Blog – Day 4 – November 2012 / Flash Fiction Challenge: The Body

Flash Fiction Challenge: The Body.

This flash fiction story is going to help kick start me into working on my main Nano story today. Thank you to Chuck Wendig for providing this challenge off of his website www.terribleminds.com.

Sarah peers out the kitchen window into her beautifully backyard. This was her favorite place to be; the aroma of delicious backing and the view of the forest at bay behind her tall cider fence.  She couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful home. 

                “Dear you may want to come in here and watch this weather.”

                “I’ll be right there dear.”

Sarah put away the last breakfast dish, taking a step back to admire her clean and organized kitchen. Laying the damp drying cloth out precisely on the counter she made her way into the living room where Ted was watching the weather.

                Hurricane Sandy will be reaching our area this afternoon; winds up to 60 miles per hour with heavy rain. We suggest everyone take immediate flooding prevention around their house. Make sure your outside belongings are put away in a secured building. 

                “Sarah, I think I’ll take a half day at work so I can get the house prepared.”

                “Ted,” Sarah smiled down at him. “You don’t have to worry about any of that. We’ve been through storms before. I’ll make sure it’s all taken care of.” Sarah leaned over and kissed Ted on the forehead.

                “You need to get going if you’re going to make it to work on time.” 

She playfully pushes him out of the chair.  Retrieving his coat from the closet she rushes him out the door.  Standing behind the bay window in the front room she waves to Ted as he pulls out of the drive way.  As his car moves out of sight, a sigh of relieve takes over. 

                “Time to get back to work.”

Her friends always praised her house as being impeccably clean. She wished to keep it that way.  The day went on and the storm clouds quickly moved in.  Two o’clock, time for her afternoon break. The rain beat down drowning out all other noise and the wind wiping through her backyard.  Her flowers didn’t stand a chance in this weather. She had the best flower garden in the neighbor. It sat on a little hill at the back end of the yard.  It could be seen perfectly from any of the kitchen windows. Though today, she could barely see her backyard through the down pour.  Standing at the sink clean her dishes from break she could see the dirt from her flower garden washing off its little hill down onto the grass. Her heart instantly sank; the crash of the glass hitting the counter startled her. 

                “Deep breath Sarah, it will be okay.”

She quickly cleaned up the plate and put it away.  A giant gust of wind threw some of her flowers at the window violently.  Her flower garden is being ruined and there’s nothing she can do about it.  She quickly got her rain coat on; she knew she needed to get out there and make sure all her equipment was put away. Standing next to the sliding glass door to her backyard; she glanced up. Something was poking out of her flower bed.  She started moving faster; she had to get out there.  She made sure she laid a towel out by the door. She wouldn’t want to track mud anywhere in her lovely clean house.  As she stepped outside the rain jacket didn’t stop any cold water from chilling her to the bone. A gust of wind almost took her off her feet. She grabbed at the stair railing slowly making her way down onto the lawn.  Her heart was racing almost as fast as the rain was hitting her jacket. She could barely make out the corner of an old wooden box sticking out of the ground. A piece of wood had been punched out of the protruding corner.  She knew what she had to do. Hurrying to the shed behind the garden she pulled open the door. A giant gust of wind ripped the door right out of her hand and off their hinges.  Hand throbbing, there was no time to cry quickly she grabbed a hammer and long thick nails.  Turning around to leave she noticed her clean tile floor covered in mud.  She hated seeing all this filth in her clean shed.

She was furious now, stupid storm, stupid hole, and stupid dirty mud. It all just needs to go back to the way it was.  She carefully walked out of the shed grabbing a block of wood off a pile next to the now open door. Back into the pounding rain storm she charged.  Knelled down into the mud that used to be her garden only a few hours ago.  The horrible truth about her beautiful garden was being revealed by the storm. She wiped off more mud from the box revealing chains and an amulet still wrapped around the box. She was relieved that nothing had been disturbed. She peered around her through the rain and wind; no eaves dropping neighbors today. Thank goodness.  She picked up the piece of wood and placed it over the opening. 

                “Let me out SARAH!”

Fear shot straight down her spine as she fell back into a pool of mud that had built up behind her.  It wasn’t supposed to be awake. She quickly scurried back up to the box. 

                “Sarah, I know it’s you.  You have to let me go; I can’t stay in here forever. One day I will get out!”

She knew she had to shut it up; she had to secure and rebury the box.  She pushed the piece of wood back down over the hole so hard it vibrated her hand. She fumbled for her hammer and nails. As she hammered in three nails the voice was screaming at her to let it go.  With the last strike of the final nail, all went silent.   

                “Looks like I’ll have to make this garden hurricane proof.”