Charlie’s Last Chance

Xavier looked over his shoulder. His small, pointed nose and out of proportion eyes reminded Charlie of an owl turning its head around.

“Charles, you’ve failed. Again,” said Xavier.

“Y-y-yes, I know, but…” Charlie stammered.

“But nothing. I can’t keep giving you special treatment. I just can’t. It’s bad for morale.” Xavier rubbed his forehead. “You have no idea how hard this is for me.”

Charlie’s eyes bulged. “Don’t do this. Just one more chance, please. That’s all I ask. One more chance!”

“I gave you one last chance last time, Charles. And the time before that. And the time before that even.” Xavier shook his head. Still he didn’t turn around to face the younger man. “I’m sorry, but you’ve run out of chances.”

“But, Dad! You can’t kill your own son!”

Xavier kneaded his hands together. “Sometimes life gives you hard choices with obvious answers, Charles. I’ve put off this decision long enough. To continue down this path would be foolish at best. If I were to continue giving you special treatment the others might start expecting the same.” He finally turned around, his eyes cold and hard. “That is a risk not worth taking, my boy.”

Charlie tried to speak, but no words passed his lips.

“Guards!” Xavier shouted then watched as his only son was dragged away to be executed. Sleep would not come easily that night.

—

This story is my response to my Storybook Corner – Sept 2015 prompt.

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Storybook Corner Prompt – Sept 2015

Welcome to Storybook Corner, a monthly flash fiction prompt held on the 21^st of each and every month. This post will give you this month’s prompt.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story based on the prompt below.

The goal is to end up with a story with a beginning, middle, and end that falls anywhere between 100 and 250 words in length.

Make every word count, but don’t fret too much if you can’t hit the word count. Sometimes stories refuse to be constrained. Sometimes those are the only stories worth telling.

Try to read as many of the other stories as you can in the time you have available. We all work hard on our stories and like to share our work with as many readers as possible.

This month’s prompt will be the following image:

Share your links in the comments section here or on my story page when it’s posted and the other stories you read.

Happy writing, minions.

Storybook Corner Prompt – August 2015

Welcome to Storybook Corner, a monthly flash fiction prompt held on the 21^st of each and every month. This post will give you this month’s prompt.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story based on the prompt below.

The goal is to end up with a story with a beginning, middle, and end that falls anywhere between 100 and 250 words in length.

Make every word count, but don’t fret too much if you can’t hit the word count. Sometimes stories refuse to be constrained. Sometimes those are the only stories worth telling.

Try to read as many of the other stories as you can in the time you have available. We all work hard on our stories and like to share our work with as many readers as possible.

This month’s prompt will be the following image:

Share your links in the comments section here or on my story page when it’s posted and the other stories you read.

Happy writing, minions.

Storybook Corner Prompt – July 2015

Welcome to Storybook Corner, a monthly flash fiction prompt held on the 21^st of each and every month. This post will give you this month’s prompt.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story based on the prompt below.

The goal is to end up with a story with a beginning, middle, and end that falls anywhere between 100 and 250 words in length.

Make every word count, but don’t fret too much if you can’t hit the word count. Sometimes stories refuse to be constrained. Sometimes those are the only stories worth telling.

Try to read as many of the other stories as you can in the time you have available. We all work hard on our stories and like to share our work with as many readers as possible.

This month’s prompt will be the following image:

Share your links in the comments section here or on my story page when it’s posted and the other stories you read.

Happy writing, minions.

Storybook Corner Prompt – June 2015

Welcome to Storybook Corner, a monthly flash fiction prompt held on the 21^st of each and every month. This post will give you this month’s prompt.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story based on the prompt below.

The goal is to end up with a story with a beginning, middle, and end that falls anywhere between 100 and 250 words in length.

Make every word count, but don’t fret too much if you can’t hit the word count. Sometimes stories refuse to be constrained. Sometimes those are the only stories worth telling.

Try to read as many of the other stories as you can in the time you have available. We all work hard on our stories and like to share our work with as many readers as possible.

This month’s prompt will be the following image:

Share your links in the comments section here or on my story page when it’s posted and the other stories you read.

Happy writing, minions.