cut down the lane had taken fifteen miles and the best part of an hour off my commute, oh this was indeed a gem of a discovery.

I wasn't really surprised that I had seen no other traffic on the little lane, it wasn't on the map, and both entrances to it were so hard to spot from the road a person would just drive straight by totally oblivious to their existence, as I had been doing for years now.

I used the short cut every day from then on, the time it saved me enabled me to have a leisurely breakfast instead of dashing to the car with keys in one hand and a half-eaten slice of toast in the other.

After a few weeks I became aware of odd changes taking place along the lane, unnerving changes.

There was one particular spot where three oak trees stood side by side at the road's edge, their leafy branches overhanging, and diffusing the light for several yards. One morning when I passed there were only two trees, this in itself, although noticeable did not seem particularly strange, one of the trees must have been infected and had to be cut down, but in the back of my mind a little voice said, “Well, where is the stump then?”

The tree had reappeared when I passed the spot on my way home, convincing me that I had imagined it in the first place, until the next morning when I passed and there was not three, but four trees.

Alarm bells started ringing...

Another day the sign at the bridge said “TROUTBROOK CROSSING … POACHERS WILL BE PERSECUTED.”

Some days a bend in the road would be sharper or shallower than before, other days flowers by the roadside would have changed colour overnight.

Although these changes were strange, there was nothing threatening about them, and so I continued to use the short cut, only now I tended to actually look closely for anything that was different or out of the ordinary.

When I actually looked for it, there was always something to see, sometimes a large, sometimes a minute difference to spot, but still something, every day.

I began to see this as a kind of game, and each day eagerly awaited my journeys, playing “Spot the difference” and I was happily thrilled once I had discovered the change.

Until today, if there were something different I couldn't spot it, feeling cheated I turned the car around when I reached the major road, and set off down the lane again in the opposite direction, I must have missed it, it was there to find, I just needed to look a little closer.

I had crossed the bridge and almost reached the far end of the lane again, and was feeling frustrated that I hadn't noticed anything different when it dawned on me I would probably be late for work.

I glanced at my wristwatch, jeez, I was due to start in twenty five minutes, this wasn't good.

I pressed the accelerator harder, driving as fast as I dare on the narrow twisting road, I would reach the end soon and be able to turn around. With luck, and a bit of risky driving I would just about make it in time.

The car hit air as I took the bridge too fast, bouncing on the springs as it landed heavily on the other side...

A chilling thought crept into my brain...

“That's the second time I've crossed the bridge!”

I drove faster still, the trees a passing green blur, the four oaks flashed past, and before long I was speeding towards the bridge again.

“What the...?” I was driving round in circles, how the hell could that be happening?

I glanced at my wristwatch again, and my heart went suddenly cold.

My hand looked different, the fingers seemed shorter, more stubby than they should.

Panicking, I slewed the car to a stop and cut the engine.

I tilted the rear-view mirror and took a good look at my reflection.

The face that stared back at me was that of a complete stranger.


Continued in:-

The short cut (Part 2)


©2012 Stephen. J. Green.

36 comments:

  1. Oooo creepy road. I knew something aweful would happen but I didn't guess what - cool story! Oh and you taught me another word slew - I never knew it before, but looked it up ^__^

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    1. Thanks Helen, I enjoyed writing this, it is quite mild compared to many of my works though.

      Happy to help you with your word repertoire too. :-D

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  2. Very neat work, Steve. You kept delaying and building up what the unusual element of the shortcut would be, and then broke a good pace from the delivery on. Fun reading!

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    1. Thanks John, this is another one where I basically started with the concept of the ending, then added the rest. :-)

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  3. Oh! This reminded me of Stephen King's short story (may be called 'The Shortcut'). I really liked it and I didn't guess the twist at all :D

    Nice story Dad!

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    1. Hiya darling, and thank you.

      I haven't read that particular short story of Stephen King's, I do hope mine isn't too similar to his, I don't really fancy my chances in an all out war with his lawyers. (heheh!!)

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  4. That's a fine bit of creepy. Nice one.

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    1. Thanks Tim, I think I would have stopped using that short cut when the sign at the bridge changed. :-)

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  5. I enjoyed the low key weird of this and how it comes to dominate the protagonists life. In a way it changed him from the first encounter.

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    1. Thanks Peter, as I replied to Helen, it is rather mild, but I too like the easy pace of the story.

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  6. I thought you were dead and reliving the last 3 minutes of your life over and over. This was a really good story, Steve. Thanks

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    1. Hiya Nickie, and thanks for the kind words.

      The thing is, he may be stuck on that short cut forever now, so he may well be living the last 3 minutes of his life over and over, I may just write a part 2 to see what happens to him now. :-)

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  7. Steve, this if FULL of excitement! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen to him, certain that he would be stuck forever traveling back and forth, but his true demise is so much worse, so much Juicier. Fantastic, original, creative story!

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    1. Thanks Deanna, the thing is now, if he does get off the short cut, no-one will believe who he is. (Mind you, that may not be such a bad thing.) :-)

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  8. Steve - great twist! I knew something terrible would happen - nothing as good as an easier commute to work, lasts, does it? You've got to write a part 2 - but don't kill the poor guy!

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    1. Thanks Brinda, I already have stories earmarked for the next few weeks, but I'm going to toy with this idea, and see if I can come up with a decent follow-on before next Friday.

      As for not killing the poor guy...? Hmmmmmm!! (Bwuhahahahahaha!!!)

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  9. I love how the twist comes out of the whole story. It's surprising yet fits so nicely with the whole. I'm into be watching out for the next shortcut I take and make sure I'm not cutting corners where I should be smelling flowers.

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    1. Thanks Aidan, if something appears too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true, and it's always nice to take the time to smell the flowers, isn't it? :-)

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  10. I had a sense of dread with this from the get go, and you just drug it out, making me read faster so I could find out what was going to happen! Well done.

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    1. Hi Aaron, and thank you. I hope the next episode keeps the pace up for you. :-)

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  11. Sir, it seems you have taken a detour into the Twilight Zone. :)

    Great setup, I kept wanting to see what happened! Interesting and attention grabbing. I'm a bit disappointed there was no explanation why though. Do you plan to continue this as another flash?

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    1. Thank you Catherine, yes it certainly is a bit twilight-zonish, I have now written a part 2 so hopefully more will be revealed as the story develops.

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  12. Hi everyone, and thank you for reading.

    Although I wrote this as a stand-alone story, I have decided to expand on it, and have just written a Part 2, which I shall be posting next Friday.

    As stories sometimes do, this one has developed a life of its own and is running under its own steam, I wouldn't be surprised if it develops into a 3 or even 4 part series.

    I would be very interested to hear if anyone can guess the direction it may take, and what becomes of our protagonist. :-)

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    1. Hiya Icy, I have written parts 2 and 3 now, which I will be posting over the next 2 Fridays, I don't have any plans to write a part 4, but the way I ended part 3, I could add to it at a later date if I wanted to.

      The story has taken a very unusual turn, and I hope it seems a logical, if somewhat surprising twist to the reader. :-)

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  14. Aieee, the loop of doom! I did like 'Poachers will be Persecuted'. And our man with stubby fingers, and now different look, that's neat. And in fact, the weirdness is not necessarily all for the bad -- it could be something positive happening, if disconcerting.

    I demand part two.

    St.

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    1. Hiya Stephen, and thank you.

      Your demand will be met, sir, I shall be posting Part 2 in just a few short hours, and Part 3 next Friday.

      I am hoping that the direction I have taken the storyline in will work okay for the reader, it seemed to make a kind of logic in my own mind, but the proof will be in the reading.

      By the way, the reveal doesn't manifest itself until Part 3.

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    2. And they say tantrums don't work. I shall read parts two and three forthwith. :) St.

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  15. This is a great start, I'm looking forward to more!

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    1. Thanks Sonya, I hope you enjoy the next two episodes too. :-)

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  16. Gahhh, how did I miss this last week! This is great -- reminds me a bit of one of JG Ballard's short stories, but I think this is more fun.

    Trespassers will be persecuted, eh?

    Off to read Part 2...

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    1. Hi Katherine, and thank you.

      Yeah, I think the "Persecuted" bit would have set my nerves jangling.

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  17. Oh my this was a great, great chilling read Steve! I didn't expect that twist! Wonder where this road belongs to... Off to part 2!

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    1. Hiya Cindy, thank you for the very kind comment.

      Now that you ask, the road belongs to...(Tssk, soddin' keyboard's locked up on me. Heheh!)

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  18. I really like your voice in this one, Steve. There's something soothing there and I like the pace, even as it gets creepy. Off to part 2....

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    1. Thanks Richard, I hope you enjoy the other two episodes too. :-)

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