Flash Fortnightly #6

Welcome to Flash Fortnightly! 

My name is Laura Besley and I’m an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. Over the years I’ve met thousands of students of all ages from many different countries in the world. This job really suits me as I love meeting people and learning about different languages and cultures. After working in England for a couple of years, I moved to Düsseldorf, Germany, where I taught Business English for two years and now I’m living in Hong Kong. This small pocket of Asia is a perfect blend of East meets West and is rich in colour, noise and inspiration.

That brings me nicely onto writing. I’ve been writing on and off since childhood and did my degree in English Literature and Film Studies. When I was in Germany I started writing a bit more regularly and in Hong Kong I’ve really had the time to dedicate to my writing. In 2011 I joined the Hong Kong Writers Circle and a critique group which allowed me to start looking at my work with a more critical eye. On 4th May 2012 I embarked on a project to write one piece of flash fiction a day. I’ve always seen myself as a novelist, but actually I’ve found that I really love writing short pieces as it gives you plenty of room to experiment with style, voice, characters and settings. And each day I can write something new.

I hope you enjoy this ‘Flash Fortnightly’ entry and I’ll be back on Wednesday 6th February 2013 with some more…

___________________________

 

Tarot Reading

“So,” Carly asked, leaning forward over the wooden table, “what can you see?”

The woman opposite had an orange headscarf keeping her untamed curls back from her face. “Actually, your cards are very interesting.” She looked down at the five cards facing upwards.

“In what way?”

“Well, there’s a lot of change on the horizon for you.”

“Really? In my work?”

“No, in your personal life. In your relationships.”

Carly leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms in front of her. “But I’m really happy with Hilary.”

“This Hilary is not the person for you.”

Carly blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back. “But…”

**

Ten months later Hilary was putting the last few things into a cardboard packing box. “You know I loved you, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Carly.

“I probably still do, but this isn’t working.”

“Please don’t go.”

“Looking back things have never been the same since you saw that stupid fortune teller. It’s all a load of bollocks, you know.”

“I know.”

“But she sowed a seed, didn’t she?”

“I guess.” Carly reached out, but didn’t quite touch Hilary’s face. “Please don’t go,” she said again.

“You say that now,” Hilary sighed, “but you’re not one hundred per cent committed and I just can’t be with someone like that.”

“I wish I’d never gone that day.”

“So do I.” Hilary picked up the box and glanced around the now half-empty living room. “So do I.”

Laura Besley

I’d like to stress that I’ve had a tarot card reading in the past and mine was extremely positive and successful. However, a friend of mine recently told me about her experience with a fortune teller and that was the inspiration for this piece.

 If you’d like to check out more of my writing, flash fiction and non-fiction, check out my  blog: Living Loving and Writing. Or you can follow me on twitter @laurabesley or connect on facebook Laura Besley Writer