Short Story

A Fate Worse Than Death

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Six Sentence Story where we are
challenged to incorporate the word “wire” into
a story of exactly six sentences. Here’s my six.

There are parts of Jersey City which are very dangerous …. dingy bars, seedy hotels, mob-run strip joints and dark alleys where unspeakable things happened; Jack Black had a taste for all of them. 

Most nights Jack would slither into his favorite bar, sit in the shadows on the end barstool, case the joint, nurse his bourbon and smoke his Lucky Strikes; Jack had patience and sooner or later she’d walk in …. maybe a secretary working late or a bored and lonely housewife. 

About 20 minutes later, a woman ran in from the rain and glanced around the room, her eyes ignoring Jack as she shook her damp dark brown hair, then headed to the bar and ordered a martini; she rummaged through her purse searching for her cigarette lighter and just as Jack was about to make his move, the bartender offered her a light.  

Jack toyed with the electrical wire in his pocket, annoyed at missing his opportunity to talk up this new beauty, but the night was young and he had all the time in the world.

Cool as a cucumber, Jack watched as the woman sipped her martini and smoked her cigarette, but when she asked the bartender for a menu, Jack knew he had been given a second chance and his fingers did a tap dance of anticipation around the wire in his pocket; just then the door swung open and a man blew in and when the woman at the bar spotted him, she ran to him and they embraced as she exclaimed that he was right on time as dinner would be coming out any second. 

Jack was not a happy boy at this turn of events and, seeing no reason to hang around, he opened the door to leave and walked right into a gorgeous blonde; laying on the charm, Jack apologized profusely and offered to buy the woman a drink to which she smiled, agreed and replied that she was bored which was …. as she put it …. a fate worse than death.

NAR©2024

It’s Thursday’s Six Sentence Story Link Up!

This is “Pennies From Heaven” by the Skyliners

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39 thoughts on “A Fate Worse Than Death”

  1. Boredom is the Devil’s workshop they say- the wise ones say.
    Good thing I’ve never been bored in my life! I once wrote a poem about boredom though. It was boring. 😂
    Nice six lines story Nancy. Amazing. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks, cara! I enjoyed writing that story.

      That was a funny comment you made about your boredom poem! I don’t get bored, either; neither does my husband. I’ve heard it said that people who get bored have no imagination. Maybe that has something to do with it but I’m sure there are other factors involved.

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      1. Using Google Eartg, I poked around the city and noted a number of buildings and locations that could provide interesting story backgrounds. I am sure that is true, though, of any “old” city. Thank you for your stories and their color.

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