Call that a kite?

This is my entry for round two of the NYC Midnight – 250-word Microfiction Challenge 2019. The challenge, to write a 250-word piece of micro-fiction based on a Genre / Action / Word in 24 hours.

I literally scraped through to round 2 of the challenge. Only the top 10 out of 50 in each group went through (in a brutal cut of 3800 down to 800). I placed 10th on the last round for Bea Loved. This round I had the prompts – Comedy / Flying a kite / Chill. Which at face value I thought would be straightforward, turned out I was wrong. Hopefully, it at least amuses the judges.

“Hi, mate,” Tim called breathlessly. It was a steep climb carrying the large kite. John was stood atop the blustery hill.

“Afternoon squire, impressive kite,” said John, glancing back over his shoulder. “That’s gotta be five feet.”

“Yeah, it’s a beast. You manage to find a kite?”

“Yeah, borrowed my uncles,”

Reaching the top of the hill, Tim stared out at a sky full of colourful kites. “Wow, big turn out this year. Which one’s yours?”

John spun around and pointed. “Err, that one.”

“That’s a seagull!”

“Oh, two secs,” John said, reaching into his pocket. He held out a gloved arm and with a swoosh of feathers, a ferocious bird landed and tore hungrily at a morsel of meat. “Hello, girl!”

“Christ, what’s that?”

“My kite.”

“It’s a fucking flying velociraptor.”

“Chill mate! It’s just a regular raptor, a Finnish Red Kite. Beautiful bird, lovely plumage.”

“I don’t like the way it’s looking at me.”

“Yeah, best not to make eye contact. You gonna get yours up?”

Tim looked out across the valley; the sky was crowded. “Little bit busy.”

“Hang on,” John said with a wink. He gave a signal and the raptor launched itself high into the sky. A moment later, crying children, limp strings held in their hands were comforted by their parents. Multicoloured confetti rained down like a parade.

“There you go, mate. Bit of blue sky over there,” John grinned as the raptor returned.

Tim stared in disbelief at the terrible carnage. “Err, thanks.”

Cover image courtesy of: Agnieszka Ziomek