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

Friday 6 June 2014

It ain't over...


“This ain't over yet.”

Those were the words spoken by Rory McHat when his eldest was brought to him, the blood still drying on his clothes, the life gone from him. It had been a fair fight Rory heard, but he never saw that, he only saw the husk of his son.

That was the start of it. Twenty three years later and the feud had claimed almost seventy lives. Coyfields and McHats had perished in equal numbers. The hatred for each other bred into them from infancy, and nurtured throughout their lives, sometimes their very short lives.

The pointless, senseless slaughter had reached out into their homes, sometimes met them on freeways or in bars, occasionally even into the classrooms.

And now it was down to this.

Jason McHat glared over the table at Raymond Coyfield, his eyes burned with hatred.

“Well, I'm here, like you asked. Is there anything you want to say before I tear your throat out?”

A tear trickled from the corner of Raymond's eye. Jason watched unbelievingly as it wove a meandering path down Raymond's cheek, hung from his chin a moment then dripped to the floor. He had never seen a Coyfield cry before.

When Raymond finally spoke his voice was gentle, compassionate. “After all the years, all the waste, there is only you and me now Jason, the last of our lines. There was a time I had a wife and four children, and like your kin the feud has claimed them all, one by one they've all been taken. This ends here, now, today.”

“It ain't over yet.” Snarled Jason. “Not while one of us still lives.”

“I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine.” Said Raymond quietly. “Someone I met not so long ago, she showed me another way to be, a way I never thought I could be. You treat this lady nice now, you hear me? Listen to what she has to say.”

“Bring her on in then.”

“I can't, you'll understand why when you see her. She's waiting for you in the parking lot.”

“What, and ten more waiting in the shadows?”

“No, just her, you have my word. We need an end to this thing. Too many lives have been lost, too many graveside gatherings. Too many brothers, sisters, children. All gone to a cause that never was, that never should have been. It ends here, today.”

Jason rose and followed Raymond outside. In the centre of the parking lot stood the fattest woman Jason had ever seen. Jason was built like a quarterback, but she must have outweighed him by at least a hundred and fifty pounds. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she were a threat to him, but quickly dismissed the idea, the aura of serenity about her made the very idea seem ridiculous. She smiled at Jason, and the whole world seemed to light up.

“Okay, say your piece lady, but this still ain't over yet.” Said Jason, and he fired a flinty glance in Raymond's direction.

The lady opened her mouth, but instead of talking she began to sing. Her voice beautiful, angelic, echoed around the parking lot. The nearby buildings began to shimmy as they thrummed to the sweet vibrations.

As the dulcet tones reached Jason's ears and drizzled into his brain, something changed inside him. He felt his whole body relaxing, softening as the hate inside him shrivelled and died. His shoulders slumped and he tried in vain to wipe the tears from his eyes, but failed to keep up with the flow as a lifetime of venom, heartache and suffering poured down his cheeks.

Jason walked over to Raymond and they grasped each other tightly. There was real love in that embrace, a forgiveness for the past, a hope for the future, for all the futures to come.

“Yeah.” Whispered Jason. “I guess it's finally over.”


©2014 Stephen. J. Green.

24 comments:

  1. Ah-ha, I don't know whether to laugh or cry Steve, I guess both. The names and the fat lady singing it's over, yea, that's terrific but the way you've told the story makes it beyond terrific, it's fantastic!
    (Deanna Schrayer)

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    1. Ah Roslyn, thank you for the lovely comment.
      The names of course are derivatives from those feuding folk the Hatfields and McCoys, only the story is set rather more recently. :)

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  2. Oh that's wonderful - I love that ending! Now if only we could get that lady to sing to the various governments of the world - how sweet would that be eh! ^_^

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    1. Thanks Helen. Yeah, I think every town and city in the world could do with a lady with her talents. :)

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  3. till the fat lady sings... I thought her ear-piercing singing was going to detonate his brain, or perhaps that she was merely soundtrackjng the final death blow delivered by Mchat, but you took it a third way (not to be confused with Tony Blair's Third Way of politics!)

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    1. Haha! On the nail Marc. The whole story started off by toying with the phrase "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" and this is what fell onto the keyboard.

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  4. My third attempt... perhaps Google will allow it to post without error.

    The juxtaposition between the serious tone, for a serious situation, with the humorous nod delivers nicely. I like the beauty of the singing releasing inner hate and suffering at the end ...as the old saying goes.

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    1. Thanks David. I do like to add a touch of humour if possible, sometimes it is a little obscure though.

      I'm sorry if you have been having problems commenting, Blogger can be a bit glitchy sometimes, can't it?

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  5. Sometimes all it takes is a little different perspective. I'm glad they finally focused on something else besides their hatred. I'm glad it's finally over. There's no need to waste any more time. A story well done, my friend. Thank you for reminding all of us to not dwell on hate.

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    1. Thanks Stephen. It's true, we cannot always undo what is done, but we can move on rather than ruining the rest of our lives because of it.

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  6. I like this twist! "'Til the fat lady sings" is so often used in cynical and derogatory ways. It's great to hear about her actual singing, and the actual aura she has.

    I also like the idea that this otherworldly, amazing singer is standing in a roadhouse parking lot and triggering all this healing. A short film should be made of this. Maybe David Lynch should direct it.

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    1. Thanks Katherine. It's a pity she wasn't around when Rory set the whole thing in motion. :-)

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  7. It's funny and also sad how most expected bloodshed and possibly an evil natured fat lady. That says something about our nature too. But I'm glad it went the other way round - way to go to burry the hatchet, Steve!

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    1. Thank you Cindy. For the first time in 23 years the hatchet wouldn't be getting buried in either a McHat or a Coyfield's skull. LOL. :-)

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  8. Oh you clever, clever man with your brilliant idea to shake the Hatfield and McCoy story up with the fat-lady-sings adage! A great big Bravissimooo! to you, good sir!
    Miss A

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    1. Aw shucks Miss Alister, you're gonna have me blushin'. LOL.

      Thank you so much for the lovely comment. :-)

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  9. Love it, Steve. The switching around of the names from that classic feud and the use of that old cliche about when things finally come to an end - fun stuff.

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    1. Thanks Richard. I started out with the "It ain't over..." adage, and a family feud seemed to fit the bill for the rest of the story.

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  10. She needs the pointed helmet, like in the operas. Or maybe that would make it a bit too cheesy...

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    1. Haha!! Yeah, one with the horns sticking out of the sides. LOL. :D

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  11. That was utterly beautiful. I liked the image of the music dissolving the hatred.

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    1. Thank you Catherine. It's a pity we can't get the lady on TV so everyone can listen to what she has to say. :-)

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  12. Wonderful way to take the saying literally!

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