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| Category: | General Fiction |
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Posted: | June 8, 2018 Views: 56 |
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It was the hottest night in a decade.
"Skinny dipping (498 words)"
by DALLAS01
The hot sticky air clung to the man's tattered jeans and worn out tee hanging limp on the clothesline. The absent breeze that refused to speed up the drying time, and help fade the crimson stains plagiarized the lack of animation that cleaved to his last grizzly dance.
Mattie swung back and forth on the rickety porch swing. Blind to the police activity in the yard, she continued to fan herself with the faded Japanese fan, staring into the murky distance.
"Hey Mattie," Jim Harvey, the oldest of the two officers called out as they approached her.
"I'll handle this, Jerry. You just bag up the evidence and wait In the car."
'You sure you don't need some help?" Jerry stared at her wide-eyed. " She's naked as a Jay-bird, boss. Look at her, she's out in the zone somewhere"
Irritated, Jim waved him off. "I've got it handled. Now, do what I told you."
Jim mounted the steps, careful not to lean on the shaky banister. He removed his shirt and draped it across her bony shoulders as he slowly eased his 230 lb frame onto the swing, next to Mattie Henderson, Plumb valley's former librarian.
"Hotter than hell, huh, Mattie?" He wasn't sure she recognized him. The Alzheimer's had progressed more rapidly than in his mother's case. A shock wave made him shudder. Was this what was in store for his mom?
" Yep, by God, hotter than hell." Mattie turned to Jim and swatted at a fly crawling up his knee. "Last night was the hottest night in a decade."
Wow, Jim thought, a moment of clarity. Got to pursue this right now. Might be gone by the time we get her down to the station.
"So, tell me what happened last night, Mattie. Why don't you have any clothes on?"
"Didn't you hear me, son? I told you it was the hottest night of the decade, can't you remember anything?" She yawned and stretched, causing the shirt to slide onto the porch floor.
Jim picked it up and replaced it. "Sorry, go on."
Mattie perked up. "Well, I went skinny-dipp'n down there in the creek, That's what I did."
"Who else was down there?"
"No one at first." Mattie shuddered as if a cold wind just cut through her. Her rheumy blue eyes filled with fear. " I was just swimm'n and sing'n," she repeated, " I was just swimm'n and sing'n."
She jumped off the swing, stood transfixed facing the creek, and wrapped the shirt around her bottom torso.
"Then he came at me with a God-dam knife."
"Who, Mattie?
"You know who. The bum on the creek bank. You know who. The..." Jim interrupted her.
"Okay, Mattie. What happened next."
Mattie's body relaxed. The fear melting into the heat. She sauntered over to the swing, sat back down, and fixed Jim with that blank gaze. "Do I know you.? It was hotter than hell last night, hottest night in a decade."
Flash Fiction Writing Contest contest entry
Author Notes
Thanks to alaskapat for the artwork.
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© Copyright 2016.
DALLAS01
All rights reserved.
DALLAS01
has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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