It’s Week 4 of the 100-words-per-week Serial Novel (which is technically Flash Fiction) story I’ve been working on in the Writing Forum Exercises I participate in. This week, we addressed the Climax and Resolution of the story typically found in Act III of a 3-Act format and the six prompts to work into the narrative were: Invitation, Lantern, Twisted, Grainy, Falls, and Greedy.

If you recall from earlier in our story…

Charlie is in love with Edna, whom he calls Daisy, the waitress at a local speakeasy. Charlie plays piano there. [1] But before he can declare his love, a gangster known only as The Doctor comes in and roughs Daisy up. [2] Charlie suggests they run away together, but Daisy declines; the Doctor has documents that implicate Daisy’s father in a bank heist and if she leaves him, he will use them to ruin her family. So, Charlie offers to help her retrieve the documents. [3]

And now… Part 4 of (Working Title) What Price, Charlie?

They chose the evening of Frank Capone’s [4] funeral–a lavish, invitation-only affair for the city’s most twisted and greedy, the Doctor among them—for the caper.

Charlie slid the key Daisy handed him into the lock, grateful they’d brought the lantern despite its grainy illumination.

“It’s just over here, in the office,” she whispered.

A match sizzled from within the dark room. “That you, Doll? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Daisy shoved Charlie towards the door. “Go! I’ll be alright. He loves me, remember.”

She raised the lamp. “I wanted to surpri—”

Gunfire erupted and Charlie watched her fall.

Sources & Notes

1. Read Part 1 here.
2. Read Part 2 here.
3. Read Part 3 here.
4. Frank Capone is Al Capone’s brother. He really did have a lavish funeral.
5. Featured photo by Yaoqi LAI on Unsplash.