They had walked the smooth boardwalk so many times, hand in hand, feeling the smoothness of the humid air, losing themselves in the musty smell of the swamp and the whiteness of egrets walking surefooted in the wetness below.
The void after him had first left a lingering pain, like the phantom pain from an amputated limb. She had cried a little, but had found a new resolution in healing and the creative use of wolfsbane. This was her last visit to make sure that decay had done its work, and that his deceit was dissolved into the swarming blowflies.
Copyright Adam Ickes
This week’s photo brought up pleasant memories from vacations in the Everglades. But pleasant picture brings dark thoughts.
Friday Fictioneers is a group of bloggers, some weeks more than 100 stories link up per week. Rochelle make a wonderful job taking care of this unruly group. Plaese come and share your 100 word story or so.
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March 11, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
A story that tugs at my heart. Finding one’s way back from a love lost seems like an endless journey. The perfect balm…is another love.
ah.. I thought she had solved the deceit by the use of wolfsbane.. and I guess now she’s ready to find that love..
Yikes. Great flash fiction piece. It’s such a fun thing to write. And read.
I agree.. it’s another favourite thing to do..
I guess that love wasn’t all it appeared, was it? When I saw the “blowflies” in the title, I knew this wasn’t going anywhere good. Nicely done, Bjorn. You slipped the bad parts in very deftly and without fuss.
janet
So far this beautiful picture seems to have attracted a lot of horror.. hmm maybe there is something with a blue sky and still air that takes us to dark places..
I said the same thing on a comment earlier. I think the FF default is something bad or horrifying. So the unusual now is writing something happy. 🙂
Great story Bjorn I like the juxtaposition of the pleasant with the unpleasant. Very engaging.
Ha. yes it’s a great topic to dwell on
Expert work as always, Bjorn! We go from the sublime image of the white efrets to the darkness of death and decomposition. You make the surprise transition so seamlessly!
Just one tiny little typo — I hesitate to even mention — in the first paragraph, it should be “losing” as opposed to “loosing.”
And of course there is my own typo–I meant to say “egrets.” (Where is autocorrect when we need it?)
🙂
Thank you for spotting my typo… Decomposition felt right somehow
Oh, now I love a good revenge story and this is it!
🙂 Revenge can be sweet.. but also a little smelly.
it’s beautiful when you combine such lovely prose and imagery with something so dark and disturbing. 🙂
Coming from you that’s a great compliment… 🙂
The last line was a killer. 🙂
Literally a killer 🙂
Remind me to never get on her bad side. Excellent story, Bjorn.
Hell hath no fury … and thank you for the excellent story. I wrote it before hearing it was from your honeymoon… hmm take care Adam 🙂
My first thoughts on seeing this picture were dark creepy thoughts too! Great post Bjorn!
Somehow I need a really creepy picture soon to write a sweet story.
Good story again and well done, Bjorn. That woman was really lethal. Apparently her lover/husband didn’t understand her. She solved that problem with the wolfsbane.
Wolfsbane is indeed lethal (a beautiful flower though)
Creepy and compelling, Björn. I started out feeling badly for her, but then ended up in an entirely different position. “that his deceit was gone into the swarming blowflies.” Love that!
Ha.. yes somehow it’s easy to lead a reader into compassion…
Apparently I’m a sucker. 😉
A kind and compassionate one… and that’s good.
Aww. Thanks Björn. Much appreciated.
Great little story, with a nice twist at the end. I think the word ‘gone’ into the swarming blowflies is a bit weak and diminishes the power of your ending. I might have used ‘dissolved’ or ‘obliterated’. Just a thought, hope you don’t mind. 😉
I had the same feeling.. and had been trying to find an alternative… I thought about melted .. but I liked dissolved as well
Yikes! K.
Sorry.. but my fiction can be a little bit dark ..
nothing like a bit of wolfsbane to solve a pesky problem. 🙂
wolfsbane is the easy part— the challenge is the “wet” part..
true,very true! LOL.
Love that twist in the second paragraph . . . you know me, I like dark.
I think you should consider flash-fiction… it’s a great thing to write.
I love your imagery and sensory details, especially the way they start out so sensual and then end in swarming blowflies.
My slight deceit to lead my readers wrong.. he he
Hi Bjorn,
“Like the phantom pain from an amputated limb.” Great simile. But she seems to have been the one who cut off the relationship. Good one.
Ron
I think she cut it before being cut…
Very intriguing. Love it!
Thank you 🙂
Now she is not to be messed with, is she?! 🙂
I think I would refrain from eating her cooking…
Indeed!
“his deceit was dissolved into the swarming blowflies” — I think there’s a Beatles lyric like that. Great story, unexpected twist!
I wasn’t sure what wolfsbane was so I looked it up. Did you know that it was also an English heavy metal band? Ha ha. I liked how nature is wrapped around this dark tale. So clever and unexpected!
wet work is tricky business. You write expertly as always. The imagery is stunning. I found myself drifting happily along with the egrets until the wolfsbane. Really one should never mess with a witch.
Dear Björn,
A little wolfesbane to ease her pain. How healing for her…not so much for him. 😉 Sweet revenge. Nice one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Real interesting story, Bjorn!
I love the build-up to the strong image at the end.
Egrets I’ve had a few….
Wickedly done. Though I must confess I had to look up wolfsbane and it’s creative uses 🙂
At first, I thought I was going to find a rare happy ending. However, the magic quickly turned, very entertaining. Thanks.
Suspect one should avoid vacationing in the Everglades with you, Bjorn. Too chancy. Good story with an unexpected twist.
dissolved into the swarming blowflies…perfect!
[shudder!] Looks like nothing good comes from that red pavilion under the bright blue skies …
Great work!
The blowflies were a tip off for me too but I enjoyed the delayed twist.
Ah,she is an artist-wolfsbane?That even looks pretty-hope she plants some once the blowflies have done their part-would be a nice touch don’t you think? 😉 Love where you take us every time with your vivid imagination Bjorn:-)
poor guy, i hope he rest in peace.
always a treat to read your stories, Bjorn…like many of your readers, i enjoyed the soft beginning and then the punch at the end.
That took me by surprise – had to reread the last bit. My wife has aconitum in the garden. I’ll need to watch her.
Not a woman to cross! Looks like this rather serene picture has brought out the darkness in a few of us.
Bjorn, you are so good! You picked a worthy career; Thanks, Nan
I love your title and the comparison between beauty and horror in the two paragraphs. Wonderful.
Made it just in time, Bjorn, to read your story. Man! Lots of crazy stuff in there and well-done, too! Blowflies …. hmmm. Interesting.
Blowflies sounds so much nicer (and cleaner) than maggots (who do the actual work). That wolfsbane works every time.