A 'SLICE' OF LIFE

Prompt: In 500 words, write a story you always wanted to. No genre constraints.

Pull the rug with the last line such that it changes the entire context of your story.

*****

Plodding through the ankle deep snow in the fading light, Zoe couldn't wait to get indoors. The street leading to the colony was deserted and the neighboring houses were empty as everyone was away for the holidays.

The shadows cast by the streetlights looked unusually eerie in the icy silence. A slight ruffle in the breeze made her jump out of her skin!

As she turned her head warily, a flier fluttering on the lamppost outside the house caught her attention. Zoe ripped it off to have a closer look and her eyes widened.

Serial killer at large! Extra caution for girls especially if you're a redhead residing in and around Lyndale District.Report to the nearest police station if sighted.

A familiar face, the same one doing the rounds on primetime on this sensational news was now on fliers. These alerts pasted outside every house was definitely not good news for this neighborhood.

Redheads... that hoity-toity Brittany who always picked on meek girls all through school and made everyday life a living hell for them...The killer should get Brittany someday...!!

Meanwhile, she twirled her own locks and exhaling sharply, curbed her thoughts. It was past dinner time and she hurried along, cramming the flier into her pocket. The house was in darkness as she approached it. The cook had left long ago and as usual forgotten to leave the porch light on. She let herself in after a bout of frustration when the lock wouldn't give in at first.

The door finally budged and Zoe let herself in. The living room was bathed in an orange light spilling from the street lamps. She was ravenous by now. Having skipped lunch, upon entering the kitchen, the whiff of warm food tempted her to dig in instantly.

But first things first…

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted and she stopped in her tracks when she heard a shuffling outside the front door. Wringing her hands together, she froze even as her heart started racing. There were no other occupied houses for another few hundred meters or so…

Could it be…?!

She sensed some hesitation outside and a saw a blurred silhouette through the fancy frosted pane.

Had she inadvertantly left the door ajar?

There was no time to think...

Upstairs!

With a pounding heart, she grabbed the largest knife from the drawer and tiptoed her way up as quickly and quietly as she could. She reached the landing just as the front door opened wide. A long shadow fell across the hardwood floor.

Just as she slipped into the bedroom, Zoe could hear the footsteps at the bottom of the stairs!

Now what…!

HIDE! NOW! Her brain seemed to scream even as she slipped into a closet, her fingers clutching the serrated knife, turning white.

Anytime now!

She had to be quick when she went straight for the jugular! As Zoe clenched her free hand in her pocket, she found the flier from earlier.

It was her own mugshot that stared back at her and she could barely contain a giggle this time. Until Brittany was found, every redhead deserved a 'slice of life!'

©️ Sangeetha Kamath

Pic Courtesy: Image by R23X from Pixabay

Comments

ANAM CARA

The waves are soft and frothy. Laced with gossamer frills tenderly kissing the tips of my toes covered with the grainy sand of the rugged seashore where I'm sitting, wistful. A gust of briny breeze tousles my hair as I gaze as far as my eyes can see. A flock of terns wheel overhead, their sharp, shrill cries punctuating the air as they dive and swoop over the surfs. A lone frigate bird , its crimson belly dazzling like a jewel skims majestically above, its long, slender wings outstretched as it rides the thermals high above the ocean. I absorb the sights and sounds of the late afternoon while absentmindedly scooping seashells beside me. As the afternoon phases, the furthest rim of the ocean is fringed in a gilded hem and the sleepy sun yawns, its dipping glow streaking the sky in a mellow tangerine and warm cherry. As I continue sitting there, the ships and yachts appear --specks of light from the portholes glimmering in the distance, reminding me of the phrase “That ship has sai...

ARIEL AND BLUE-BLOOD SHOES

The waves crashed violently against the craggy mountainside and the moonlight shone on the lacy froths. As I waded through the water and stepped on the wet sand, I remembered another night which was many moons ago. The same glinting lights through the palace doorways and windows, the fireworks adorning the night sky like shooting stars and meteors. A royal celebration with all the works and the guests dressed up in their best finery and aristocratic jewelry. Of noble births they all were. Blue blooded as the matriarch had pointedly told me once. That unholy night! That night of icy hearts and howling laughter, the echoes of cackling that followed me till I ran on wobbly legs to find my place of comfort where the land met water… Hot tears streaming down, I regretted those days when I lost my heart to a man so spineless. Had I not dragged him to the shore, he would have been a mangled mass after being torn apart by the piranhas and other monstrous maws. How I regret…Oh!...

HILANG

Chapter 2 Muay, the Maddening Scamp Seasons had gone by with vibrant autumns and chilling winters. Muay Thai had now become very outgoing and social. On a full moon night, this newly transformed scamp had bounded away on some nocturnal adventure. I waited for her return for almost a week. As I searched high and low for Muay Thai, my heart raced with panic with every passing moment. On one of my search treks, I spotted something that made my blood run cold. Lying on the ground, partially hidden by the underbrush on the curbside, was Muay Thai's collar. The vibrant fuchsia leather was faded and dirty, but the delicate zircon pendant still sparkled in the sunlight and that had caught my attention. Holding it gently in my hands, I examined it for any sign of what might have happened to Muay Thai. But there was nothing - no blood, dried or otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, Muay Thai was still out there, wait...

GATOS MEUS QUERIDOS

Chapter 1 Muay The Warrior Cat Muay Thai came to be called so for the feisty and spirited little thing she was, reminiscent of the intense and energetic martial art of Muay Thai . Her bold personality inspired me to give her a name that reflected her sass and vigor. Muay Thai's antics were the stuff of legends. She was a buzz of energy, always getting into mischief and mayhem. Whether she was chasing invisible bugs, leaping over furniture like an acrobat or wrestling with toys, Muay Thai was a force to be reckoned with. Her favorite pastime was "attacking" my hands and feet, using her lightning-fast reflexes and razor-sharp teeth. It was a game she loved, and one that always left me in stitches. Despite her tough-as-nails persona, Muay Thai was also a total softie at heart. She loved nothing more than curling up in my lap and purring contentedly, her eyes gleaming with adoration before snoozing into the deepest of sl...

EILÍFUR GJÖF (ETERNAL GIFT)

It was pre-dawn and still dark. The shrill alarm jolted me from the depths of a death-like sleep even as I tried to cling on to the fading vestiges of a sweet dream. I was just within reach of seeing its mysterious ending but it was gone. Like a wisp of smoke! I tried to slowly blink away the remnants of sleep from my eyes---heavily lidded and which just refused to open even a crack at a grim time like this. The alarm was ringing incessantly. Could it be a mistake that I set it to go off so early? At this bleak hour?! Uh! Hold on, it wasn’t the alarm but a phone call for crying out loud!” At this unearthly time, when most of this side of the world was asleep, I dearly hoped that it would be from one of the two sources--Either from ** Piny Woods Primary School or ** Woody Pines Primary School . Yes, Thank God! I was right! I recognised ** Carrie’s number of **Piny Woods Primary School. Phone calls during pitch-black hours did tend to give me the chills, driving me to think ...

Sangeetha Kamath

Search This Blog