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July is Flash Fiction Month! I’ll be sharing short short stories here through the month of July. More notes at the end of sthe story.
Olive leaned back in the divan, fanning herself. “I hate this time of year.”
Her consort, Septimus, wiped his glistening face with a cloth and glanced over to his axehandle hound that was panting in the shade. “So does Tort.” At the sound of his name, the dog whined and wagged its stubby tale. “It helps to think of summer as a time of plenty.”
Olive shaded her eyes with a hand and glared at the sun for a second, just long enough for it to blind her. “It doesn’t look any closer than it does in winter. Why is it so beastly hot?”
“It’s not the sun, my light. Scholars no longer believe that the sun moves across the sky, but is, in fact, fixed in place.” Septimus had no fear of reprisal from Olive for correcting her. One of the benefits of being her consort was that she paid his consortia fees. Women were not allowed to attend consortia, and she eagerly drank up any knowledge that he had to share. The arrangement worked for both of them.
“Truly?” Olive’s thin eyebrows met in a point. “But we see it move every day.”
“Yes, but it does not go nearer or farther. It keeps a steady distance.”
“Not far enough,” Olive replied, and resumed fanning herself. “If the sun does not move closer to us, then why are summer and winter so terrible?”
“The current theory is phoenixes,” Septimus informed her.
“Phoenixes,” Olive repeated.
“Yes, hatching in spring, at their full power in summer, wilting in autumn and becoming ash in winter. The heat given off by a mature, healthy phoenix is incredible.”
Olive frowned. “Phoenixes don’t have such short lifespans. And they often shelter their eggs deep caves, where the elements cannot disturb them. Their hatching cycle wouldn’t have anything to do with spring.”
“Actually, my sweet, it’s been found that most phoenixes prefer to lay their eggs at the roots of trees,” Septimus told her. “That they lay their eggs in caves is a common myth-conception.”
Another challenge day! Element 1: Write “Challenge me!” in the comments.
Element 2: Challenge other people by replying to their comment with a misconception they must feature in their story. This misconception can be fictional or a real-life misconception (if you challenge with a real-life one, including a source for why it’s a misconception would be appreciated).
Element 3: Choose one or more of the misconceptions you got and write a story using them.
I used Damon L. Wake’s misconception: Seasons are caused by Earth moving closer to and farther from the Sun.
I was a little disappointed to learn that magpies don’t steal shiny things, though. 😦
Overlooked Books 