The Flash August 2025

Flash fiction I worked on over the summer months. Finished in the nick of time.  School starts tomorrow with scintillating teacher meetings.  I'm pumped!

Lichtenberg Scars

On his honeymoon on Alabama’s Gold Coast, Billy Bruton got hit by lightning and died.  He was standing at the water’s edge drinking coffee, looking out across the gulf, enjoying the sensation of his new purple crocs filling and emptying with water as the morning tide rolled in and out.

The vacation rental, paid for by gifts to the wedding registry site was money well spent. Right on the water. They just arrived yesterday, but so far so great. 

Billy would wait to swim with Amy when she woke up. He hoped the honeymoon would perk her up. For the past month, she had complained constantly about all the work that went in to the wedding on top of working full time at the vet clinic.  He had to admit that he could have done more to help out.  On the plane, he promised that he would make it up to her from this day forward.  

Loud knocking got Amy Bruton out of bed.   Had Billy lost his key already? 

She slid the blind aside to see a police officer with an elderly woman a few steps behind him. She was holding a purple croc. 

 Officer Mills explained why he was there and the woman, Ellen, followed with her own retelling of Billy’s death which she had witnessed from next door.  There was nothing she could do.  Her husband Evan called 911. She was able to grab one purple croc from the water, but she couldn’t reach the other one. 

“We’re on our honeymoon,” Amy explained, as if that detail could make things right.  

Officer Miller walked Amy across the white sand to where Billy was lying dead amid a pair of paramedics and an elderly man who turned out to be Evan.

Amy stared down at the lightning tattoo of red lines branching across Billy's face, neck and chest.  “His face…?” she whispered. Officer Mills gripped her arm tighter, too tightly really, like he feared she might take off running down the beach. 

Evan piped up. “Lichtenberg Scars. Very common after lightning strike.  They fade, usually in 1 to 2 days. Nothing to worry about if you plan on having an open casket.”

Amy stared hard at Officer Miller’s face.  “Did it rain? Was it raining?  Was there a storm?” 

“Not a lot of people know this, but lightning can strike ten miles away from a storm,” said Evan.  “If you can hear thunder, you’re at risk for lightning strike. A lot of people don’t know that. Standing in this water probably didn’t help him any.” 

Amy’s breathing quickened.  Officer Mills lurched her around and started back toward the rental, his grip the only thing keeping her on her feet. He leaned his head close to Amy’s.  “Geez-o-Pete. I don’t think we need any more assistance from Professor Lightning right now, do you?”

Amy burst out laughing, but by the time they were inside, her laughter morphed to sobs.  Officer Mills helped her to the sofa and moved a box of tissues closer.  He went to the kitchen to call the department’s social worker.  When he noticed the box of tea bags on the counter, he turned on the electric kettle.