The Australian Writers’ Centre runs a monthly short fiction story competition called Furious Fiction. You have to submit a story shorter than 500 words that meets certain criteria – here’s my own submission from June 2023.

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Beyond The Gate
By Jess Knaus

Rubbing the golden locket around her neck, pondering their options, she made a classic ‘Vi’ decision: ‘Let’s check it out’. She bolted across the street, staying low.

‘Wait!’ whispered Stephen.

Like a rocket Vi was onward. Stephen panicked, urging her to return.

‘Vi!’, he whispered harder. He hurriedly shoved his torch into his pocket and scampered across the road, heart racing in time with his footsteps.

He tailed her into the darkness beyond the security camera gaze. Stephen led the next move to get the lead on Vi and her unpredictability. He leant into the presence of the fence as much as he could, steam huffing into the chilly air from his raised heart rate.

They reached a promising tree that would give them some height to peer over the fence. Climbing through the branches they perched to observe the house and its residents. The front of the house remained motionless – no cars or activity. The familiar silver Mercedes sat still on the driveway curving around the white and ornate fountain, trickling softly.

A light flicked on towards the back of the house, stretching brightness across the manicured box hedges and brick-laid pathways of the internal garden. A woman appeared – one Stephen recognised from his door-knocking job.

‘I know her. Well, I met her once,’ he whispered amongst the leaves.

‘What do you know about her?,’ asked Vi in reply.

‘Not much. She’s rich. That’s as much as I know.’

She’d wandered into the kitchen and was making herself a cup of tea. As she stood waiting for the kettle to boil a man appeared from the hallway. He was placing driving gloves on his hands, wriggling until they were snug. Grabbing keys off the kitchen counter and miming what looked like a goodbye to the lady, he disappeared. The front light turned off and he reappeared, stepping off the stoop and flashing the Mercedes to unlock.

Although it was dark Stephen could make out his profile. He wore a dark leather jacket that matched his distinctive driving gloves. His dark hairline had receded, revealing a shiny moon-shaped bald patch in the crown of his head. His eyes sat deep in the eye sockets on his steely face, manicured and neat. He walked over to the car with purpose.

‘He’s leaving!’ Vi whispered emphatically. They tried to climb further along their respective branches to get a better look.

The man started the car, and slowly the front mechanical gate began to open inward. The car glided across the white brick driveway, through the gate, turned right and disappeared into the night.

‘We should follow him!’ said Vi, frantically grabbing her bag and lumbering down from her branch. Stephen did the same, landing with a thud below. But they were not alone.

‘Hi there,’ said an inquisitive voice.

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Photo by Erik Mclean: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-door-on-white-concrete-building-9572051/

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