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

SECOND LIFE SECOND BIRTHDAY

I finally muster the energy, the grit and the emotional embrace to write about it. When life socked the daylights out of me in ways that I never imagined, I looked on the upside of it as a divine intervention and a another miracle to add to my list in this year 2024 which went down the memory highway full throttle ahead. July 7, Dear Diary is a day which left a distinct mark. A day when my father had a coronary follow up and I not only went along, but also had a check up done for myself. This was a couple of days after my visit to Sai Mandir where Sai Baba guided me to go for a cardiogram. A strong inner voice, authoritative yet kind, a heightened intuition, call it what I may, rang in a manner that couldn't be ignored. That said and done, I had a consultation with my father's doc who did my ECG and ECHO. Minutes flew by in deafening silence when he finally finished the tests and to my horror bluntly revealed that I have an ASD. A 38mm hole in my heart. I was advised to go f

NIGHTS OF THE INDIGO ROSE

The seasons have changed three times over along with the skyscapes, Dear Diary. It's already October, my favourite month of the year. From champagne colored fluffed clouds of April and the laden, dense overcast monsoon skies from June to September, I now longingly gaze at a spotless cerulean sky as I rigorously practice my physiotherapy exercises and a dedicated 30 min walk in our garden dreaming about my second home in faraway Singapore which is enveloped in the same powder blue blanket. Battling with the blazing summers of my mind, the auburning autumns of my heart and the frigid winters of my soul, I hold space for every sacred transition as a renewed me emerges slowly, steadily and yes…painfully. A metamorphosis in the true sense. Wishing upon a frosted star when the night unfolds as an indigo rose, I tether on the brink of delirious dreams, struggling to fall asleep, yet,not daring to toss and turn as my body is still relearning to balance my weight as I lean sideways with s

THE PASSENGER

I was excited for my first international trip! Finally I was deemed worthy of this assignment. But I could sense the inside gossip that I was chosen because the best candidate backed out. My resolve didn't sway, instead it swelled by notches when my boss handed me a bulky package and escorted me to his chartered flight. The pilot sneered at me and the cabin crew smirked to see a greenhorn assigned for this role. Everyone was trying their best to exclude me from a clique! But the ambience inside canceled their condescending behaviour. Leather couches, spaced out recliners…the regalia was out of this world! There was one other passenger besides me. The snooty vibes didn't stop. I was left out of all conversations. As the aircraft soared, I played out my next move, sipping on the best quality wine. The knots in my stomach started to relax. “We're about to make our descent…” a voice announced. Beads of perspiration trickled as I reached for my package. Moving swiftly, a

ONCE UPON A TEAPOT

ONCE UPON A TEAPOT The quaint streets of Olde Mageia were fringed by an assortment of shops. The Teaware Store, which was shaped like a huge teapot, stood in the center of a rose garden at the crossroads of this street. The curator, a wizened old man, had a mop of hair so white that he looked as ancient as the Earth itself. He had a twinkle in his friendly blue eyes and fine lines around it— signs of him smiling and serving everyone with joy. I stood at my usual spot looking out at the bleak weather, raindrops splattering in the rose garden, beating down hard on the window panes and blurring the scenery outside. The warmth of the fireplace did nothing to banish the gloom in my heart. My best friend who always stood beside me with her cheerful face was leaving today to her new home. One of her hands was outstretched in a perpetual friendly wave — a spout of a teapot and the other formed a curve like the handle of a teapot. But then, teapots we were,ceramic ones. Her

GOLDILOCKS AND THE BEARS

Goldilocks walked briskly in the sun-caked alley of the little known hamlet of an indigenous tribe in Arizona.Her footsteps spoke of authority and urgency. A team of armed men followed close behind her. The village folk had gathered a distance away from the Bears’ house. They parted to make way and shuffled anxiously, clenching their palms…almost pleading with the team to get them out of this ordeal. "How many people are inside?", Goldilocks' demeanor was calm but her mind was racing. "Madam, there's a family of three. The Bears. Parents and a child of five. A stranger with a menacing look is holding them hostage. Never seen him in these parts." "Okay, let me handle this", Goldilocks reassured them. She rapped on the intricately designed door. Baby Bear let out a loud cry at this sudden intrusion of noise in an environment which was already volatile. Mr.and Mrs. Bear hurriedly shushed their child, their worst fears gripping them. Baby Bear was in

Sangeetha Kamath

Search This Blog