Bird Heist? Bird Heist.
A heist in 200 words.
You duck into an alleyway, check behind you. Sirens shriek through London, but none of them are nearby enough to make you worry. It took them twelve minutes to catch on; a little less time than you were hoping for, but still enough. You set your squirming backpack down, peel off your thick hoodie, the baggy cargo pants you wore over your normal pants, chuck them into a sewer grate.
“Bit sad, innit?” says a muffled voice from inside your dollar-store backpack. You feel bad keeping Georgie in there, but you can’t afford to free him yet. Your phone chimes; Carly’s clear with three of them. No word from Jake with the other two. You step out from the alleyway, dodge a policeman doing bag checks on tourists.
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A week ago, you, Carly, and Jake took a tour of the Tower of London. A tour guide said in thick accent, “Legend has it that if the six ravens leave the Tower, then the monarchy will fall.” Fascinating.
With the conviction of Princip fixing to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand, you look into your friends’ eyes and mouth, “Bird heist.”
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Phone chimes. It’s Mom. “You see the news about King Charles?”
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This story was written for the Heist in 200 Words microfiction challenge. If you liked this story, leave a comment. If you commented this story, leave a like. If you want to give me money, leave a tip. If you definitely wouldn't cause the downfall of the British monarchy by stealing some birds from a historic site, then you and I are very different people.
About the Creator
Steven Christopher McKnight
Disillusioned twenty-something, future ghost of a drowned hobo, cryptid prowling abandoned operahouses, theatre scholar, prosewright, playwright, aiming to never work again.
Venmo me @MickTheKnight
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Original narrative & well developed characters
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Comments (4)
You certainly echoed my thoughts of the monarchy in this one! And clever use of the raven motif. This might be my favorite heist yet. 🐦⬛💜
BIRD HEIST
I like this a lot. Very well written. 🐦⬛🐦⬛🐦⬛🐦⬛🦅🦉🐦⬛🐦⬛🐦⬛🐦⬛
Lol, this was so clever! Loved your take on this challenge!