Trifecta challenge is to use the following word.
PEDANTIC (adjective)
1 : of, relating to, or being a pedant(see pedant)
2 : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned
3 : unimaginative, pedestrian
Using between 33 and 333 words
Copyright Björn Rudberg
The cumulunimbus castles were growing at the horizon, and the air was becoming heavy to breathe. This storm would hit the coast before nightfall, but still the sun was blazing from an azure sky, and the sea had that perfect turquoise colour you normally only found on postcards.
Darla walked barefoot down to the boathouse, the timing perfect, as the coming rain would obliterate all traces. Her short blond hair was sun bleached like it was the day she met Chris, and she wore the same cotton dress in remembrance of their first sun-drenched kiss.
To her family she had always appeared a pedantic bore, working as a county librarian half heartedly engaged in a dwindling project on marine ichthyology, But Chris’ love had transformed her to a sparkling beauty and after a courtship that was shorter than her parents thought decent they had married. She had felt like Cinderella when they moved into the big mansion.
She could still recall the icy coldness gripping her heart the day she found that Chris had started to court her baby sister already at their wedding. Now they had both disappeared and their letters would be easy to find, as she had put them in plain view for the police to find.
The two plastic barrels stood on the deck of her old fishing boat. She knew that the smell would be putrid after a few days of summer sun, but she also knew that the sharks were hungriest right before a storm. She had after all almost a PhD in ichthyology.
She could ride out any storm in her fishing boat. The trip to the Cayman was short, and Chris’ account numbers were memorized. In just a few days she would be reborn again.
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May 20, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Super coo writing BjornlThe plot ,the scene,the backdrop,the character-all perfect!!Just what I love most!Go get them girl-feed those two to the sharks -pedantic,eh?I love this kind of pedantic 😀
Never mess with a pedantic ichthyologist 🙂
True 😉
Oh, really creative! There is so much more I long to know about this main character. You created someone really intriguing.
Ah thank you, we’ll see…
Good for her! Love the opening paragraph, very poetic.
Thank you… poetic I like
Great descriptive to fire up the imagination. Captivating story too!
Thank you.. 🙂
oh dang…wicked story bjorn…out, what a bit of revenge…betrayal though will def give birth to that though…ouch on the sister…well constructed story…
I love to write short fiction,,, and a twist is one way to get a good story
Oh my. Such murderous revenge…and so deliciously written!
Thank you 🙂 Love stories about revenge.
People are always under-estimating Librarians! Never judge the bookish by their cover. Nice writing, Bjorn, as per usual. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
A good ominous beginning with the storm, and the description of her hair and dress she wore in happier times and then the letters, the police and finally the barrels! Oh she’s a cold-hearted one that Darla! As far as the sharks go . . . .well it takes one to know one even with a degree in ichthyology! Right?
I think she is a little sharky one that one 🙂
Making chum out of your chums. Great idea. (:
Ha, very funny.
Now that’s a sinister plot. Wicked good.
Thank you for linking up! Don’t forget to come back to vote!
Thank you 🙂
I love how you lulled us in with beautiful descriptions and then bang, a complete change, excellent!
I love to do that, thank you for being lulled alone.
lulled along I meant…
Ouuu, vicious… and smelly. I like it!
Thank you .. and so did the sharks 🙂
Wow. A plot good enough to film.
Thank you for the high praise.
Wonderful descriptions! I love how you tell us enough but let us put the pieces together (like what exactly is in the barrels :)) I really enjoyed this story!
I really like that in a story myself, so I used the technique of omitting certain details. I like that when reading stories myself.
Your stories are every bit as good as your poetry. This is terrific, great sinister tone throughout.
Thank you Steph . I like sinister.
What’s it with creepy tales Björn… they only seem to be getting better. The plastic barrels, a pedantic ichthyologist and a cheating husband… deadly combo.
Thank you… I like those stories myself…too
Beautifully crafted and paced – from the innocent opening to… those barrels. So much said without being said. I loved it.
That’s what I like most when reading… leave some gaps for the reader,
I heart creepy. But I had the distinct feeling that she had done this before, or maybe would again. I loved the coldness of her analytical mind coupled with the sending off ceremony of wearing the same dress of their first kiss.
It was a wonderful reminder to be most cautious of the quiet ones.
Great writing.
The pedantic killers are the one getting away…
There was me thinking that this was going to be a girly love story, and then you go and make it interesting 🙂
There is always a happy ever after 🙂
A great story Björn. Loved the way we were gently coaxed in and then hit with that ending. So glad she memorised those numbers!
Oh yes, a pedantic librarian have a sense for numbers.
Fantastic story! I love that you made ichthyology kind of dark and exciting. 🙂 Nice job building to a great ending!
Thank you Suzanne… I really started to like my vengeful librarian after a while…
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” And you sure as heck better not have an affair with her baby sister. It’s a sure way to become shark food. I guess it all works out in the end. She gets rich and doesn’t have a cheating husband…anymore. This was really well-written. I’m impressed.
Thank you .. I had fun writing it. 🙂
The way things change – pedantic bore killer. Well done.
Successful killers are always pedantic (in more ways than one)
Didn’t Chris learn the basics of librarianship when he married her? Never, never, NEVER piss off somebody who can research more thoroughly than you. I love the way her obscure knowledge comes back around on the horn.
I guess it’s often to easy to ignore that type of knowledge.
Poetic (if non-pedantic) justice, beautifully written. You got me at “azure!” I want to read more, though is it a nice stand-alone piece, Bjorn.
I typically prefer stand alone stories, but Darla sounds like a good character to re-use… 🙂
This is great! And it shows that librarians are better prepared than boy scouts! I hope Darla gets away with her revenge! Excellent little story, Bjorn!
Ooooh… Revenge is a dish best served cold with a side of hungry sharks!
Nice, Björn, veerrry nice. 🙂
Ps,
I am naturally pedantic in the first sense of the word, AND I wanted to be a librarian…. Look out, world.
Her ability to feel anger is more passionate than her capacity to love her sister or husband. What a wicked tale of revenge.
love the portrayal of revenge. ki nd of makes me feel vindicated on her behalf 😛
Darla is not a woman to be crossed, obviously. Not sure I’d want to be the one opening those barrels after a few days!
Such a well deserved Trifecta win! This is so awesome…from dreamy and eloquent to eerie superb. I hadn’t read the challenges last week due to catch up from trip. What a treat to read this now. Glad I didn’t miss it!
My pleasure to write it. 🙂
Yikes! They sleep with the fishies! Very clever. k.
Thank you Karin.. 🙂
Great story using the key word delicately yet it still runs deep. I hope she doesn’t have a detective like Columbo investigating their disappearances. I want her to get away with it! 🙂