Skip to main content

The Mental Ward -- Brave or Stupid (31)


     The man froze when he saw them, and Emery gasped, throwing her arm out as if to shield Beth.  For a moment, no one moved.
     The man's eyes roved over them.  Little by little, his shoulders relaxed, and he reached up to run his fingers over his thick, white beard.  Suddenly, he started cackling.  "Hehehe!  If one of you is insane, it's the bigger one."  He shook his head at Emery, an amused twinkle in his eye.  "Hehehe!  You got guts, young lady, sneaking her out!  Half the city will be after you!  Hehehe!  But you gave them the slip, didn't you?  Hehehe!"  His shoulders bounced with each chuckle and he was clearly enjoying what he considered a good joke.  Suddenly he stopped and grew somewhat serious, placing a finger over his lips.  "Shhh, now.  There's too many people this direction."  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.  "But if you go the other way, and take the first hallway on your left, and then the second door on your right..." He pointed past them, tapping his finger against the air.  "...then you will find yourself in a back alley.  God speed!"  He dropped his hand to his side again and turned away, heading back in the direction he came.  "Hehehe!  She's a brave one. Brave or stupid...Hehehehe!"
     Emery looked at Beth, and Beth looked at Emery.  Then, as if reaching a decision in unison, they turned and ran, following the directions the old man had given them.
Labels:

Comments

  1. JessicaDecember 9, 2015 at 2:38 PM

    Ooh, what's going to happen next?! I hope they get out safely... You do well, keeping us in suspense every time. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More Snippets from Snow White Rose Red

    One of the shadows moved.   “Were you just going to chuck it in there with no thought for the poor folks on the other side?”   Flip’s voice drawled out.   It was a deep voice and it made my heart skip a beat.      He moved away from the trees and came to stand in front of me.   “Some hard-working fellow is plowing his field and then – whop!   Out of nowhere, a poisoned apple flies out and hits him upside the head.”   He clucked his tongue reproachfully.
1 comment
Read more

A Short Story Break

via Pinterest     It has been a while since I penned a short story.  Usually it takes something like a "short story contest" to inspire me.  But I have noticed my writing skills improve with each contest so there is something to be said for writing short stories.      I say all this to lead into the fact that I am going to try another short story.  There is no contest looming on the horizon, but it has been so long that I think I am due to write a short piece.  Life cannot be entirely devoted to novel-length plots...      I am rolling around different ideas in my head.  There is no one to give me the first three words or a picture to base my story on.  There are no restrictions, no props, and no judges.      Methinks I will try something that is both epic and ordinary...something I have seen before.  After all, personal experience, great things, and the expression of the...
2 comments
Read more

The Countdown: Eight Days

Eight days.  Do you know what that means?  Barely over a week.  Tomorrow will be one week from the announcement date. Are you excited? I am. So, today, I want to talk to those who wrote something for the contest, whether or not you entered it in the end. What made you start writing your story?  What was the first inkling of an idea that tickled your brain?  What was it that you liked about your premise?  As you wrote, did you have a favorite character or a favorite scene?  And are you glad you wrote it down?  Do you feel like you learned and grew in your ability as a writer as you tried out things for this contest? And, if your story isn't included in this year's Rooglewood anthology (either because you didn't submit it or because it didn't fit with the other four stories selected), what will you do with it?  Will you market it elsewhere?  Or will you lock it away in a drawer?
20 comments
Read more