When Stranded on an Iceberg
When stranded on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean, do not squint while the sun screams at you. Remember that somewhere it is raining, that there’s a tempest swirling, a tsunami rising. Even though your clothes are wet, stand up and straighten your back. Exercise. Breathe deep. The air is what you’d expect: cold, refreshing, lonely. When stranded on an iceberg, talk to yourself. Remind yourself of who you are, of why you are, or else the disembodied voices will try to convince you otherwise. Listen to what you have to say because no-one else does. When they discover you stranded on an iceberg, you won’t be a body but a somebody. Don’t tell them where you were running from, tell them where you want to go. Look to the horizon, and don’t turn around.
Santino Prinzi is the Co-Director of National Flash Fiction Day in the UK, the Senior Editor for New Flash Fiction Review, and an Associate Editor for Vestal Review. To find out more follow him on Twitter (@tinoprinzi) or visit: https://tinoprinzi.wordpress.com