Another urban paranormal tale…
* * * * *
Seagulls normally flew ashore when there was a storm at sea, but that morning was fine and sunny.
As Ed walked across the square in front of Circular Quay, he was amazed by the number of crisp white wings fluttering in the sky and then soaring to the ground.
The gulls were assembling before a tall figure in a long black coat. The man was not feeding them. He merely raised his head to the sky and the gulls soared down. More and more came, until the square was full.
Ed could not go any further. Ed’s mouth fell open as the man strode past him, the army of gulls following.
But the man was ignoring him. Ed realised the man was focussing all his attention on a pale skinned girl standing close by. She was the same girl Ed had noticed on the train for the past few weeks. A very pretty girl, with jet black hair and a flirtatious smile. For a moment Ed forgot the seagulls, and broke into a broad grin.
“Hey there. Can you believe this?”
The girl’s eyes were bright green. So green they were almost glowing.
“I’ve never seen so many birds,” Ed said.
The girl looked with longing at Ed. The squawking of the gulls was almost deafening. She lowered her head and retreated across the quay, without saying a word.
The gulls darted around, as if they were celebrating a victory. The girl kept walking, casting the gulls a resentful glance.
The gulls rose into the sky. It seemed the man had released them as easily as he had summoned them.
Ed glanced at his watch. It was 10.16. The gulls had delayed him for a full five minutes. He was going to be late for his university lecture. He ran quickly across the square.
* * * * *
The man, known to some as Alvaro, although he had had many names over the centuries, took a piece of bread from his pocket, tossing it to the gull that remained by his side.
Ed had had a lucky escape. The green-eyed vampire girl had been following him for days.
In the shadow world of the city, every minute counted, and both the natural and supernatural had to work together. Alvaro could not let the boy fall under the sway of the girl and the vampire underworld – his own side had great plans for Ed.
An exercise in micro-fiction – stories which run from zero to fifty
click the Flash Fiction tag for more!
© 2014 M. C. Dulac
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14 responses to “16. The Gulls”
I always knew Sydney was full of vampires. 😀 Nice piece. The gulls made it very atmospheric.
Hey, M. C., do you have any stories about human experiments?
It is that sort of town! 😉
I don’t have any stories about human experiments! But J.S. Collyer might – she featured in the awesome “All Hail the New Flesh” short story collection about robots and nanotechnology etc.
Vampires in the Cross, vamps in Newtown. Vampires in the QVB >:0
Jex was a no too, though thank you for the suggestion. I’m doing a podcast episode on human experiments, and I’d like to link in a few short stories to accompany. If you do happen to write anything of that nature in the next month, and wouldn’t mind it featured, let me know.
I would certainly love to be featured, if I had anything! I will search around the corners of my worn-out brain, and see if there is anything in there. My creative output is decreasing, due to the practicalities of keeping my day job!
Check out Taylor Eaton on littlewritelies.com too, as she often has interesting and thought-provoking sci-fi. (More of the flash fiction variety)
Aha, vampires are all over the place up here. No wonder I’m feeling a little drained….
:C I hope you never stop writing. You are an absolute star. But yes, day jobs can get the better of you. I’m in customer service … four nights in a row followed by an afternoon. I want to crawl into a hole and never be seen again.
Thanks for the heads up with Taylor Eaton. Looks promising.
Take care! Always carry garlic!
Thanks dear! 🙂 Your words certainly cheered me up when I was at my office workstation! You are quite a star yourself 🙂 🙂 so don’t you ever stop writing either!
I was trying the temp thing for a while (buying writing time) but it looks like I’m back to full time for a while!
It’s amazing how many creative people had to have day jobs. Michelangelo was designing doorknobs at the Vatican in his later days I believe.
There’s a great little book called “Steal like an Artist – 10 things nobody told you about being creative” by Austin Kleon. Well worth a read and a great motivator with handy hints such as Chapter 9 – Keep your Day Job.
Yes, it’s a good idea to have garlic on hand, particularly if there’s any relatives of those vampires of Bifurquer Veine Marais around!
I was really drawn into this story. It’s full of suspense and the protagonist was captivating. Great writing, M.C.Dulac.
Thanks Donna! I actually saw a man like this surrounded by a huge flock of seagulls at Circular Quay one morning. The image was quite striking and an exciting starting point for a story!
And strangely enough, I saw another man in the city soon after, sitting among a huge group of pigeons! (not so exciting!) 🙂
That’s interesting, and it’s great that you took inspiration from a real life scene. It’s very vivid and I can tell from your writing that you were right there witnessing it 🙂
This was extremely well done! I saw the square, the seagulls, the mysterious man – and then the bewitching ebony haired girl. Is this part of a larger work? It should be. Seriously.
Thanks Kate – this story concept certainly seems to be growing! Who knows – these guys may return, and even be part of a larger story one day!
I hope so!
So gulls do have some value! ;D
When I see or hear gulls I am always am reminded of the cartoon versions from Nemo. Anyone say “mine”!
Great story MC. Always look forward to your next magical creative writing 😀
Thanks so much Luciana!
Yes, gulls are usually more interested in hot chips – particularly the ones at Circular Quay 😉