Flash Fiction Friday: On a Summer's Day

(Source image unknown; provided some time ago by the lovely Lexi)

The shorts were tight, her denim vest hugging her breasts.  She liked the looks she got from men as she walked.  Soaking up their lascivious smiles, she flipped her hair seductively, returning their hopeful winks with a hint of mischief.

As she reached the end of the boardwalk she unbuttoned her top, pretending not to see their wide-eyed stares.  She let the garment hang from her shoulders and unbuttoned her shorts, dropping them to the pavement.  She wore no panties.

Casting the top from her shoulders, she stood at the edge of the boardwalk and leapt into the water. (99/100)

Behind the Scenes

For the first time in eight weeks, this Flash Fiction Friday prompt was provided by Insatiabear.  The requirements were one hundred words or less (barely made it!) and the phrase "...a hint of mischief..."

I looked at the prompt on Tuesday and didn't immediately have any concrete thoughts of what the story would be.  I liked the idea of portraying the young woman as a free spirit, the sort who might walk through a crowded public market or other venue - in this case a boardwalk - so scantily clad that most would consider it indecent exposure.  However, after taking a long look at the prompt photo the story wasn't exactly writing itself.

I returned to the prompt on Thursday during a rare half hour of silence, and simply began writing.  In this case while the story didn't write itself, it was more or less effortless.  While the hundred-word limit added to the challenge, I knew going in that I wasn't going to be able to get too in-depth.  What resulted was less a story than a vignette, a window into the life of the character depicted that provides insight into who she is, and hopefully leaves the reader wanting more.

Deleted Scenes

As is my bent, I planned on ending the story with some manner of twist.  I considered that the young girl's shameless striptease and au naturel swim is actually a figment of her imagination, and she's stuck working a desk job on the hottest day of the year - a job that coincidentally happens to overlook the thriving boardwalk where her imaginary walk occurred.  Additionally, rather than being the sort of vibrant, adventurous woman who would take such a walk, in reality the protagonist is a frumpy, unconfident person who aspires to that sort of freedom.  In the end, I couldn't make it fit.  It's just as well; the story works as a vignette.

The story originally began with "She traveled along the boardwalk, feeling the warm summer sun on her skin."  This was cut due to lack of space.

Soundtrack

This vignette is all about confidence.  I considered Liz Phair's "Extraordinary", but given the overly mainstream feel of Phair's 2003 self-titled album from which it came I considered that "Extraordinary" would've made the preceedings feel like a chick flick.  From a musical standpoint a better fit might be her 1994 song "Supernova" - the tempo seems a better fit - even though it's a woman's ode to a prospective lover and not an ode to herself as is "Extraordinary."  For a more fast-paced, urban accompaniment, Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" would work as well, especially with its "Who's lookin' good today?" refrain.

If you'd like to take part in the fun, or see who else participated this week, check out Insatiabear.