Feb 3, 2013

What's in a name - Flash Fic Challenge - All Audiences

Heya folks!

Here's my submission (I know, it's a little late) for the Friday Flash Fic Challenge over at Now Hark This! blog. It took me some time to get it done the way I wanted it, but that's life.
I'm glad I finished it and I hope you'll enjoy the (short) read.

Prompt: Fully create a character and tell their life in 300 words or less.

Here goes!




What’s in a name.


Michaela – Cayla – Langdon was born into a military family on the day of all days: July 4th.
From the start, her parents had bickered over her.
Her father wanted a boy, her mother a girl.
Since her mother got what she wanted, her father got to pick her name.
Michaela!
'Mike' for dad, 'Cayla' for mom; they never seemed to agree on anything when it concerned her, except on the military career their child would have.

They sent her off to Military boarding school at the age of 6 and Cayla came to understand one thing very quickly: she was her own person. She had a mind of her own and could make it up for herself.
Karate was a first choice of her own. She loved the beauty of the art and excelled in it. Her discipline and hard work landed her on the US Military Demo Team in her second year in Military Academy. Three years later, she had made it to Captain of the team.

Unlike her parents – and much to their dismay – Cayla continued to study after the Academy, showing her parents fighting wasn’t the only discipline she could master.
On the mats, she fought; off the mats, she healed.
The toughest kind of healing.
She did battle every day, much like her parents wanted.
But her battle was for the sanity of her patients.
She fought for a living, much like her parents intended for her.
But her fight was with the demons that haunted others.

She had followed in their footsteps in more ways than one, marrying a Marine and ‘shipping off’ both their kids to Military boarding school, but she was still very much her own person.

Major Michaela Langdon, ‘head-doctor’ of the elite.





If you'd like to read some of the other submissions, go here:

3 comments:

  1. I really like the line "On the mats, she fought; off the mats, she healed." it shows a really wonderful comparison and contrast in her life. I'm glad you're participating with us in this little challenge!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda Marie. I cheated a little though, because it's a character I created for the story I'm currently writing, but this challenge enabled me to get to know her better.

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    2. That's the ultimate goal here anyway, working these exercises into the skills and ideas we need to flesh out bigger projects. So wherever relevant, cheat on. :)

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