"In a Bind", My Feeble Attempt at Flash Fiction, Freshly Rewritten

Since I seemed to have been writing with an unconscious emphasis on Halloween this week, I decided to pick up this old story and rewrite it using my recent inspiration as a guide.

For an extra bit of atmosphere while reading my recent posts, may I suggest that you scroll down to my play list and find "Lullaby" by The Cure? Enjoy!:



The key rests lightly on the tartan scarf I had worn yesterday evening. They both seemed to have been placed gently, patiently, there by someone who cared whether they stayed on the hall table, or tumbled down onto the slick, marble floor below.

This key alone knows the truth, the whole truth. It knows that someone had tried to kill me last night in my bed, but to no avail. The key knows the time, the place, and the M.O., and it, alone, knows the man himself, intimately.

Apparently and interestingly, he arrived late for dinner, just after 7:30 and left at 2:30 am, but not in a rush. All clues lead us to this determination.

I lay breathless, in a limp heap on my bed, but still full of life a short time after 2:30. I then rose, walked into the kitchen, and poured myself a glass of water to quench my parched thirst. I saw then, out of the corner of my eye, the key and the scarf on the hall table, both lifeless, but present. The scarf is the same that I had purposely draped around my neck earlier in the evening, and the same used as a reluctant accessory to attempted murder.

My first impulse was, after presumably slipping on gloves, to place them both in a plastic bag as evidence, but I let them be, their presence as proof of the crime. Suddenly, the phone rings, startling me, and I jump, my heart pounding. A lone raven caws in the yard. I let the machine pick up the call as I quickly close the rear window in the bedroom, fearing invasion by another intruder.

"Hi. You've reached Rachel. I am unable to come to the phone right now, but if you please leave a message, I'll return your call as soon as I can." Beep...."Hi, uhh, Rachel, are you there? Just wanted to call to say thanks for the pleasant evening [pause]... by the way, you didn't happen to find a skeleton key there by chance? It's the key to my coat closet. Don't mean to put you in a bind, so I'll just stop by later this afternoon. Also,(he chuckles) will you wear that scarf on our next date? I had a fantastic time..." Beep....

Perhaps this tape will only confuse investigators. I press "ERASE" quickly, before the machine stops, and get back to my water.