Good Neighbor – Sunday Photo Fiction

Written for Sunday Photo Fiction. A story, about a shade tree mechanic with a secret, begins after the photo.

Genre: Science Fiction

Photo by: Alastair Forbes

Good Neighbor

David leaned hard on his cane as he walked walked under the shade of the apple tree. Though his left eye had gone weak, he could still admire the beauty of the beautifully refurbished ’72 Corvette Stingray. His neighbor had refurbished it beautifully, and now David watched as the dark-skinned man heaved a curious piece of orchard equipment into the car.

“‘Bout time you got rid of that piece of junk,” called David.

Javier looked up questioningly.

“I’m talking ’bout that gizmo, not the car,” David explained. “I grew up on a winery, and I don’t know what it is.”

Javier just grinned. David stood beside him as Javier applied a torque wrench. “You’re bolting it in?”

Javier’s English had always been halting, uncertain. “Make dents if move.”

David nodded. “Look, Javier. It’s pretty obvious you have poor language skills, but excellent mechanical skills.” He gestured at the ‘Vette. “That’s pretty common among aliens.”

Javier grinned uncertainly and slowly reached behind his back.

“Not that I care,” said David. “There’s plenty of illegal Mexican aliens around. You know, if you need a good immigration lawyer I can suggest one.”

Javier smiled in relief. His hand remained empty. “Jes. Thank you Mister David.”

As David drove away, he didn’t see the converted ‘Vette rise upon alien-designed counter-gravity fields from Javier’s “gizmo.” The sleek car hovered above the road and quickly accelerated to 400 mph.
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Join the fun of the weekly flash fiction writing challenge from Alastair Forbes! You can find it here: http://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/sunday-photo-fiction-april-27th-2014/