[Write the Story] A Good Reason to Be Afraid of the Dark

Prompt: A Good Reason to Be Afraid of the Dark

Words: killer whale, depraved, janitor, bargain, dye, fool, heap, kick, praise, quilt

Story

“You look like crap, Anna, how much sleep have you gotten?”

“Ten hours. I’m fine, Jerry,” she poured coffee on top of a heap of sugar.

“Over how many days?”

“Three? Four?” She took a pull, hoping for a kick start to something like energy. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not. What’s going on with you?”

Anna shivered “I don’t know, but I can’t close my eyes. Every time I lay down, I see…him. I know I’m a fool for letting him still get to me. He’s goen. Justice was served. But…”

“But you think you somehow got the wrong end of the bargain?” Jerry led to a couch and draped a tie-dye quilt over her. “you were so brave during the trial. You did everything in your power to make sure he never hurts anyone again.”

“Then why do I still see him?” She like the praise but she was too tired to believe it. “Why can’t I turn off the lights? Whenever it gets dark, I can hear the song. His song. Over and over.”

“Like this?”

Suddenly Jerry morphed into a killer whale in a janitor’s coveralls. He let out a depraved whale song that sent terror streaking through her nerve endings. She clawed her way back to consciousness.

Maybe tomorrow would be different.

Word Count: 215

Written: 2/27/2020

Tags: dark, dream, fiction, flash fiction, Piccadilly, whales, Write the Story