Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors challenge. My hope is that over the next six months you’ll see either an excerpt from a piece I’m working on or a nice & tidy 8-10 sentence flash fiction story (like the one below). Check out other writers at the link above and the Weekend Writing Warriors twitter #8sunday.
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She wakes to the sound of Michael’s thundering hacking cough.
He is murmuring into his phone; speaking another language. His rapid words slip past her ears like the puffs of smoke from his cigarettes.
He promised her last year he’d stop smoking. She doesn’t have the courage to ask him again.
She slips from the bed and he nods in her direction; pointing towards the kitchen. She knows he needs his coffee to start the day.
She fills his thermos, two sugars and a tablespoon of cream.
He kisses her forehead before his black wings unfurl from his shoulder blades and he heads off to work.
dc edwards 
Although this depicts an ordinary domestic scene, you’ve imbued it with dark and elusive undercurrents. Is the switching between past and present tense intentional?
I love the wings, cool and unexpected! I’m with Ed on the change in tenses though, not usually done. But overall, an interesting snippet…