The Mark
by Alexander Salas
Its red fiery eye scanned the mark on her shaking left palm. Though It showed no mouth Its eye gleamed a smile. It approved.
She received the mark the day they reached an agreement.
Not guilty. The jury had spoken. She’d be free to roam the rest of her days on earth. It had kept Its end of the bargain.
She tried to breach the deal by confessing to the murder of her baby girl on her death bed. But the mark superseded her feeble attempt to break their contract. A ‘confession is good for one’s soul’ if one had a soul.
“Welcome home.” A disembodied voice snickered.
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Get the winners of the first 12 Clarity of Night contests in one place! Extras too!!
Listening for the words in a quiet corner of the night. The fiction, poetry, and photography of Jason Evans.
About Me
- Aine
- Collaborator and night owl.
Past Contests
- "Elemental" Short Fiction Contest
- "Uncovered" Short Fiction Contest
- "Silhouette" Short Fiction Contest
- "In Vino Veritas" Short Fiction Contest
- "Ascension" Short Fiction Contest
- "Running Wind" Short Fiction Contest
- "Whispers" Short Fiction Contest
- "Restless Dawn" Short Fiction Contest
- "Halo" Short Fiction Contest
- "Endless Hour" Short Fiction Contest
- "Silent Grey" Short Fiction Contest
- "Lonely Moon" Short Fiction Contest (with Anne Frasier)
- "Midnight Road" Short Fiction Contest
- "Two Lights" Short Fiction Contest
The Official Compilation!
Get the winners of the first 12 Clarity of Night contests in one place! Extras too!!
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~clausum~
17 comments:
Creepy reveal, and a quick, compact tale of evil and weakness. Nicely done.
The one word I had a problem with was "superceded". It's too bulky a word for the narrative, and it brought me up short.
But the mark superseded her feeble attempt to break their contract. Gotta love those binding contracts. ;)
What was her side of the bargain? I'm not sure I want to find out. I almost feel sorry for this murderess.
Thanks for sharing. =)
Casey Anthony?
The devil always collects his debts...and trying to screw him just pisses him off. Nice.
Dottie :)
in this dark and dry story i think she got what she asked for.
Well, if you play with fire...
"Confession is good for the soul" but only if you still have one! Nice!
Some bargains are not really a bargain, eh? ~Jana
Very creepy and most disturbing! Well done! take care
x
Haunting tale. Great use of imagination. You left me craving more!
Thank you for sharing!
Really short, but effective. Good one.
Alexander — Love the ending!
Thanks for all the above comments!
alex
Urgh. Sorry, I had trouble getting past the "killed her baby girl". I think Szels said "dry", but in that sharp, biting, effective way. Like wine. Ooh, wine.
Alexander - I think that justice is served here. Well done.
Brief, but very deft. You wove an intense story in so few words. Excellent! Strong writing.
Congrats on Forties Club!
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