Charli’s prompt for this week’s Flash Fiction challenge of ‘Juxtaposition‘ (see full explanation below) had me thinking, because it seems that a few of you would like me to carry on with Muriel’s story, which actually started out as Ken’s (evil water rat that he is). But Muriel seems to have taken centre stage.
She is not all she appears to be, most certainly not as innocent as first thought, although we don’t know why. Yet.
Continuing the story forward then (Part One, Water Rat and Part Two, Symptoms of Unrest) in line with the prompt, I hope I’ve managed it with Part Three, in 99 words, no more, no less:
Suspicious Minds
Time for a quick sail dear? Norfolk Broads
(c) Sherri Matthews 2015
A counsellor? I tell that no-good doctor that Ken wants to do me in and he sends me where? As for nose strips, well, I know where he can put those…
“Home so soon dearest?” called Ken as Muriel barged in through the front door. “Guess what, I’ve booked a boating holiday!”
Muriel winced. All he ever wanted to do was watch crap daytime TV. Until she had reminded him that she couldn’t swim.
“I thought we could watch a film together later,” grinned Ken as he appeared in the hall. “You choose: ‘The Wedding Planner’ or ‘Jaws’.”
*******
Charli’s Flash Fiction Challenge:
March 25, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) include a juxtaposition between the ordinary and natural worlds. It can be civilization and nature; an edifice and a nest or cave; a human act and a natural occurrence; acculturation and adaptation. Compare or contrast as the prompt leads you to write.
Respond by March 31, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
A View From My Summerhouse 
Oh that was good, I do not think I would like this Ken fellow. 🙂 great flash!
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Haha…thanks AJ 😀
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Love it! 😀 Great choice of movies, btw. You’re too funny.
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Thank you very much Sarah…those movies popped into my mind, as they do… 😀
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Good follow up, Sherri. I hope you’ll do a ‘Part 4’. Will there be a big splash at the end?
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Haha, well, more than likely. I’ll have to dive in and see what kind of splash I can create 😉 Thank you very much Sylvia 🙂
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You’re a delight, Sherri, and you and Muriel are quite a “team.” Ken is in over his head; at least I hope so. And I hope you do a Part 4 and show us his come-uppance. 😉
I love the picture, too, especially with the duck paddling alongside the boat.
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Haha…thank you so much Marilyn! Ken is treading on dangerous water, that’s for sure 😉 That photo was taken during our holiday on those ‘Broads’ that you and I love to talk about…we used to take little sails on it in once moored up and getting closer to the river banks and looking at all the waterfowl was a delight. And thankfully, Ken was nowhere to be seen 🙂
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Ooooo, that music from ‘Jaws’ get’s me every time! 😦
I suspect Ken is going to end up victim, Sherri. I’ll keep reading 🙂
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I can hear it too Jo, reverberating around my head constantly now 😉 Yes, Ken thinks he’s got this all figured out…thinks
Thanks so much for reading on with this, wasn’t sure about it but glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Jaws it is! Now which fish is going to sink or swim? Love this, Sherri. I know there will be a part 4, right? The climax is yet to come. 😀 😀 😀
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Haha…definitely 😀 Ken is a bad fish for sure…but what about Muriel? I wonder what she has up her sleeve? Thanks so much for reading on Tess 😀 😉 😛
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Ken sounds too obvious now. Methinks you have something good up your sleeve.
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Hmmm…. 😉
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I hope Muriel pushes Ken overboard! Great job, Sherri! I sure hope there is a Part 4. xoxo
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Haha, yes, things are not as they might seem 😉 I’m gad you are enjoying the series Jill, thanks so much for sticking with it, the end to come 🙂 xoxo
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Muriel better starts some secret swimming and karate lessons 😉
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Haha…love it! Muriel definitely needs to be prepared, thanks so much for reading along side her (and me) 😉 😀
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Ok, Sherri. We are all waiting for her to give him his due. This has to end well. Does she do the cooking? Maybe a little something before the boat ride? Do they make an invisible floatation device? I want him to get his. The Rat! I’d take him to Jaws and plot his demise. Darn, can you tell I’m a bit bitter? 🙂
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Oh Marlene, you’ve made me laugh out loud, love it 😀 Haha…yes, well, there are devious deeds afoot, that’s for sure. Let’s see which plot wins through and if Ken does indeed get his come uppance. I love delving into all the possibilities, thanks so much for reading on 😀
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Always happy to make someone laugh.:)
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🙂
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Pingback: Space in Between « Carrot Ranch Communications
Oh! This is taking an interesting development. The characters have some sinister depth. 🙂
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I wasn’t sure if I captured the true sense of ‘juxtaposition’, but thought I would try and carry it on to one more in conclusion and then keep in with your new prompt for this month. Thanks so much for fitting this in to the compilation, I hoped you would see the pingback even though I hadn’t posted over at your pad. Been having some problems lately with notification bar and such…will head over to you and catch up now… 🙂
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BRILL! xxx
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Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks MP 🙂 xxxx
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Ooo, the plot thickens …
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Indeed 😉
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Am I the only one to feel sorry for Ken? I sense he’s being set up and doesn’t realise the real evil lies in Muriel’s breast. I don’t trust the narrator either; I think she is deliberately making Ken out to be evil when his motives are of the highest virtue… Or have I got that wrong?
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Ah, I should have expected this, you’ve got lawyer’s blood flowing through your veins Geoff…although I wouldn’t say that Ken’s motives are virtuous. Maybe he and Muriel and are as bad as one another…maybe 😉
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You can take the boy out of the law, eh? The joy is, of course, we are utterly in Ms Mills hands as to what we might discover next. This is a sort of Gone Girl in Flash, I am suspecting…
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Precisely! And yes, let’s see what the deligthful Ms Mills brings us next. Haha…how about Gone Girl In A Flash?
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Love that you’re continuing on with parts of the story this way, Sherri! The mention of ‘Jaws’ in relation to a boating holiday made me laugh bwahahah! 🙂
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Haha…had to be Jaws didn’t it? Got the theme song reverberating around my skull constantly now. Thanks so much for reading on with this Christy 🙂
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Muriel’s knows Ken’s game. She can have fun now or get very very scared or as Geoff says turn out to be the evil one. Oh a lot of fun and suspense and mystery. A great flash Sherri. Glad you are continuing it.
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She sure does! Now the game is afoot, let’s see who comes out tops…if anyone 😉 So glad you are enjoying the story so far Irene, I’m thrilled you feel the suspense and also the fun…makes my day that, thank you!!! 🙂
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Have a great weekend ❤ 🙂
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You too my friend ❤ 🙂
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Thanks Irene, you too 🙂 ❤
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This one brought a great big belly chuckle! Thanks!
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So glad to know that, thank you very much Roger 🙂
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This little story is coming along very nicely and I can foretell a huge twist coming up somewhere.
I’ve not see “The Wedding Planner” but “Jaws” is a god choice from Ken. I thought he might have suggested “Titanic” or “A Night To Remember”, just as backups. 🙂
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Haha…thanks so much for reading on Hugh, so glad you are enjoying it I just hope I can come up with a satisfactory conclusion to tie in with next week’s prompt…and funnily enough, I did think of the Titanic, especially after our recent conversation about it, but the music of ‘Jaws’ just wouldn’t leave me alone… daaa da daaa da da da da……
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I know what you mean, Sherri. I had nightmares for weeks after seeing that film for the first time, and have not ventured in to the sea since. I’m just like Muriel and can not swim. I just seem to sink all the time and have no arm/leg coordination whatsoever. I’ve been every swimming teachers nightmare.
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Oh Hugh, I don’t blame you! I can swim, but only for short distances. I would be useless in a crisis in the water. My Granny didn’t learn to swim until her 70s…but she never drove a car and cycled everywhere, through the streets of Chichester on her trike!
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Loving this latest story and how it leaves so much to the imagination. wondering where it shall go from here. Somehow Jaws and murderous husbands go perfectly together, at least in my experience! 😉 xoxo
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Haha…yes, funny how Jaws came to mind 😉 Loving that you are enjoying this my friend, thanks so much for keeping with it 🙂 xoxo
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From a psychiatric angle, I’d say that Ken is either playing on Muriel’s paranoia, or he’s quite oblivious to it and just has a wicked sense of humour which is inadvertently exacerbating her mental state.
See how you’ve got us all debating what’s happening here, Sherri. As a skilful storyteller, you have your readers like putty in your hands. Well done. xxxx
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Ahh…you are too kind my friend, but thank you so much, high praise iindeed 🙂 I love your psychiatric angle! You’ve certainly given this story a different edge. I’m wondering myself now! Hmmmm… xxxx
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What next?? Will she choose “Jaws,” will she accept going on the boating adventure, or deftly turn him down? Then again, perhaps Ken only wants to teach her how to swim…?
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Ahh…all very valid questions and so many to be answered. Meanwhile, I wonder if Ken is still having those dreams? I will have to ask him… 😉
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Oops, nearly missed this one! This is getting interesting now. Please keep it going. I want Ken to have his come uppance!
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Haha…thanks Jenny, glad you found it and still enjoying it. Let’s see what happens 😉
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Oooh! She’s onto him. What’s going to happen? Will she go on the boating holiday? Will she have her own plan sorted first? The plot thickens. Please, do go on . . .
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Muriel definitely has her own plan…but what is it? I’ll have to check, ha 😉 Thanks Norah, so glad you are enjoying the story so far… 🙂
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Looking forward to the next installment. Will the world turn brown for her with Charli’s next prompt? I haven’t figured out mine yet! 🙂
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Haha!! Yes, I’ll be thinking about that all weekend! Looking forward to reading yours too Norah 🙂
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Haha, love this, has the potential to be a very wickedly humorous story Sherri!
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Thanks Andrea! Haha…yes, it’s wonderful to have a little fun with fiction isn’t it? Let’s me run riot, but hopefully believably so!
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Sherri yet another good one. Im betting Muriel will be hard to kill off.
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Thanks Kath! Yes…Muriel won’t go quietly, if at all 😉
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Love it Sherri.
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🙂
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Hi mon amie… ❤
I really like the 3 installments – the subtle humor in the two movie options was fun – also in this one you really nailed the distance this couple has between them – planning the boating while she does not swim – of course that makes sense with the ploy – but also just shows the lack of sync between a couple that likely should have parted ways long ago. looking forward to the next installment…..
🙂
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Oh, thanking you greatly mon amie, love your comments! I often think ‘if only I had more than 99 words’ but then that is half the fun 😀 I love how you pick out even the smallest details. You amaze me, you really do! Got to get the next installment out later today…bring it to a conclusion 🙂 ❤ ⭐
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conclusion? Just keep it going… well ok, there are other restores to unfold – and you are right – the 99 words is part of the magic here…. especially for me – I am not a fiction reader – and while I know I am missing out – (and I might check it out more later in life) well short pieces like this are like bites of rich cuisine in a layered Hors D’Oeuvre
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Ahh…thanks mon amie. I’ve decided to conclude this as I want to write other stories, but I might continue it off-blog. You’ll see the grand finale in the post just up. Ooooh…I like your analogy with layered Hors D’Oeuvre 🙂 And I’ll be over to you shortly…and reply to your email too 🙂 xoxox
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well come over later (or tomorrow) because I am getting ready to do a walk with jo – and I am just thinking of the stroll – so drop by later (k?) – and I will put on the kettle if you bring the yummy snacks… 🙂
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I will come by tomorrow for sure…so yes, get the kettle on and I’ll bring coolies and flies, freshly baked just for you mon amie 🙂 ❤
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🙂 – mmmm
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Those two should just get seperate bedrooms, or maybe a divorce. Wonder who is going to kill who?
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Haha…yes, that would seem the simplest and least painful solution wouldn’t it? But plots are forming…so let’s see what happens 🙂 Thanks for reading along Marie!
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Pingback: Desert Storm: 99 Word Flash Fiction | A View From My Summerhouse
Ugh! Ken is so creepy.
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Yes he is…and now you know how he ended up!!!
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The story has advanced here nicely, giving us some of the narration. Can’t wait to read the Desert Storm 🙂
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Thank you my friend, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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