Slowly opening the front door, Adrian listened for signs of life.
Fairly confident that nobody was home, he stepped inside.
Should he go to the kitchen for snacks or upstairs to turn on his new PlayStation and watch his new favourite show? What lay on the stairs held the answer. Brightly coloured feathers going up the stairs piqued his curiosity to follow them. How did they get there?
Hearing muffled voices, he suddenly stopped and walked towards where they were coming from. The door to his parents’ bedroom wasn’t fully closed, allowing him to look through the small gap.
The scent of his mother’s perfume hit his nostrils. She was sitting down with her back to the door wearing a dress he’d never seen her in before, one his father had probably bought her. A feathered boa lay around her neck. The mystery of the strange coloured feathers was solved. He watched briefly as she scrunched her hair and wondered if she knew the zip on the back of the dress was not zipped up all the way. Had she had her hair styled differently? It didn’t look right. Something nagged at him.
“Mum?”
“Adrian!” came a deep, shocked voice. His father turned around to face the door, spitting a feather out of his mouth; his expression readable. “I thought you were going to Danny’s after college?”
Adrian froze, his heart racing. The sight of his father, clad in a dress, feather boa and wig, left him speechless. The room behind the door filled with an awkward silence, until broken by the soft rustle of the feathers and then laughter.
“Uh, I—” his father stammered, a mix of surprise and embarrassment washing over his face. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
Adrian blinked, trying to process the scene. “Then what is it?” he asked, as he pushed open the door.
His mother laughed nervously and joined his father from the other side of the room, a playful spark in her eyes. “Maybe we should tell him. It’s about time he knows.”
With a sigh, Adrian’s father straightened and took a deep breath. “Alright, Adrian. This isn’t what you think. Your mother and I are part of a show for the charity gala this weekend. We thought it would be fun to do a dress-rehearsal at home.”
“Dress-rehearsal?” Adrian echoed, incredulity giving way to excitement. The mystery of the feathers and the strange scene before him transformed into something far more compelling.
“Yes!” his mother said, smiling brightly. “We could really use your help! How about you watch us rehearse and tell us what you think?”
Realising he was now part of this unexpected adventure, Adrian grinned. “No thanks. I’d rather go on my PlayStation. But have fun.”
As laughter filled the room, Adrian walked to his bedroom, his earlier curiosity now filled with enthusiasm for a new side of his parents and their secret world.
Switching on his PlayStation, Adrian didn’t play any games. He connected to the BBC iPlayer to watch a newly discovered show which had now become his favourite.
“Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race UK,” said another man wearing a dress. He looked far more glamorous than Adrian’s father did.
Written for Sunday Stills hosted by Terri Webster-Schrandt: – Theme: Feathers.
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Loved this. It skipped along like a bunny at dusk. This twists were perfectly executed. Well done.
What a lovely way of putting it, Theresa. Thank you so much for the great feedback.
I enjoyed that little story, Hugh.
Anything in particular that made the story enjoyable, W.M.?
The story made me smile.
I’d love to know what it was about the story that caused the smile, Jennie.
It was the flow of boa feather curiosity, to shock, to a fun surprise reason. Best to you, Hugh.
That’s great feedback I can take onboard for future stories. Thank you, Jennie.
Glad you liked the feedback, Hugh! You’re welcome
This is delightful, and I enjoyed how you tied in the feathers. You have the knack for drawing in the reader, and then hold their interest with twists and turns. I was curious how your story was going to turn out, and I didn’t expect the twist at the end.
Thank you, Eugi. It was a fun prompt word, so I had lots of fun writing this piece of flash.
You’re welcome, Hugh.
That was a fun little story, Hugh. I had no idea where it was going. Nice twist.
Good to hear you had no idea where my story path was taking you, Jan.
Lots of twists and turns, Hugh. I like what you did with Terri’s feathers prompt.
I thought it was a fun prompt from Terri, Janis. That word took me down a different route from the one I usually go down when writing flash fiction.
I like the way you draw the reader in … so that we are coming upon the scene with Adrian and then his parents being more concerned about the “surprise” than he was. Piles of feathers could lead to many things and with a master of the surprise, such as yourself, one never knows!
Drawing the reader in is so important. It’s something my editor taught me many years ago. If you have a reader asking questions or wanting to know more after reading the first few lines, you’ve done half the hard work.
A twisty tale. Did Adrian believe them or not?
I’m sure he did. Had his father been on his own, it may have been a different matter.
Yep, you had me going too…my mind went several directions, Hugh! I felt some drama and readied for a surprise reveal to Adrian! Hooray for a charity show rehearsal! Light and fun, and well-written! Great spin on the feathers theme. Thanks for thinking of Sunday Stills and joining in this week!
Lighter than I usually write, Terri. It must have been the feathers, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the idea from this week’s Sunday Stills theme. It was fun to write. It was fun to take readers off in different directions. It was fun not to end a story with a dark shock.
There are some great twists here, Hugh. Just when we think we know where it’s going, you switch tack. Well done.
I’m glad the twists were visible, Esther. I didn’t make them as dramatic as I usually do.