Flash Fiction Theme- Summer
Little Suzy twirls her dark brown hair while her emerald green eyes stare into the camera. She smiles as big as she can while the cameraman talks to the news anchorman. The news anchorman walks over to little Suzy, and she straightens her red and white flower dress.
“Hi, Suzy, my name is Todd and my cameraman over there is John. I’m sorry your mommy and daddy aren’t feeling well today and can’t be with us.” A tall, almost sunburned man says to her. “But I’m glad you are still going to do the interview with us.”
“Thank you, Mr. John. They are watching the TV so they can see me.” She points at the white picket fence around a white house with a dark red door behind them. “They can’t wait for me to tell everyone about my lemonade.” She stands next to a table with her lemons, cups, a packet of something shiny and blue, and the lemonade she made fresh for the interview with the local news station, VYU 28.
Todd stands next to the lemonade stand, fixes his tie and clears his throat. “John, are we ready?”
“Yes, sir. Everything is ready to go live in just a few more minutes. They are just finishing up the weather.” John zooms in and out as he waits for the go ahead to go live.
Todd puts in his earpiece and listens to them laugh and joke about the weather, then holds up his microphone just inches below his chin. He looks down at the 6-year-old little girl. “First, I will introduce you to everyone watching. Then I will ask you about your summer vacation and how you came up with your lemonade stand. Last, I will ask you where you found that special powder to add to the lemonade that helps people live their dreams. Does that sound simple to you?”
Suzy nods her head and straightens her dress again. “That sounds simple, Mr. Todd.”
John and Todd chuckle at Suzy’s charm. A person jogs by and stops at the stand. “May I buy one?”
“Actually, we are about to do an interview. Would you maybe buy a cup during the interview? It would be great.” Todd looks at the young lady, excited. “Maybe we can have a few people buy some lemonade while we are live.”
John nods. “That’s a good idea.”
“Okay, we still have a few minutes. Let me get a few more people and see if they will join us.” Todd hands his microphone to the jogger. “Hold this, please.”
Todd doesn’t wait and rushes off to find more people. He knocks on the doors of Suzy’s neighbors, but no one answers. He pulls out his phone and calls his wife. “Hey, Helen, can you come down where I am doing the interview with Suzy? We want to have some people buy the lemonade while we are live. Get some of our friends and family to come down, too.” He laughs and nods. “Thanks, babe!” He hangs up and hurries back to the small group. He can hear in his earpiece that they would talk to him in a minute.
Todd puts his thumbs up to John, taking the microphone from the jogger. “Okay, we are ready. Can you stand just out of sight and then jog back in about five minutes?”
“Sure, I can do that,” she says and hurries off to the side.
Todd faces the camera and grins as John clears his throat. “Ready, Suzy?”
Suzy nods her head, her pigtails bobbing around her head.
John holds up his hand. “And we are live in five, four, three, two…” He points at Todd.
“That is right, Jennifer and Terry. I am here with the sweet young girl, Suzy Charles. We are here to talk to her about her magical lemonade that, when someone drinks it, gets to live their dreams for a few hours.” Todd looks down at Suzy. “Hello, Suzy, how are you doing today?”
“I’m good, Mr. Todd.” She turns to the camera. “Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!”
Todd smiles. “Now, Suzy, it’s summer vacation. You’re only 6-years-old. How did you come up with the idea of a lemonade stand?”
“It’s hot, and I wanted to get money to buy a pool for my mommy, daddy, and older brother, Jackson.” Suzy looks down shyly.
“That is so sweet, Suzy.” Todd kneels down, so he is at eye level. “Do you have enough money now?”
“I do. Someone bought my recipe and now my lemonade is on stores everywhere.” Suzy spreads her arms out.
Todd chuckles. “That is amazing, Suzy. I bet your mommy and daddy are so proud of you.” He picks up the bag with sparkly blue powder. “And where is this from?”
“I just found it. It makes the lemonade taste yummy.”
“Speaking of yummy, you have some customers, Suzy.”
“Yay!” Suzy pours glass after glass for the jogger, Todd’s wife, and a sizeable group of their family and friends. She hands one to Todd and walks over to John, giving him a cup.
“And there you have it. Suzy just wanted a pool for the family for the summer. With great news that it is now on shelves everywhere. This is Todd Dills with VYU 28. Back to you.”
John sets the camera down, not realizing they’re still live. Todd takes out his earpiece and joins his wife and friends. They all down their drinks, eagerly waiting to see their dreams. Laughing, they walk around the street in their dream state.
Suzy giggles when the screams start as the dreams turn to nightmares. Todd screams and grabs the camera, hitting John over the head repeatedly until the man lays still on the ground. In the newsroom, others who have had the lemonade run around, murdering each other.
Inside Suzy’s house, the decomposing bodies of her family sit in front of the TV, having been the first victims of Suzy’s special lemonade.