Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Center: A Six Sentence Story

He attended the party begrudgingly, worn down by his work mates who were tireless in their efforts to get him back into circulation. It had been 27 weeks since she vanished, 27 weeks since he came home from work to find her morning cup of coffee still sitting on the kitchen table, cold as death, the newspaper neatly folded to the crossword puzzle, every square as blank as his stare, the very center of his being now as hollow and as empty as their bed.

The party was uptown and promised to be one of THE events of the season, if his office mates were to be believed, and as the door opened to the opulent space and the music and laughter swelled out into the hallway, enveloping him, he began to relax for the first time in 27 weeks as he felt himself drawn to the gaiety inside.

One of the men from accounting clapped him on the back and handed him a drink, the alcohol quickly spreading its warmth throughout his body and soul, and before he knew it, he was enjoying himself, laughing along with the others, savoring the smooth bourbon that never seemed to empty from his glass, even going as far as to dance with a few of the charming young women who graced the party.

The hour grew late, the crowd began to lessen, and he bid adieu to the host and hostess, thanking them for the lovely evening, content that he had finally taken the step needed to free himself from the past. He walked home with a lightness in his step and a fullness in his chest and was so caught up in the thrill of the evening that he didn't see the car careening down the street until he had already stepped off the crosswalk, catching only the gleam of familiar blue eyes before the impact.



Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge's Blog for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "center"


27 comments:

  1. What a great plot twist! Is there more?

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  2. And there it is! Killer ending, Dyanne (pun intended 🤣)
    We've missed your thriller stories of betrayal and murder and mayhem.
    Don't be such a stranger at the Six!

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    1. Ahh, thanks, sis! I'm really wanting to write more and may have carved out a time I can do it - TBD!

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  3. Beautifully set up to kill us all with your ending.

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  4. Dear me, Dyanne! As always, so much in the back story that you encourage us to explore. Super 6.

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  5. Splendid Six, Dyanne! Like your protagonist, I didn't see that ending coming.

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    1. Thank you! I didn't see it coming, either, until it did! :)

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  6. This was a great six, Dyanne! I like the genre and the ending twist was enjoyable. And as a fan of hard-boiled writing I especially enjoyed the similes in the first sentence: the coffee, cold as death", the newspaper, "as blank as his stare", and his being as "as empty as their bed". Great - and powerful - writing!

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    1. Thank you so much! Fun fact: I was picturing a NYC/early 1950s-type soiree, but I couldn't find an adequate photo on the internet to illustrate it and had to take my own. Obscured the date in case anyone noticed it said July 2021 but forgot to blur out the name of the paper! I'm sure I'm the only one it would have bothered!

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  7. awaiting the next installment....good start.

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    1. The next installment, huh? There's something to consider!

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  8. I wonder if those familiar blue eyes where his wife's.

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  9. Interesting six. You just can't trust those blue eyed folks. LOL!

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    1. Thank you! And yeah, you wouldn't catch someone with green eyes pulling that.... :D

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  10. Brilliant storytelling. I was holding my breath waiting for a twist, and no way did I expect that ending! Bravo.
    Ford

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  11. A brilliant story with an unexpected twist. You have to give us more! Well done.

    My Six!

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  12. Excellent surprise ending.
    (Like the others), I was pulled in and along by the sensitive and detail portrayal of a man abandoned by his wife. The real surprise, at least to him, would be that working from 7 to 11* and killing himself trying to meet her needs was a capital crime.

    Good to read you again.

    *from the Led Zep song

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    1. Thanks, Clark! Really trying to make an effort to write more, and what better place than the 6?

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  13. Oooh😶 Toonces the driving cat with those beautiful blue eyes... I hope there's more to come!

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