Written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing
Prompt #410 using the word ‘opulence’ in
exactly 98 words. Also for Sue & Gerry’s
Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge and
the word ‘silver’. This is my 98-word story.
The ballroom dripped with opulence. Chandeliers, heavy with crystals, cast shimmering light on the polished floor. Evelyn Claremont, in her gown of shimmering silk, moved through the throng, her smile a practiced mask. She clutched a silver locket, its cold metal a stark contrast to the warm, spring night. Inside lay a faded photograph, a reminder of a life before gilded cages and forced smiles. A life where love, not status, held value. Tonight, the silver locket felt heavier than ever, a weight pulling her back to a forgotten truth. If revealed, Evelyn’s life would be changed forever.
NAR©2025
98 Words
This is “Beautiful Dress” by Marlon Williams
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
An intriguing story Nancy
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Thanks very much, Sadje!
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Well done! This was so good.
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Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
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You’re welcome ☺️
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Wonderful – I wanted to read on!
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Lovely comment, Esther. Thanks so much!
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…but will it be revealed, and if so, what next? Keep smiling Evelyn, keep smiling,
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Whatever it is, it’s big. Those naughty secrets!
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A sad paradox, the heart melts.
But I still want that dress.
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Oh yes. Me too! It’s a beauty. 🩵
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Nancy, this passage feels rich and immersive. The contrast between opulence and inner turmoil is especially compelling.
~David
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So pleased you could feel that, David. Thanks so much!
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What secret lies coldly throbbing on her chilled collarbone? Who will slip it from her neck during the swirl of the most romantic dance of the season? Will all be revealed at the stroke of midnight? Or will someone be killed, and dumped in the shimmering Koi pond to create a distraction?
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Dang it Nancy! Ya got me goin’!
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You’d make an excellent trailer writer, Liz!
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All this and more next week on Caged Up With the Claremonts!
😂
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Chuffed to bits!!
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Such a sad story, but we all have hidden secrets, Nancy … I think you’ll enjoy this emotionally charged music/video from ‘Poets of the Fall’
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Oh, my dear Ivor. I am weeping. What an incredibly moving song and video; it was almost too overwhelming to watch. I am touched to my core. Thank you for this incredible share. I will not soon forget this one. 🎶🖤
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Poets of the Fall are fabulous Finnish band and l’m rapt you enjoyed this incredible music/video … they definitely worth following Nancy 🎶🌏😊
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I have added this to my playlist, dear Ivor. I hope to be able to use it for one of my stories at some point. It has made a deep impression on me. Thank you again. 🎶♡
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My absolute pleasure, Nancy
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What a wondrously emotive singer he is. Just superb, dear Ivor. Thank you!
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Yes indeed, Nancy
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Ewe I feel a Catherine Cookson coming on. Great write Nancy 💜💜💜
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Sorry …. I had to google Catherine Cookson. Never heard of her. Thanks, Willow.
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She is a great writer of the genre, things are bad, they get worse ….even worse then they end up okay!!
A great author from the North East of England. 💜
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🤞 going on a positive note here, Nancy… can’t be worse than where she is already…😬
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Clearly, she’s not in a good place. Secrets always have a way of coming out, don’t they? Thanks, Destiny.
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ah .. I concluded (by myself lol) with a good one…. you gave it even more suspense now, Nancy …😋
too true to those secrets….🤍
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