Short Story

A Sudden Slip Of The Tongue

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for The Unicorn Challenge where we are
asked to get creative in 250 words or less using
the photo below as inspiration. This is my story.

© Ayr/Gray

The revelation hit Claire like the searing pain of a dagger; agonizing, horrific, nauseating. It was just a sudden slip of the tongue and the person who misspoke was totally unaware of their faux pas but that didn’t matter; once heard it could not be unheard. Once realized it could never be forgotten … or forgiven.

Claire’s little girl was dead, her wisp of a body found hidden in the dense beachgrass. If not for her bright red hair tie securing her flaxen ponytail, the child may have gone unnoticed.

When she thought back on the morning her daughter disappeared, Claire sobbed at the memory of her sweet girl’s playful nature. A yellow ribbon in her hair would have matched her sundress but the child insisted on red and Claire complied before her daughter skipped down the steps to build sandcastles on the beach.

When Claire recalled her sister’s unexpected appearance at her house, their stilted conversation and her sister’s careless remark about the red hair tie, Claire knew and her world went black. Cursed with a barren womb and an equally barren heart, her sister was malicious, but Claire couldn’t fathom how far her jealousy would take her.   

Now, Claire stood looking down at the beach, her heart aching for her precious daughter, her blood frozen with hatred for her duplicitous sister. The instant she saw the lunging shadow behind her, Claire threw herself to the ground and silently watched as her sister’s body toppled down the rickety wooden steps.

NAR©2024
250 Words

The Unicorn Challenge-08/11/24

This is “Dead On The Beach” by Aly & AJ

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.



41 thoughts on “A Sudden Slip Of The Tongue”

  2. Wow, excellent story, Nancy! I was drawn in from the very beginning. To lose a child would be unimaginably awful, but to know it was your sister…”her world went black.” Great descriptions. It makes you wonder what you would do in that situation.

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  4. Holy moley that was savage. Miserable sister, but Momma lion has to come out when someone messes with her kid. Then what follows is the grief that comes from knowing the fullness of our avenging nature. The song is the perfect partner to your story.

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  8. Brutal, Nancy, but sensitively written.
    You let the facts speak for themselves.
    Your MC flings herself to the ground and watches her treacherous sister tumble to her death.
    I wonder how she will pick herself up after such grief and betrayal…

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  16. That’s a tough one to write. Both my wife and I have lost a son. Her son Michael was killed in an auto accident on highway 635 in Dallas. My son, died from a drug overdose that caused a heart attack. Neither of us has been able to write about it, but I might someday soon. Losing a parent is expected, but losing a child is not.

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    1. Phil, we always take a chance when we write stories. I never want to offend or hurt anyone’s feelings by what I write; I certainly hope that was not the case tonight. My deepest condolences to you and your wife; while I have lost a nephew to a drug overdose, I cannot imagine losing my children. I sincerely hope I did not offend you in any way or cause you unnecessary grief. I would not be very happy with myself if that were the case. This is a work of fiction but there is always a grain of truth in just about everything we write. Thank you. I hope you have a good night.

      ~ Nancy

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      1. Not offended at all. I think it was a good story, and it moved me to share my story. Many of my short stories are fiction, but as you say, there is a grain of truth in all. Over the years my crazy extended family has furnished me with all I needed to write about. A few of them didn’t get it and puffed up. Keep the stories coming, you writing and style is great.

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