Member-only story
The Yellow Hibiscus
Tempest Under 1000 Words Flash Fiction
The downstairs buzzer screamed, throwing me back into reality. I jumped, spilling coffee all over the table. I scrambled to the intercom by the door, pressed the speaker button, and asked, “Who is it?”
“Sergeant Wade Willoby. I called earlier,” the voice explained. I buzzed him in and went to clean up the spilled coffee before he made it upstairs.
Minutes later, the doorbell bleated. Through the peephole, I saw the image of an NYPD badge. I opened the door to a younger, more updated version of Lt. Columbo, who was one of my favorite TV detectives of the 1970s.
Sergeant Willoby had replaced Columbo’s rumpled beige raincoat with a blue, black, and white baseball jacket. Instead of Colombo’s notebook, an expensive smartphone peeked out of his right jacket pocket. From his demeanor, however, he seemed to have a more jovial MacGyver-like personality when he nodded at me. As he entered my tiny one-bedroom apartment, I noticed that he was slightly taller and more handsome than Lt. Colombo, .
I stood waiting for the news as his eyes scanned every detail. I positioned myself opposite him in a comfortable armchair I’d won at a raffle last year, and asked, “What’s wrong with my Mom and Dad?” I studied his face for any clue.
“I am sorry to tell you this Miss Shade, but they’re dead. Their house caught fire. They didn’t make it out alive,” he related with concern.
Thank you for reading this piece. I hoped you enjoyed it.
