Flash fiction using Jolene’s prompt. Rules: Must use all four of the following and not kill your main character:
- This time it’s bound to work
- what is that smell?
- mortician
- toy maker
“Gah! What’s that smell?”
The shoveling did not stop. Nor did the speaker.
“Gah! I say, Nate — What’s that smell?”
“It’s called ‘death’, Jeff. I could go into the chemistry of putrescine, cadaverine and butyric acid but I’m afraid it would all go over your head and we’d still me forced to hear your heavy panting and repeated ‘Gah’ utterances because you have absolutely no respect for science.”
“Why didn’t you just say ‘science’? That’s all I needed to know. Not those ‘ines and acids.”
The sound of the shovel cutting through soil. A pause.
“Why am I doin’ all the the diggin’, Nate?”
“I’m making sure we are digging in the right place, Jeff. I wish you wouldn’t have broken the mortician’s neck before we got him to confirm which fresh plot held our toymaker.”
“Why a toymaker, Nate?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know, Jeff? Our client just asked for a reasonably fresh corpse of a toymaker. We are in the habit of providing what clients pay us for, are we not?”
“Yeah, ugh. I suppose. I think we must be close, it really stinks now.”
“And that’s why I’m checking, Jeff. If it is fresh, there should be no reason for quite so much stink?”
“How do you know that?”
“Science, Jeff. Science. You might want to try it sometime.”
The shoveling stopped. Followed by retching.
‘Eww, Jeff. I am afraid that one is most definitely not our toymaker.”
More retching. Silence at ground level
“Oh! Silly me. I had the plot map all wrong. The toymaker is—” A long pause. “I think he is over at the other end, Jeff. Come!”
“Are you certain, Nate?”
“Absolutely! This time we’re sure to dig up the toymaker.”
More retching.
“Are you about done, Jeff? Work to do, money to get paid. Chop-chop. Let’s go.”
“Right behind you, Nate. Only, you forgot your shovel. I’ll grab it for you.”
“Silly me! Thanks, Jeff. Now, let’s head over… here…”
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