| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted February 3, 2010 |
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Innocence Lost?
Whatcha Doin', Uncle Bob?
by Annmuma
Mid-Week Writing Exercise Contest Winner
“I’m just sitting here waiting for the phone to ring,” Bob answered his niece for the umpteenth time.
What is it with three-year-olds? They can ask the same question over and over, get the same answer and never lose interest in the inquiry. Charlene was his sister's child and he had babysat her many times in the past, but today her constant questioning played havoc with his nerves.
Merilyn dropped off her daughter on the way to the airport to pick up her husband, Ahmad. He was returning from a routine Chicago business trip, so why was Merilyn so antsy? Or was she antsy? Perhaps it was all his imagination. He had had three hours to ponder the "whats" and "ifs" as he stared at the television and listened for the phone to ring.
“Late Breaking News” continued to flash across the screen. “There’s been a disturbance at the Newark International Airport. A major incident has occurred in the United Airlines Terminal Five and all access, including that for reporters, has been blocked. Stay tuned to WBBC, your first and most accurate source of news as the story unfolds.”
The televised scene was one of chaos, police blocking entrances, people scurrying about and being funneled toward waiting vans. Was that smoke appearing in the distance? Bob caught a glimpse of his sister as she was hustled into a police car. He leaned in to see if he could decipher anything more meaningful than images moving quickly across the screen. Yes, she seemed to be reaching for her cell phone.
“Whatcha doin’, Uncle Bob?” Charlene crawled into his lap.
The first ring had only begun when Bob answered to hear his sister’s voice. “Bob, I won’t be home tonight. Please take care of Charlene, and Bob, ... please forgive me.”
The phone went dead almost simultaneously with the blast witnessed by TV cameras. Bob stared in shock at the television as remnants of the police car and his sister rained down on the screaming survivors looking for an escape route. He barely heard Charlene's plaintive question.
"Whatcha doin', Uncle Bob?"
“I’m just sitting here waiting for the phone to ring,” Bob answered his niece for the umpteenth time.
What is it with three-year-olds? They can ask the same question over and over, get the same answer and never lose interest in the inquiry. Charlene was his sister's child and he had babysat her many times in the past, but today her constant questioning played havoc with his nerves.
Merilyn dropped off her daughter on the way to the airport to pick up her husband, Ahmad. He was returning from a routine Chicago business trip, so why was Merilyn so antsy? Or was she antsy? Perhaps it was all his imagination. He had had three hours to ponder the "whats" and "ifs" as he stared at the television and listened for the phone to ring.
“Late Breaking News” continued to flash across the screen. “There’s been a disturbance at the Newark International Airport. A major incident has occurred in the United Airlines Terminal Five and all access, including that for reporters, has been blocked. Stay tuned to WBBC, your first and most accurate source of news as the story unfolds.”
The televised scene was one of chaos, police blocking entrances, people scurrying about and being funneled toward waiting vans. Was that smoke appearing in the distance? Bob caught a glimpse of his sister as she was hustled into a police car. He leaned in to see if he could decipher anything more meaningful than images moving quickly across the screen. Yes, she seemed to be reaching for her cell phone.
“Whatcha doin’, Uncle Bob?” Charlene crawled into his lap.
The first ring had only begun when Bob answered to hear his sister’s voice. “Bob, I won’t be home tonight. Please take care of Charlene, and Bob, ... please forgive me.”
The phone went dead almost simultaneously with the blast witnessed by TV cameras. Bob stared in shock at the television as remnants of the police car and his sister rained down on the screaming survivors looking for an escape route. He barely heard Charlene's plaintive question.
"Whatcha doin', Uncle Bob?"
What is it with three-year-olds? They can ask the same question over and over, get the same answer and never lose interest in the inquiry. Charlene was his sister's child and he had babysat her many times in the past, but today her constant questioning played havoc with his nerves.
Merilyn dropped off her daughter on the way to the airport to pick up her husband, Ahmad. He was returning from a routine Chicago business trip, so why was Merilyn so antsy? Or was she antsy? Perhaps it was all his imagination. He had had three hours to ponder the "whats" and "ifs" as he stared at the television and listened for the phone to ring.
“Late Breaking News” continued to flash across the screen. “There’s been a disturbance at the Newark International Airport. A major incident has occurred in the United Airlines Terminal Five and all access, including that for reporters, has been blocked. Stay tuned to WBBC, your first and most accurate source of news as the story unfolds.”
The televised scene was one of chaos, police blocking entrances, people scurrying about and being funneled toward waiting vans. Was that smoke appearing in the distance? Bob caught a glimpse of his sister as she was hustled into a police car. He leaned in to see if he could decipher anything more meaningful than images moving quickly across the screen. Yes, she seemed to be reaching for her cell phone.
“Whatcha doin’, Uncle Bob?” Charlene crawled into his lap.
The first ring had only begun when Bob answered to hear his sister’s voice. “Bob, I won’t be home tonight. Please take care of Charlene, and Bob, ... please forgive me.”
The phone went dead almost simultaneously with the blast witnessed by TV cameras. Bob stared in shock at the television as remnants of the police car and his sister rained down on the screaming survivors looking for an escape route. He barely heard Charlene's plaintive question.
"Whatcha doin', Uncle Bob?"
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Writing Prompt Write a Flash Fiction Mystery beginning with the sentence given in the announcement. |
Mid-Week Writing Exercise Contest Winner |
 Recognized |
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The contest called for a mystery, under 500 words, with a specific opening sentence and a surprise close. (This one has 344 words.) I wrote this because I need the practice with flash fiction and I thought it would be fun to write something totally out of character. Thanks for reading.
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