More Flash Fiction

Friday Night (#quiet)

The alarm finally ceased its piercing wail and a deafening quiet followed. Mr. C and HB peered through the gaping hole. The thieves had been quick, grabbing a few expensive tools lying around the property and fleeing before anyone knew what was happening, let alone the police arriving.

"Shouldn't the police be here by now?" asked HB.

"They should have shown up before the burglars escaped," replied Mr. C. Always the gentleman, he smoothed down his coat and straightened his shoulders. "Bloody useless they are."

Helen waddled over. She'd really put on a lot of weight in these living conditions. She craned her neck and eyeballed the damage. "Well, should we leave?" she asked. "I've had about enough of this place."

"This town is dangerous," replied HB. "I'm not venturing out on a Friday night with hoodlums on the loose. Besides Ron will be here shortly no doubt to fix the fence. He's such a nice fella."

Helen frowned, "It's only a mile or two to the docks, we could hitch a ride on a southbound freighter and get the hell out of here."

Mr. C bobbed his head in agreement. "She's right," he said. "We've been doing the same song and dance for too long." He gestured to their residence. "Helen, go gather the others. Tell them we are leaving immediately."

"Ron is NOT going to like this,"protested HB.

"It's Friday night," snapped Helen. "You heard him talking this afternoon. He said he's cooking dinner for friends. He's not just going to abandon his guests for us."

"Helen's right," said Mr. C. "You can't just leave a half cooked meal and a house full of guests. It would be unpropper and Ron is an upstanding citizen."

Mr. C accompanied Helen to garner support for their plan. HB paced nervously next to the hole. He'd lived here nearly ten years and he wasn't a young man anymore. It was hard for him to imagine any other life, let alone a vagabond life on the road full of uncertainty about where he might find his next meal. HB hoped and prayed that Mr. C and Helen were wrong about Ron.

A few minutes later the whole group had gathered, ready to flee. Helen was elected to go first through the hole but she needed a bit of a boost to get through.

"Come on Herring Breath," said Helen from the other side, "you're next."

Just as HB lifted a trembling flipper the group heard the familiar rumble of Ron's Honda Civic. HB couldn't help but notice more than one relieved sigh from those behind him.

Ron jumped out and ran to Helen. "Oh, no you don't." He placed the penguin back inside the enclosure and stepped in himself. Unable to resist, everyone including Helen and Mr. C followed Ron to the fish tank. He pulled out a bucket and tossed a healthy portion of fish into the pond. While the penguins enthusiastically snapped up an unexpected second dinner, Ron pulled out his tools to mend the fence. His guests would have to wait.

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Note from the author/dinner guest. We had good wine so we didn't mind waiting for Ron who is an excellent cook in addition to being an upstanding citizen and dedicated groundskeeper. https://www.zoo.org/penguins