Friday, December 28, 2012

Flash Fiction Friday








Sutterfield Cottage
by Donna L Martin


When I was much younger, no more than five or six, my mom would take my baby sister and me to Sutterfield Cottage every weekend while my father worked at a second job at the factory in the next town.  A kind of get away she would tell us.  We would run to pack our jammies and off we would go in our beat up car the forty six miles to the cottage.

Sutterfield Cottage had a certain charm back in those days, with all those windows and towering chimneys the crows loved to perch on to watch us while we gathered the eggs every morning.  Then, just as we made a run for the kitchen door, they would swoop down a cawing and squawking, just hoping we would drop an egg or two...but we never did.

The last weekend we were there, though, something was different about Sutterfield Cottage.  Even my mother was different.  The crows were still there but the place seemed darker, sadder somehow and I just couldn't figure out why my younger sister, who was three at the time, refused to enter the house.  Mom dragged her kicking and crying halfway across the yard before she finally just picked her up to carry her inside the house.  That left me to grab the suitcases and that's when I saw the woman.  Was it just a shadow from the junk in the attic I saw in that top window or something else?  Funny thing, but I could have sworn it moved...



*Now it's your turn.  What happens next?  Is the shadow just an old mannequin stored in the attic?  Or has an unexpected visitor come to Sutterfied Cottage?   Join in the fun with a sentence or a paragraph.  You don't have to run with my flash fiction...if someone else comments and you want to add to their story, then go for it.  Let's see where this picture prompt takes us!***



6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Lol, Janet, calm down. My Flash Fiction Friday is purely for entertainment...people can stop by and read it, add to it, or forget about it...their choice. I just hope they stop by the next Friday to see what I come up with next...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  2. Oh wow...ummm...

    Here's a few lines to add, maybe?

    Juggling far too many things in my hands, I dismissed what I saw in favor of just making it inside with nothing lugged along the sand covered stone pathway. Going inside wasn't a problem. Staying...was. Cold hung thick in the air like a weighted mass. I dropped everything, including the dog-eared book I swore to re-read for a fourth time. That's saying something. The chill stole the breath from me. My sister's screams no longer echoed into the ceiling. I followed her wide-eyed gaze to what should have been a sun-filled corner. But...

    Okay, that's all I got lol! Thanks for letting me join in the fun.
    Happy Holidays!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Angela! I'm glad you joined in the fun...I like where you are taking things...nice job! Now I wonder if anyone else will throw in a line or two? ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  3. I walked in. There were cobwebs everywhere, even in the cleanest places. It seemed like they were there on purpose. What was going on? I heard a scream, and then two gunshots, breaking of glass and an evil cackle going far away. What happened?

    "MOM? JESSIE?" I called upstairs. I grabbed an aluminum baseball bat and slowly crept up the stairs. I heard a moan.

    "Robby... beware... Black..."

    I saw it was my mother. She had a dart in front of her heart, and Jessie had one in her back. "Black what, Mom?"

    "Mask... beware Black Mask... Stay away... from trouble and Bak..."

    "And... What? Who? Baked Beans?" But I realized it was no use. The tranquilizer dart would have her out for days.

    I knew what to do. I emptied Mom's pockets, grabbed a bag, filled it with food, water, a small pistol from the gun rack, and lots of ammo. Plus Mom's stuff. I had to do something else though. I called Dad. Jeremiah Wilson Gragorion, Private Eye. The Man with the Plan (and Magnifying Glass), his card said. I punched the number in on Mom's cell.

    "Hi Hon! I can't talk for a while right now, but I will be off my shift in... 3 minutes. How's Sutterfield this weekend?"

    "Uhhh... Dad? This is me. Robby. I have bad news. Ummm... Mom and Jessie are... ummm... uhhh..."

    "Spit it out, Rob! Now! That's an order! Wait. Not yet. Hold on. ... OK. I'm free. Now, tell me what happened, son!"

    "Uhhhh... They're... they were ummm... attacked?" I said, a bit unsure. "I would ummmm... like to have a professional with me for this. I'll meet you up at the factory, OK Dad? Got it. On my way." I hung up. Oh, by the way, I'm 17 with a driver's license, so I can drive. I got in the red'n'gray car and drove to Rayville.

    ---

    Whew! That's the first time I've written a thriller mystery! I like how it turned out though! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol, Erik, and here I thought you just killed off the mother! I like the fact you made dad a detective instead of working a second job at the factory. Nice job...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete