The Unicorn Challenge.
A magical new weekly writing opportunity from her – Jenne Gray – and me.
Visit her blog every Friday to see the photo prompt, and post your amazing story in her comments section.
Or on your own blog, and stick the link down in her comments.
The rules are:
Maximum of 250 words.
Based on photo prompt.
That’s it.
To hear me read my story, just click here:
The Party
I sit outside the little café in the square, thinking about tonight’s dinner party.
I already have nine guests, who I know will definitely be there.
I have all the food and refreshments required.
But I still feel it lacks something.
Then, watching the boy strum his guitar, I realise that a little live music is always fun.
First of all I make sure he’s alone, I don’t want to inflate the numbers too much.
Then I put money in his open case, invite him to sit, and buy him a cold drink.
He jumps at the offer of a free meal, with plentiful wine, just to play for an hour or two.
Later, he’s greatly impressed by my grand, rather isolated house with its extensive gardens and sea views.
I introduce the other guests as they appear, perhaps a bit nervous but well-scrubbed, before I lead everyone to the buffet, already prepared by the caterers.
After we eat, he plays some tunes we can all dance to.
The earlier, somewhat subdued atmosphere lightens, people drink and relax, and the evening becomes a huge success, with everyone behaving extremely well, considering.
When they leave at the end of the night, drifting off in ones and twos, he accompanies the last of them.
Well, it’s far too late to let him venture forth into a dangerous and unpredictable world.
And there is, or rather was, that one last vacancy in my ten-cell dungeon.
You scoundrel! Soothed with spirits & music, I’m drawn in. Masterfully creepy twist as usual; we should all know better! 😳😅
A scoundrel, forsooth!
I’ve been called a cad and a bounder, but this is a new high in lowness!
Jings, that’s a bit big!
You’re welcome!
You create the creepiest creeps.
I’m going to take that as a compliment, Sally!
So thank you.
Total compliment.
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I was beginning to expect the unexpected as I read, but that was more unexpected than I could have imaged! A great little tale … as expected!
… imagined!
I expected that!
Or did I imagine it?
So you expected to find my expected twist unexpected, but it was more unexpected than you expected, is that what you mean?
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oh yeah?
…seeing nothing showing too threatening or ominous in the opening sentae, we’re still experienced enough Readers to be cautious.*
Yet the narrative offers a benign and reasonable sequence. dinner party, live entertainment… maybe we were wrong, unfairly suspecting the Narrator of being… unreliable.
than bam. final sentence too later to stop
fun
*I can’t be the only who, while not reading ahead, will, as my eyes turn a sentence corner, glance ahead, for suspicious verbs or subversive adjectives
Or in this case an insidious, lurking adverb!
Curveball alert! And to so neatly leave it for the very last line. Bravo!
By now, though, I am not totally surprised. That’s fine; you have inspired me more than this image ever could. Catch me tomorrow.
Merci, mon ami!
Thanks, Nancy.
When my story inspires another story, I am beyond happy.
Grazie, mia cara amica!
Prego! Mi piacere, caro maestro.
I felt this building to its macabre end.
You know me too well, Joseph!
🙂
The hints are subtle and gradual, the odd word carefully placed that raises a ‘Hm, strange’.
But nothing that spoils, or even suggests the sinister denouement. and the deliciouly evil protagonist.
Yet after the ‘reveal’, going back to read again, I see all the hints clearly.
How words say more when we have a full context – expertly done – again!
Thanks, Jenne, I like ‘deliciously evil’!
I believe subtlety is a writer’s friend, I like to make the reader think.