Sunday, February 10, 2013

Tuesday Tales - The Box

Tuesday Tales
The Box
By Elizabeth Black

Here is my latest Tuesday Tales. The prompt is the picture to the left. To read the rest of the short stories from some fine authors, go to the Tuesday Tales web site.

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Lucy found roses by her door. Who sent them? Beneath the bouquet was a note: "Surprise from a secret admirer! Please dress in your best red dress tonight and wait for me to ring you at 7:30 pm."

It was unsigned.

Within the hour she was dressed. Her crimson sheath set off the flame in her cheeks. The thrill of the unknown made her heart race. Who was her secret admirer?

When the bell rang, she took a few deep breaths, and opened the door.

A stranger stood before her. He carried a small red box in both hands.

"Uhm... hello?" She asked, confused.

He gazed at her, and his brows knitted.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong apartment. Is this 242-B Beach Drive? Does Deborah Jacobs live here?" He looked familiar but she couldn't place him.

"No. I've only moved in about a week ago. I've been getting mail for a Deborah Jacobs, but she no longer lives here."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know she moved. We met at a crime book reading downtown and exchanged cards."

"Wait. Which bookstore?"

"Seaside Books downtown."

She smiled. "I own that shop. I booked the reading." She held out her hand. "I'm Lucy McKean. Would you like to come in and have some tea?"

"Thank you," he smiled and walked in. "I remember you from the store. You helped me find some David Goodis books."

"Not many people know about Goodis. I'm a huge fan."

They sat on her couch and talked about crime writers. By midnight, they made a date for dinner. In the end, Deborah Jacobs did Lucy McKean a favor, and Lucy didn't even know the woman. And she was so thrilled she forgot to open the box.

7 comments:

  1. Intriguing. My dark twisted mind is suspicious and goes on the dark path this could take...but I'm weird like that. Without my crazy brain it's sweet and a great meet-cute. :)

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  2. Love this story, so unexpected. I was afraid she would be disappointed when she discovered he was there for someone else. But you turned it around beautifully! Loved it!

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  3. Loved the twist in this. Was a bit worried she opened the door before she received the phone call, though. Lots of unanswered questions in this one.

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  4. I'm glad all of you like the story. I was hard getting it down to 300 words without losing the twist, but I did it. ;)

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  5. What an interesting twist to the story

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