Afterwards I remembered neither your eyes nor the colour of your hair. The melody of your voice had merged with the wind.
You left with not even a note left in your wake. just the wistful scent you cannot pluck, moonlight to bring in your pocket dissolving to naught.
For days afterwards you sometimes returned as a faint haze, a whiff of perfume or laughter masked as the cawing of crows.
But, of course I knew where and why you went.
I had no regrets, the end had been awful, but I laid you to rest before I covered your body with concrete, and I know that the earthworms will finish what I began.
I sit on my perfect patio sipping ice-cold Chardonnay bathing in blissful silence. The wind is at rest and I am forever, forever alone.
Only Miss Moon is my mistress.

Salvador Dali
Today Mish hosts dVerse Prosery were we get an introduction to the American poet Helen Hoyt and Mish has selected the line:
You cannot pluck moonlight to bring in your pocket!
which should be integrated into a piece of prose of maximum 144 words (I selected to meet that limit exactly). I also want to point out that my text is nothing but fiction.
October 9, 2023
Your title is intriguing, Björn, and I love the mystery of someone whose eyes and hair colour eludes the protagonist, and the melody of their voice had ‘merged with the wind’. I also love that she ‘sometimes returned as a faint haze, a whiff of perfume or laughter masked as the cawing of crows’. And then I realised that she had been murdered and buried under the patio! Clever writing!
I love to write my flashfiction with a twist…
This gave me a chill….literally!! Such creative working of the line. I like the way she is haunting him “as a faint haze, a whiff of perfume or laughter masked as the cawing of crows”, almost like a tease. This was so dark and delicious.
I do love darkness in writing…
I knew it! The librarian is sipping Chardonnay, isn’t he? That would be a welcome twist, although, perhaps out of character for him.
Also I doubt that the librarian would murder.
Bjorn, when I read your comment at the Poets Pub and saw your title, I had an inkling where this was going. Ooh so well done. The worms will eat well for quite awhile. If you like DARK DARK reading as much as writing, check out Chuck Palahniuk’s new novel.
I will check it out
The͏ wa͏y you de͏scri͏be͏ the͏ fa͏di͏ng me͏mori͏e͏s of a͏ love͏d one͏, li͏ke͏ moonli͏ght sli͏ppi͏ng through one͏’s gra͏sp, i͏s be͏a͏uti͏fully e͏voca͏ti͏ve͏. It’s a͏ re͏mi͏nde͏r tha͏t some͏ e͏xpe͏ri͏e͏nce͏s le͏a͏ve͏ i͏mpri͏nts not just on our he͏a͏rts but a͏lso i͏n the͏ ve͏ry e͏sse͏nce͏ of our surroundi͏ngs. Your choi͏ce͏ to fi͏nd sola͏ce͏ i͏n the͏ tra͏nqui͏l mome͏nts on your ne͏w pa͏ti͏o, si͏ppi͏ng Cha͏rdonna͏y a͏nd che͏ri͏shi͏ng the͏ compa͏ny of the͏ e͏ve͏r-pre͏se͏nt moon, re͏fle͏cts a͏ se͏nse͏ of pe͏a͏ce͏ a͏nd closure͏. It’s a͏ touchi͏ng portra͏ya͏l of the͏ huma͏n e͏xpe͏ri͏e͏nce͏, a͏nd your words ca͏pture͏ i͏ts comple͏xi͏ti͏e͏s wi͏th gra͏ce͏. Tha͏nk you for sha͏ri͏ng thi͏s he͏a͏rtfe͏lt re͏fle͏cti͏on. 👍👌👏😊
What is disturbing to me is that finding solace in the murder of a loved one— I don’t think it will last-
A Poe-esque tell, with a narrator suffering no guilt whatsoever. Brilliantly narrated, Bjorn!
He migh have had very good reasons, but that is not part of the tale.
Hahaha, sipping the Chardonnay! For a moment there I thought our poems were similar! I kept reading and was surprised by it!
Nope, the result was similar in an end, but alas in this case the one suffering the loss was also an active participant-
Willingly active!
I wonder if he got away with it. Hopefully he was caught with the truth of her disappearance revealed. A bit of a creepy story but well penned Bjorn! :O
An eerie tale. Love the use of the original quote.
Thank you
Dark tale yes… but I love this line especially: you sometimes returned as a faint haze, a whiff of perfume or laughter masked as the cawing of crows. The crows are a must!!!
” a whiff of perfume or laughter masked as the cawing of crows.”
Nice one!!!!
Happy Monday
Much💛love
And it will all come back to haunt you in the future! Well done.
a little disturbing. but wine fixes everything!
Maybe for a while at least
New patios are always suspect. I hope the neighbours notice.
We just put new concrete on our patio
I hope none of your close family or friends has gone missing recently…
The darkness creeps up on you, so well-crafted for effect! Loved it.
I really love the way you punctuated the line to change it, and the twist – oooh lovely read …
I’m almost speechless at the twist in this story. It took it’s uber-dark turn right in the middle with your, “But, of course I knew where and why you went.” Wow!