He washed his hands in the sink, rubbing off the stain on them. They were already clean afterwards. This brought a sheepish smile on his face – a smile that depicts not happiness but a fleeting relief.
Hands, he muttered to himself, my favorite part of the body. They do most of the dirty jobs, become nasty sometimes; but still appear clean and innocent after a little wash.
Beside the sink lay a black .45. He picked it up with one hand, placing the nozzle on the other palm. They don’t even take sides. Very indifferent indeed. And a good traitor too. Seconds after, the gun was pointing to his head. Then a loud bang cleared his thoughts away, washing the perils of uncertainties ahead.
Reader Response
In the flash fiction above, there are gaps in the details that are to be filled by the readers imagination. The writer writes the story but the reader offers profound meaning to it. Take the smile as an example. It is the reader who will decide if the smile shows happiness through the killer’s escape from guilt, or a smile that depicts the insanity on his mind because of his guilt.
