You wouldn’t know it, but this is her home, in the penthouse suite forever rented. Not her ghost, but the blond movie star in the flesh. Rumor and time had spun a fine yarn of depression and addiction into her narrative. How convenient, she thought. For she was not so much depressed as bored with the parties and camera flashes and the damn corsets. For who doesn’t want a piece of deep-dish pizza once in a while?
As for the drug addiction, she was more than thinking straight; she was foxy, a wily minx as she planned her death in the deep end of the pool where the waters reflected patio lights and the smiling faces of directors, starlets, and casting directors with roaming, lustful eyes. She didn’t need drugs.
Only one other person knew the truth. The paramedic who fished her out, rolled her out on a gurney, and into an ambulance once used in a movie she starred in. The two still met from time to time, for drinks under the stars beside the pool that took her life. She would look at him and say, “Suckers.” She looked better than ever, all curves and bright eyes. Her hair was darker, she wore what she wanted and damn, that pizza tasted good.
How do I know all of this, you ask? I’m the one who had the keys to the prop room and the extra vehicles in the studio lot.
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Postcard Stories Podcast – An Author Reading.
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6 Replies to “The Ghost of Beverly Hills”
Oh, wow! This is primo. You are the champ of so much said in so few words. More stories, please. Can’t wait.
Aw, thanks, Mary! I’ll do what I can to keep the flash fiction coming! Thanks for commenting:)
Great story! Always interesting how some of your endings can be taken more than one way.
Thank you, Michele! Sometimes I surprise myself with the ending;) Thanks for your comments!
I read this a few days ago without the picture and went, “Hummmm”.
I just read it today with the picture and when, “Oh my God, the genius of the Postcard genre”! Wonderful story. Even in the times of Covid you can still make 13 lines blow my mind!
Thanks, Michelle! Yes, I think it is much more complete when you see the visual and the story together. Thanks for commenting!
Word of the Year-2025
For my 2025 word of the year, I chose COURAGE. I know, it’s not the most original pick—but hear me out. Something about courage stuck with me this time, especially after watching a documentary on The Tragically Hip. For those unfamiliar, they’re kind of a Canadian thing. A band that
Hinterland is Real
They say seeing is believing. I didn’t know what that meant until that night. I was coming home late, later than I should, and I knew I was going to catch heck. Momma didn’t even pretend to be patient when me or my sister wasn’t home in time for dinner.
Deadly Mist
The mist crept closer, slithering across the boot prints she left behind on the soft, moist ground. She urged her legs to go faster over the uneven path. A leafless tree grabbed at the flying strands of her long silver hair as she ran past. They hung like shiny tinsel