The Silent Participant – Flash Fiction Story
You’ll never notice me.
Why?
Because I keep to myself. Eyes always lowered, back stiff and straight, hands clasped in the prayer posture. It’s my way of saying – I’m unconcerned by your presence. My world is me, and I like it that way.
But do you notice that I’m extra still, not a twitch nor a quiver, not even an over-exaggerated sigh, or a shift of my finger.
Again why?
The lesser the movement, the more the quiet, the much better I can listen.
Yes, listen.
That’s what I do. And you presume that I’m some sad, boring stranger.
I feed off your words and keep them in a vault. My mind is a cash register, but money isn’t its concern. The value of your conversation makes me richer, exciting the urge to know more and sink deeper and deeper.
But it’s not my dirty job. It’s yours.
You provide me with whatever you want to. And I’m happy and satisfied, giving you your space to chatter on and on. Would you be so free with your words if you knew I was eavesdropping on you?
Yes, you heard it right. Eavesdrop.
To me it’s not something new. I’ve been doing it since I was two. You wonder how. Even my parents would have never guessed that.
There’s something so fulfilling in listening in. It’s unmarked territory, a half-baked mystery, and the surprises never cease to amaze me.
Dirty jokes, risky rumors, family secrets, useless humor. Her daughter, his mother, the pervert professor, and sexy gardeners.
Never knew freshly mowed lawns could be so risqué.
I relax every muscle, open my ears, and expand my range of hearing.
It’s possible.
Haven’t you ever zoned out? Drowning out the irrelevant, solely focusing on distinct voices. They come to you like well-trained pets.
So, what do I stand to gain? Not too much.
A pound of glee, several ounces of gratification.
And a shiny badge of ‘Silent Participant’ in someone else’s private discussion.
The old man’s funeral should have brought closure. But his son will never forget the dying man’s last words – No Mercy To Be Shown.
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Terveen Gill is a versatile author and writer who has had the pleasure of growing up on two different continents. Having spent her childhood years in the United States, she returned to India, and has since been living in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India. Choosing engineering as her path, she obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. However, paths are discovered only to be changed. Life's unpredictable tale made her realize her passion for writing, and thus began a journey that is transforming into a wonderful literary experience. The author of graphic novels and short stories, versatility is her secret weapon. From a storyteller to a film-maker, script-writing, film direction and film editing are pursuits that challenge and enhance her creativity. Her motto is, ‘If it can be imagined, it is already half-done’.
41 Comments
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Lol, I love how you made ‘eavesdropping,’ the best thing in the world to do. Fantastic narration, now I shall not succumb to that guilty pleasure!
Thanks so much my dear friend for highlighting the scholarship – you are a gem. Will keep in touch my email – shobana
It is a sinful pleasure. Not doing much harm I guess. 🙂
And thank you for all your support. It was my pleasure. Hope the word spreads. Yes, will be in touch. 🙂
Fun stuff! I love eavesdropping because no one ever notices. This made me think of the janitor from The Breakfast Club while I was reading it.
Thank you so much, Tony! It’s really quite fulfilling. Yeah, a few characters do come to mind. Not many can resist the irresistible charm of eavesdropping. 🙂
This is hilarious Terveen 😀 A good read
Thank you so much, Vignesh! 🙂
Welcome 🙂
I suspect all of us have been surprised at some point by how risqué newly mown lawns are!
Good work, Terveen 🙂
Haha! Thank you so much, Nick! 🙂
I like this very much and understand it fully: I wrote a poem decades ago on the same topic, it’s in one of my books.It’s about time it got an airing; thanks to you, it will 🙂
Thank you so much, John! You must share it. 🙂
just put the poem up, Terveen: hope you like it —
Thanks John. Will check it out. 🙂
This one got me. -a sad, boring stranger.
It’s so morose…isn’t it? Thanks Bharath! 🙂
Aaand I’m anonymous. 😅
I don’t know why this happens. It’s terrible. Will look into it. Thanks for adding this comment, Bharath. 🙂
Probably because I didn’t add my email before posting the comment. There’s nothing to look into. 🙂
If you’re logged into your WordPress account then you shouldn’t have to.
I was, that’s why the second comment showed my name.
‘There’s something so fulfilling in listening in. It’s unmarked territory, a half-baked mystery, and the surprises never cease to amaze me’
Yes…..
That special vibe. Thanks Don. 🙂
I related to that very much…..
I always wondered where those shiny badges came from 😄 This was a darkly humorous little tale!
Haha! Now that’s a dark secret. Thank you so much! 🙂
i do nothing but eavesdrop when out writing, it’s so wrong…yet so right lol
Haha! It’s something you can’t resist. The voices just filter in. 🙂
yep!
Looks like someone’s been reading a page out of my diary, only I don’t have to pretend to pray to go unnoticed. Once you reach a certain age, you gain a new superpower: invisibility. It’s tough for some, but works for me just fine as I am a collector of stories.
I’m going to state the obvious by saying “Wonderful job” but you already know this, and judging by your comment section, more people than I have told you this.
Keep fighting the good fight, and writing the good write!
Thanks a lot, Rhyan!
Your words and support mean a lot.
And age has nothing to do with it. I like blending into the background myself. It’s great for feeding that creative vibe. Keep to yourself (much wisdom in this) and see and hear all, and flavor up some smoking stories.
What else does a person need? 🙂
A fantastic story, as always, Terveen. Something we’ve all done, yet I love the way you write about the eavesdropper standing in their reality of doing so without shame, etc. Excellent. 😊
Thanks a lot, Jeff! There’s no shame or blame when the words come to you. Ears are meant to hear. 🙂
Indeed! You’re most welcome. Always. 😊
[…] seems quiet and distant. That’s because he’s trying to listen. The Silent Participant hears all that you […]
I am trying to learn Flash Fiction. This is a delightful post. ♥️
Thank you so much, Tamara! Keep at it. Good luck. 🙂
I could really relate to this story – at school, I’d get ignored by the students a lot, sometimes it felt like I was invisible. It would hurt to be alone so much but I found quiet ways to pass the time – when I wasn’t reading or writing, I was listening. Sometimes being invisible came in handy because it allowed me to closely observe my classmates without anyone really noticing. I’d observe as they talked and played, take in all of the relationship drama, and just generally be still and learn from what I saw. I’d then base characters in some of my stories on the interesting people I listened to or the interesting parts of human nature I observed. Sometimes I wasn’t so discrete and would create fun ‘parody stories’ for everyone to read. People at school like those ones because they’re often comedic and true to form – I once wrote a fantasy book with everyone in the class as mystical creatures, I later did a superhero story with all of my classmates as superheroes and the teachers as supervillains. I see it as making a positive, fun project out of a rather sad reality I have to live through. Anyway, long story short, this tale reminded me of that. Also, I really liked the cash register metaphor 😊
Wow! I’m so glad you took such a positive approach and converted your loneliness into something creative. Stories are you and me and the world around us. Blessed are those who can put down in words their thoughts and feelings with a twist of active imagination. It’s important to always gain from every situation, no matter how grim.
I’m sure you must have written wonderful stories which were fun to read.
Just keep moving forward with positive thinking and determination. There’s nothing you can’t achieve once you set your mind to it.
And keep those ears and eyes open. There are so many stories unfolding. Thank you so much dearest Simone! 🙂
Nice
Thank you. 🙂
Your welcome