okay, so here we are - thanks to
NYCMidnight.com's Flash Fiction Challenge, I am attempting something new.
So here goes!
My group for Challenge Number 1 - Group 29
Genre: Ghost Story
Location: Honeymoon Suite
Object: A pizza
So here is my first submission to this contest.
310 words
Alex’s father owned the Orion Bed
and Breakfast in a small village outside of St. Louis, and on weekends Alex
worked there. He occasionally sat up in the honeymoon suite when it wasn’t
busy, but he had heard the stories. A young married couple lived in the home fifty
years ago. When police arrived they found a home-made pizza in the oven and
classical music on the radio. The wife was in the bathtub, arms slit from wrist
to elbow; the husband, hanged in the kitchen.
Police searched the grounds from
hilltop to river and uncovered absolutely nothing. Rumors flew across town
about a suicide pact, murder-suicide and even gang violence, but there was no
evidence of any kind. The case ran cold and the property was placed for
auction.
“Housekeeping.” Alex announced himself
according to protocol, even though the suite was scheduled to be empty. He took
his usual chair in the corner. He reached for the remote control and found a
small, half-broken locket. As he picked it up to investigate, he heard a
whisper, “help?”
“Hello?” Alex looked around the
room and saw nothing. He shrugged it off and grabbed the remote from the side
table. Alex flipped channels for half an hour until the screen went blank.
“What the…” he smacked the remote against the floor and broke it. “Dammit.” As
Alex maneuvered around the dresser, he found a small piece of paper painted
into the wall. As the paint released with one more tug, Alex fell backwards
onto the bed.
Alex was stunned, almost as if he
had been pushed. “Help?” The whisper was louder now, and Alex crawled carefully
across to the wall behind the dresser. The paper was delicate and almost fell
apart in his hands. “Dear Alexander, Please forgive me.”
Alex looked in the mirror and saw a
rope around his neck.