LIZARD’S LEAP by LaVern Spencer McCarthy

WELL DONE! Flash Fiction

LIZARD’S LEAP by LaVern Spencer McCarthy

The man who called himself Lizard, for unknown reasons, stood at the roof edge of one of the tallest buildings in town. Today he decided to jump off the building, and not for the first time.

The first time, the authorities were called before he worked up enough courage to jump, and firemen arrived with a big round net that saved his life. He’d been suicidal that day, but after the net broke his fall, he was exhilarated. That was fun! He had not noticed the people gathered far below him, nor the firemen holding the net. His eyes had been blurred with tears.

Lizard had been in and out of the state insane asylum since then. Once or twice, he’d been arrested and fined for being a public nuisance. But periodically, he still managed to get to a roof of a building without being noticed. He either stole a key to the door that led to the roof and locked the door behind him, or he blocked the door with objects he found on the roof. There was a surprising amount of old furniture and other useless things to be found on most of the buildings he patronized.

Lizard looked down at his adoring fans. When he was seen on the edge of a building, a crowd always gathered to watch. Lizard was impressed that he had so many loyal friends. He waved. The crowd waved back. The firemen were there with their net. The police were there, frustrated that they could not arrest him yet.

Lizard was poised to jump into the void when something landed on his nose and bit him. It startled him so much that he nearly lost his balance. He took a step back as he slapped at the thing that had bitten him.

It looked like a horsefly. He had no idea how it came to be there, but he was not about to let it get the best of him. The insect continued to fly around his head, getting into his mouth and crawling up his nose. Lizard began to stumble backwards, but his nemesis followed. It flew into his right eye. He tripped on an old board and fell, hitting his head and knocking himself unconscious.

Not long after his unfortunate fall, Lizard regained his senses. The pesky bug seemed to be gone. As he sat there rubbing his head all he could see was a gray haze, but he could hear the crowd crying faintly below.

"We want Lizard! Come on, Lizard, jump!" Lizard smiled. Since his admirers were still there waiting, he would give them the performance of his life.

Ignoring the noise the police made as they tried to open the barricaded door, he stood up and staggered forward. Just as he tumbled off the edge, his vision cleared, and he realized he had fallen from the wrong side of the building.

LaVern Spencer McCarthy, has written and published nine books, five of poetry and four of fiction. Her work has appeared in Writers and Readers Magazine, Meadowlark Reader, Agape Review, Fenechty Publications Anthologies of Short Stories, From the Shadows, An Anthology of Short Stories, Visions International, Fresh Words Magazine. Wicked Shadows Press, Midnight Magazine and others. She is a life member of The Poetry Society of Texas and National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc. and has won state and national awards for her poetry. She resides in Blair Oklahoma where she is currently writing her fifth book of short stories.