| General Flash Fiction posted May 18, 2020 |
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a short story
How to Overcome
by playinaround
The door slammed, echoing down the long hall. Eric was startled. He immediately looked at the time, it was 11:11pm. He made his way upstairs. It had to be in the green room, where Anna, his wife, works on her self-help series. The door was shut tight, which gave him an erie feeling. He swallowed hard as he crept closer. Anna was away visiting a friend, so Eric was bewildered. He called out, “Anna,, are you home honey?” Stone silence. Anna was usually working on her books. She is a psychiatrist, but prefers to write and has no clients. His safety bubble shattered in the silence. He sighed and under his breath he muttered, “Okay Eric, don’t be a wuss!” “That noise could have come from somewhere else”. He stood there a few minutes more rationalizing away that noise. He finally was convinced that it was nothing to worry about. It may have come from the neighbors house. He went back to bed and dozed off again into dreamland. He did indeed dream…. He was in the back of a long black limoisine when suddenly he saw blinding lights shining directly ahead. He quickly sat up in bed, sweating, feeling like he was really in peril. He breathed in as he realized that it was only a dream. He became a little angry thinking that he would never again allow Anna to leave overnight. He stayed up the remainder of the night waiting for the sun to rise. It did, and he instantly felt better. With a big sigh and stretch, he finally felt that last nights ordeal was officially over. Anna will be a sight for sore eyes when she arrives home he thought.
Eric decided to drive his old truck into town to get some wood and supplies to do some repairs on the house. He went into the local hardware store. He got a glimpse of someone familiar, yes, it was Joan, her friend…. Joan was the friend that Anna was supposed to be with. More confusion. He walked up to her and asked, “where’s Anna?” Joan look as confused as he was when she told him that they didn’t have plans to get together yesterday, much less stay over. Joan immediately became worried as she looked at Erics furrowed brow. Joan then told Eric that she was in a hurry to get home as it was her daughters birthday. She asked him to phone her as soon as he knew more and off she went, leaving Eric fraught with worry.
He went back to the house without getting the supplies.. He thought that the first thing he could do was to call her and find out what in heavens name was going on… He dialed the number feeling a little anxious. Eric was used to routines and things out of his control really uproot him. He sat down in the flowered wingback chair and dialed her. It rang for, it seemed like forever and then just as he was about to hang up he heard someone speaking, “Who is this please”. It was a man’s voice and immediately Eric felt intense jealousy, until the man said who he was. “I’m sargent Jim Bailey, I found this phone on the highway”. “You see sir, last night there was a horrible accident on the interstate. A woman was found in a car that crashed into the median by the offramp. Tears fell as he asked who the driver was. The sargent said, “Well sir, according to the licenwe found, her name is Anna Presser”. “I’m so sorry to inform you that she expired at a little after ll:00 last night”. In shock, Eric hung up the phone and fell to his knees.
In the next few days, people who knew her brought food to the house and their deepest sympathy. Eric couldn’t eat a bite so he threw the food away as it came.. Dishes and all.
About a week later Eric mustered the courage to go into her office. With anguish, he slowly walked in and sat down by her desk. There he saw a paper with a handwritten note. He recognized her writing immediately. Eric bravely grabbed the paper and read her note. “Dearest Eric,
I am weak. I can tell people how to solve difficult problems and how to triumph in spite, I am broken and scared, not the woman I used to be. Forgive me my love. I only hope that my books will help others… etc…
Eric sat there, with his head in his hands, at the desk for two hours just thinking. Memories flooded his troubled mind. He could still smell her perfume. How could she do this to us, he thought. His grief took a turn to anger as he sat there thinking of the woman who was supposed to be his companion for life. He took a deep breath and scooted the chair close to the desk and started typing. He thought, angerly.. ‘Yes she will have her legacy to help others but it will come from my book. The book was titled “Overcoming Loss and Betrayal” the tragedy of suicide…’.
Somehow Eric just knew he found the way out of insanity.
The Door Slammed writing prompt entry
The door slammed, echoing down the long hall. Eric was startled. He immediately looked at the time, it was 11:11pm. He made his way upstairs. It had to be in the green room, where Anna, his wife, works on her self-help series. The door was shut tight, which gave him an erie feeling. He swallowed hard as he crept closer. Anna was away visiting a friend, so Eric was bewildered. He called out, “Anna,, are you home honey?” Stone silence. Anna was usually working on her books. She is a psychiatrist, but prefers to write and has no clients. His safety bubble shattered in the silence. He sighed and under his breath he muttered, “Okay Eric, don’t be a wuss!” “That noise could have come from somewhere else”. He stood there a few minutes more rationalizing away that noise. He finally was convinced that it was nothing to worry about. It may have come from the neighbors house. He went back to bed and dozed off again into dreamland. He did indeed dream…. He was in the back of a long black limoisine when suddenly he saw blinding lights shining directly ahead. He quickly sat up in bed, sweating, feeling like he was really in peril. He breathed in as he realized that it was only a dream. He became a little angry thinking that he would never again allow Anna to leave overnight. He stayed up the remainder of the night waiting for the sun to rise. It did, and he instantly felt better. With a big sigh and stretch, he finally felt that last nights ordeal was officially over. Anna will be a sight for sore eyes when she arrives home he thought.
Eric decided to drive his old truck into town to get some wood and supplies to do some repairs on the house. He went into the local hardware store. He got a glimpse of someone familiar, yes, it was Joan, her friend…. Joan was the friend that Anna was supposed to be with. More confusion. He walked up to her and asked, “where’s Anna?” Joan look as confused as he was when she told him that they didn’t have plans to get together yesterday, much less stay over. Joan immediately became worried as she looked at Erics furrowed brow. Joan then told Eric that she was in a hurry to get home as it was her daughters birthday. She asked him to phone her as soon as he knew more and off she went, leaving Eric fraught with worry.
He went back to the house without getting the supplies.. He thought that the first thing he could do was to call her and find out what in heavens name was going on… He dialed the number feeling a little anxious. Eric was used to routines and things out of his control really uproot him. He sat down in the flowered wingback chair and dialed her. It rang for, it seemed like forever and then just as he was about to hang up he heard someone speaking, “Who is this please”. It was a man’s voice and immediately Eric felt intense jealousy, until the man said who he was. “I’m sargent Jim Bailey, I found this phone on the highway”. “You see sir, last night there was a horrible accident on the interstate. A woman was found in a car that crashed into the median by the offramp. Tears fell as he asked who the driver was. The sargent said, “Well sir, according to the licenwe found, her name is Anna Presser”. “I’m so sorry to inform you that she expired at a little after ll:00 last night”. In shock, Eric hung up the phone and fell to his knees.
In the next few days, people who knew her brought food to the house and their deepest sympathy. Eric couldn’t eat a bite so he threw the food away as it came.. Dishes and all.
About a week later Eric mustered the courage to go into her office. With anguish, he slowly walked in and sat down by her desk. There he saw a paper with a handwritten note. He recognized her writing immediately. Eric bravely grabbed the paper and read her note. “Dearest Eric,
I am weak. I can tell people how to solve difficult problems and how to triumph in spite, I am broken and scared, not the woman I used to be. Forgive me my love. I only hope that my books will help others… etc…
Eric sat there, with his head in his hands, at the desk for two hours just thinking. Memories flooded his troubled mind. He could still smell her perfume. How could she do this to us, he thought. His grief took a turn to anger as he sat there thinking of the woman who was supposed to be his companion for life. He took a deep breath and scooted the chair close to the desk and started typing. He thought, angerly.. ‘Yes she will have her legacy to help others but it will come from my book. The book was titled “Overcoming Loss and Betrayal” the tragedy of suicide…’.
Somehow Eric just knew he found the way out of insanity.
Eric decided to drive his old truck into town to get some wood and supplies to do some repairs on the house. He went into the local hardware store. He got a glimpse of someone familiar, yes, it was Joan, her friend…. Joan was the friend that Anna was supposed to be with. More confusion. He walked up to her and asked, “where’s Anna?” Joan look as confused as he was when she told him that they didn’t have plans to get together yesterday, much less stay over. Joan immediately became worried as she looked at Erics furrowed brow. Joan then told Eric that she was in a hurry to get home as it was her daughters birthday. She asked him to phone her as soon as he knew more and off she went, leaving Eric fraught with worry.
He went back to the house without getting the supplies.. He thought that the first thing he could do was to call her and find out what in heavens name was going on… He dialed the number feeling a little anxious. Eric was used to routines and things out of his control really uproot him. He sat down in the flowered wingback chair and dialed her. It rang for, it seemed like forever and then just as he was about to hang up he heard someone speaking, “Who is this please”. It was a man’s voice and immediately Eric felt intense jealousy, until the man said who he was. “I’m sargent Jim Bailey, I found this phone on the highway”. “You see sir, last night there was a horrible accident on the interstate. A woman was found in a car that crashed into the median by the offramp. Tears fell as he asked who the driver was. The sargent said, “Well sir, according to the licenwe found, her name is Anna Presser”. “I’m so sorry to inform you that she expired at a little after ll:00 last night”. In shock, Eric hung up the phone and fell to his knees.
In the next few days, people who knew her brought food to the house and their deepest sympathy. Eric couldn’t eat a bite so he threw the food away as it came.. Dishes and all.
About a week later Eric mustered the courage to go into her office. With anguish, he slowly walked in and sat down by her desk. There he saw a paper with a handwritten note. He recognized her writing immediately. Eric bravely grabbed the paper and read her note. “Dearest Eric,
I am weak. I can tell people how to solve difficult problems and how to triumph in spite, I am broken and scared, not the woman I used to be. Forgive me my love. I only hope that my books will help others… etc…
Eric sat there, with his head in his hands, at the desk for two hours just thinking. Memories flooded his troubled mind. He could still smell her perfume. How could she do this to us, he thought. His grief took a turn to anger as he sat there thinking of the woman who was supposed to be his companion for life. He took a deep breath and scooted the chair close to the desk and started typing. He thought, angerly.. ‘Yes she will have her legacy to help others but it will come from my book. The book was titled “Overcoming Loss and Betrayal” the tragedy of suicide…’.
Somehow Eric just knew he found the way out of insanity.
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Writing Prompt Write a story that starts with this sentence: The door slammed, echoing down the long hall. Don't add to the sentence. The catch is this must be flash fiction. So the story should be between 100 and 1,000 words. |
I mostly write poetry, so this is a challenge for me... not my forte but fun to do...
Pays
one point
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