Jez and Carlotta were, technically, in the wilderness at Pine Bungalows, Jasper, Alberta. But with a golf course overlooking Beauvert Lake opposite, gentle hikes nearby and skiing at Marmot Basin, their three-month escape was hardly 'Bear Grylls.'
Today, though, it felt like they'd been here forever.
Six weeks into their stay, Jez had fished an eldritch, piebald sculpture from the depleted Athabasca River, near Horseshoe Lake. Ever since extracting it, someone had been murdered at that exact same time every week.
The first murder transpired almost six weeks ago, at Horseshoe Lake, some half hour's drive away.
The second was closer, inside the Wabasso Campground.
By the third murder, closer still at Valley of the Five Lakes, he and Carlotta could no longer shirk their connection.
Murders four and five followed like clockwork, at the Jasper Water Treatment Works and Planetarium respectively.
Their map clearly showed the killings' nearing proximity. Someone (or something) seemed hellbent on reclaiming the statuette, heedless of consequences.
***They sat clock-watching in silence. In two hours, it would be the six-week anniversary…and another murder.
"What you gonna do?" Carlotta asked
"Dunno. Whadda yer think?" asked Jez, torn; the icon had wholly enraptured him.
"Throw it in the lake."
Brutal, hearing it aloud.
"Go now, you'll be back in an hour," she added; he sighed, resigned.
***Jez made good time, laid the statue in the reeds, even WhatsApped photos as 'proof'. But he couldn't resist, capitulated, and hid it inside the car boot.
It wouldn't hurt; another week, they'd be home.
But when he arrived back, the cabin was a bloodbath; Carlotta's sundered cadaver plastered the walls, furniture, floors, everything.
Grief-stricken, he rushed outside to the car. The boot stood open, spare tyre shredded and the statue gone. There was no seventh murder.
/end
© Jason Darrell, 2022
Image: Fil.Al, CC BY 2.0
The Brief:
Thanks for dropping by to read another of my bashes at flash fiction.
This 300-word short story was in response to Secret Attic's call for their Weekly Write competition (Week 1, 2022).
TL;DR:
- choose one from one of three lines of dialogue:
- for the above flash, mine was "Throw it in the lake.";
- use it exactly as per the prompt to create a piece of flash fiction;
- 300 words maximum;
- winning/selected pieces may be published in the subsequent Secret Attic booklet;
- unpublished works only.
On this occasion, my entry (a lesser-edited version of the above) didn't make the cut, so I'm happily sharing it here.
You can find some of my earlier more successful entries (flash and longer short stories) in Secret Attic booklets:
Buying the booklets helps the site owners/judges (I am neither) maintain it, and provide a voice for indie authors that would otherwise go unheard.
Your support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a million!
p.s.Fancy using some of my flash fiction in an anthology? Drop me a line at jasond1888 [at] gmail [dot] com to discuss. Thank you.
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