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Thursday, May 25, 2023

“Party Trick” • by Kimberly Ann Smiley


The village was always nervous when a new god appeared, especially a trickster like this one. But he only entertained himself by chasing away the clouds.

At first, the villagers enjoyed the clear weather. But the god didn’t tire of his game.

Crops started withering. The villagers grew desperate for rain and tried everything. Flattery. Yelling. Bribes. Begging.

Nothing worked. He was having too much fun to stop.

Finally, someone suggested they plan a wedding. An elaborate outdoor ceremony. A party so huge even a god couldn’t ignore it.

Everyone agreed the cake was delicious even if it was soggy.

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Kimberly Ann Smiley was born and raised in California, but now lives in Mississippi after an unexpected plot twist. She has several pieces of paper that claim she is a mechanical engineer and none that mention writing but has decided not to let the practical decisions made in her youth define the rest of her life. Her work has appeared both here and in Daily Science Fiction. In April “Preservation Reservation” was her second published story; we didn’t think to ask if she’s had anything else published between then and now.


 

This time The Pete Wood Challenge was to write a flash fiction story of up to 125 words in length using the prompt, “rain.” To see the previous winners of previous challenges, click this link.


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