© Yarnspinner
Mornings were lovely here. Jim sighed as he took his cup of coffee and book to the table in his garden. He could finally afford the peace and quiet a lifetime of working had denied him.
His wife had passed away and the children all had lives of their own. He tolerated the occasional holiday or summer visit, but found he preferred his own company.
“Hey there, neighbor. Welcome. Great garden. Mind if I have a look? Thanks.”
“Who the hell…?” Jim rose to his feet and found his right hand being vigorously shaken by a paunchy, balding man in baggy shorts and a garish Hawaiian shirt.
“Bill’s the name. Glad to see a new neighbor. Sure that we’ll be best friends. What kind of garden you got? How about a cup of coffee? Cream and sugar if you’ve got it.
Jim got coffee, the sugar, the cream, and added an abundant portion of strychnine, not enough to kill the pest, but enough to make him think twice about coming over for refreshments again.
This was written for the FFfAW Challenge of the Week of May 9. The idea is to use the photo prompt above to create a piece of flash fiction between 100 and 175 words long, with 150 being the ideal. My word count is 174.
To read more stories based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com.
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You do have a thing for bugs 🐜! Creepy things that need taken out.
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In this case, the pest was human.
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The pesticide is a master stroke. The convulsions will ensure that he does not bothers you in future.
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Exactly.
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This made me smile.
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Thanks, Michael.
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Does it make me a bad person that I sympathise with Jim and am not judging him at all for his actions?
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Not at all (well, maybe a little). In real life, poisoning a person is bad, but the desire for a little peace and quiet and not abnormal, especially since Bill is so annoying.
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Your acceptance fills me with glee! 😀
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Hahahahahahaha! I actually laughed out loud. LOL! That will teach him not to come over and interrupt his peace and quiet! Hahahahaha! Great story!
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The only thing I’m worried about is him accidentally overdosing strychnine! Otherwise though – the neighbour got his just desserts.
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I implied that Bill survived the experience.
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I saw! That’s why I said accidentally. But I’m glad Bill actually did survive the experience 😀
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Fortunately, not all problems have to be solved with murder, Chris.
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I can understand his actions, I might even forgive him going further and making sure he isn’t disturbed again!
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To some, privacy is very precious.
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Hahahahaha!!
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Bill’s not laughing right now. 😉
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But I am not able to stop chuckling! 😁
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Thanks, Jaya.
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