Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
This is the Wakefield Doctrine’s contribution to the Six Sentence Story bloghop.
Hosted by Denise. defined by a single number: 6 (the exact number of sentences in qualified stories)
Prompt Word:
POOL
“Anyone here?”
A languid slapping of liquid against an unyielding object combined with shimmering reflections on the half-round ceiling did nothing to improve my mood; my admin’s insistence I treat the text requesting a meeting in an out-of-service rail tunnel as spam and a waste of time somehow sparked an argument, maybe the third in the five years Hazel has worked for me.
“I’m here per your text and, I might add, not in the mood to fuck around;”
hearing my vulgarity hang in the darkness triggered a flashback to the fourth grade at Our Lady of Mercy parochial school, my humorless laugh, an atavistic response to the nearing of the uncanny did nothing to offset the chill raising the hair on the back of my neck.
My cell phone pinged ‘Text Messages’, even as my resolve began to pool around my feet; it’s been my experience that genuine fear doesn’t walk up and shout ‘Boo’, rather, it seeps into the body and a weakness of the leg muscles are it’s only tell.
Looking down into the display, I scrolled through the messages: “Are you coming in today, H’ …” “OK you’re a great boss, but two days without a word…” and, “Now you’re scaring me, no one has seen you for three days, the cops are useless, I’m going down to the sleazy bar of yours, maybe they know what’s going on”.
I decided that my admin deserved a raise and I would turn and walk back the way I came, halfway there I heard a voice coming from farther to my left than the diameter of the tunnel should permit, “We need to talk.”
About clarkscottroger
I applaud your choice for sound tracking this scene. It’s suitably “disturbing”. Would not want to be in Ian’s shoes – 3 days. Yikes. No doubt Hazel is cursing him out in between being worried. Looking forward for when she goes to the “Bottom of the Sea”. Bets on who helps her? 😁
Diane?
Lou?
Rosetta?
all would be fun and entertaining…. wait a damn minute! There’s my hook for next week’s Six!! Roshomon (ette)
It looks like that text message wasn’t spam after all. Nice way of introducing a sense of dread with “a voice coming from farther to my left than the diameter of the tunnel should permit”. When there is no safe, rational explanation for something everything tends to become ominous.
yeah… smells like a serial Six to me… hey, there’s an outside chance the next installment will involve settings and locales in less-than-desirable places…one of which, unless we’re mistaken, your protagonist had set up a out-reach/soup kitchen/mission (Mission motto: “You don’t have to Believe to eat here, but if your soul needs Nourishment, it certainly won’t hurt.’)
I pulled a disappearing act on a job once; they sent a cop to do a welfare check thinking it was very unlike me to just not show up or call. Fact of the matter was, they had no idea who I was. It was more like me to do that, than work there…
Brilliant use of the prompt as always.
yeah, what a classic approach/avoidance encounter those can be… classic jury’s-not-in-blind-dates ya know?
That’s a choice bit of flesh-creeping ink you’ve done there, and the music is like a circumstance you want to immediately abandon. Nice.
thank you, M
You do scary/spooky with excellent subtlety.
ty, Miz Mimi
Ooh, very strange… and spooky, plus that odd music. Hmm.
Excellent!
soundtrack to the movie ‘Annihilation’ excellent in a weird way
Oh my, this is creepy, even more so with that track playing in the background!
yeah… that music from the movie (Annihilation) trés spooky
You DO know how to set a mood, and this one seems devilishly dangerous. Okay, let’s go…
thanks, Liz!
so the next installment will be a cut to Ian’s admin, Hazel, trying to get answers from some people we all know (and some we don’t)…