Happy Monday everyone! I hope all is well for everyone. I've got another flash fiction short story for you this week! The prompt generator seems to have a theme of illness prompts, so we've got another cold related story!
This week's prompt was:
Character: A man in his 40s who is not healthy.
Setting: The story ends at a game show.
Action: Your character falls asleep.
Onto the story!
I stand in the wings of the stage, waiting for my cue. I clear my throat, hoping the cough I’ve had all day will disappear when I get on stage. A sick host is no host.
“You’re on in three... two... one!”
On command from the director, I jog on stage and wave to the crowd and respond to their cheers. A large lit sign lowers behind me, creating a warmth on my back.
“Welcome to Fight or Flight, where we test your instincts to see if you can stand the pressure of the fight, or take flight instead. I’m your host, Felix Sherwood, here to introduce our guests!”
I wave my hand towards the podiums where the guests stand.
“Our returning champion of four weeks, it’s Tex Alma!”
Tex makes their way to their podium, eliciting cheering from the crowd. They tip their cowboy hat and shoot finger guns at the crowd.
“And new this week, please welcome Sunday Graham!”
The young woman walks shyly up to her podium. I cough away from my microphone as the two guests shake hands.
“Today’s challenge is going to be—” I feel a cough take over my lungs, forcing air out of my mouth unwillingly. I jerk my head away from the microphone to avoid coughing in it.
“Excuse me, today’s challenge—”
I feel more coughs taking over, so I set the microphone down and start to cough away from the guests and crowd. One of the producers comes out on stage and checks on me.
“I feel really dizzy,” I say, squinting my eyes at the bright sign lights.
“We can find someone to fill in for you, give you a few minutes to rest,” she says.
“I’ll be.. fine...” I mutter, feeling myself fading. The crowd starts muttering, and I try to support myself on the wall. I take a deep breath and find it a bit easier to stand.
“Can I have my water please?” I ask.
“Of course.”
I take the water from the producer’s hands, feeling the dizziness go away. It stays that way for a few minutes, so I head back out on stage. But as soon as I make it to the stage, I find myself dizzy again.
“I’m sorry folks...” I struggle to stand, and find myself falling to the floor. Everything blacks out after that, and I soon find myself fast asleep.
Hope you all enjoyed this silly short story. Have a wonderful week!
-Rosetta 💖
Image By Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov