Thanks to Rochelle for Friday Fictioneers!
Photo Prompt © Liz Young
Black Widow
“I think we may have misjudged the situation,” I say.
“Ya think?” Lindsey asks.
“Who knew Widow Ingstrom would go raving mad over a Halloween decoration?”
“You did. You even said this would make her go bonkers.”
“I never meant bonkers bonkers.”
Downstairs Ma tries to console the Widow. “There, there,” she says.
Widow Ingstrom wails, indiscernible words hiccupping between sobs.
The scent of baking pumpkin pie wafts upward.
“I guess we won’t get any,” Lindy says, speaking my thoughts, her stomach growling.
“I never meant to kill him,” Widow Ingstrom yells, her voice dropping off suddenly.
Silence throbs.
end
Sascha Darlington 7/11/2018
Advertisements
Can’t really blame her, can you?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t know. The author hasn’t shared with me the reasons for the murder… 😀
Thanks, Neil!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My picture of the actual event isn’t to clear, but clearly the joke went awry.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Clearly! 🙂 Thanks, Alice.
LikeLike
Hope that pumpkin pie doesn’t go to waste. It smells delicious!
LikeLiked by 3 people
lol yup. Thanks, Jilly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At least she didn’t go Sweeny Todd on her hubster…or maybe she did. Pumpkin Spice is everywhere.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Soon it will be…hopefully not for months yet. 🙂
Thanks for reading! 🙂
LikeLike
Whoops, that went a bit too far!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Unexpected consequences
Thanks, Iain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
AWK!
LikeLiked by 2 people
😀 Thanks, Anne!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The children could never have imagined that their Halloween trick would bring a confession of murder from Widow Ingstrom. I guess the actual murder was years before, and the guilt had been festering.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think you are right. Thanks, Penny.
LikeLike
The truth will out. Maybe the joke didn’t misfire so badly after all.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Not too badly since the truth has emerged.
Thanks, Sandra!
LikeLike
Seems that her own ghosts have come back to haunt her
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very true, thank you, Siobhan! 🙂
LikeLike
Dear Sascha,
Gasp! You can’t leave me there. Killed whom? Great write though. I like it.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Rochelle. This was definitely one where I struggled to get the whole story in 100 words (it was 130 at one point), although I think it turned out to be 99 with maybe too much subtlety? 🙂
LikeLike
Sometimes jokes just don’t work the way we plan them. (P.S. you’re missing an “n” in suddenly.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
darn, I wonder where it went? I’ll see if I can find it. 😉
Thanks, Alicia.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think n’s creep away when we’re not looking!
LikeLiked by 2 people
ooooooo! 🙂
n
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear… things are no longer a secret…
LikeLiked by 2 people
But at least now maybe there’ll be pumpkin pie! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
True dat… if that’s something you like… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh-oh. Now that the secret’s out, it’ll be difficult to bury it, unless she puts poison in the pumpkin pie, and feeds it to her entire neighborhood 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yikes! 🙂
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
An intriguing take on the prompt Sascha. I was a bit confused initially but the comments helped and it makes perfect sense. Except for the bit about wanting pumpkin pie 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dahlia.
Note: must bake pumpkin pie and send to Dahlia. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly what I was angling for 😉 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny in a schadenfreund way
LikeLiked by 1 person
I swear that schadenfreund is this year’s term for me. Before last year I’d never seen it…now it’s everywhere and wonderful. 🙂
Thanks, James!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear. A prank that went waaaaay bad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
IT seems the prank reminded her of something that Widow did that went horribly wrong.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes! Thank you, Fatima! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, this is intriguing. Brilliant!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Lisa. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my, you never know what secrets your neighbors hide. Nicely done.
LikeLiked by 2 people
True this! Thanks for reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the line, “I never meant bonkers bonkers.” Until I got to your last line–and loved it even more. What a dark, mysterious and dastardly lovely last line! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, Jan! 🙂
LikeLike
That ole guilty conscience will get you every time!
LikeLiked by 2 people
True enough!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: July Wrap-Up | Sascha Darlington's Microcosm Explored