Time for Madison Woods Friday Fictioneers challenge, where each week she posts a photo prompt, to which we are to respond with 100 words. If you want to see her own short tale and the responses of others, click This Week’s Friday Fictioneer and it will take you to the page. The comments section will have links to others creative efforts.
This week’s prompt is the following picture:
My entry – 100 words –
“Soup du jour”
George plopped down at the table and started spooning soup into his mouth, slopping a bit out of the bowl, careless of the drips that fell on the tablecloth.
Maude watched him in resignation. Marry in haste, repent at leisure. She had been repenting for years now. Too many years.
“Soup’s good.” George grunted between spoonfuls. “What’s in it?”
“Hand-picked mushrooms fresh from the forest.”
George glanced at her and frowned. “You were careful?”
“Of course, I took the book. I know exactly what kind of mushrooms are in your soup.”
George grunted and finished his bowl.
Maude smiled.
Exactly.
write tuit 
Posted by Stacey on February 18, 2012 at 02:24
Very crafty!
Posted by Judee on February 18, 2012 at 09:58
Thank you Stacey. 🙂
Posted by andyfloodwritersblog on February 17, 2012 at 20:08
I’m glad you received so many positive comments for this piece as it was very well written and clearly strikes a chord with many people. To work in such effective characterisation in so few words is no small feat. Great stuff 🙂
Posted by Judee on February 18, 2012 at 09:57
Thank you Andy, I’m glad you visited and commented.
Posted by parul on February 17, 2012 at 08:54
Wow!
That leaves so much to the imagination!
Love it!
That’s a great way to end it!
Posted by Judee on February 18, 2012 at 09:56
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it.
Posted by The Lime on February 15, 2012 at 13:54
eek! I think the other comments cover it, but eek!
The end is perfect.
Posted by Judee on February 18, 2012 at 09:56
eek is very nice, I love your reaction. thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Posted by Quill Shiv on February 13, 2012 at 18:46
The description of this man was just so very vivid. I truly enjoyed this story. Great job!
The link to my drabble is here: http://quillshiv.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/white-rot/
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 19:08
Thank you Quill. Glad you dropped by.
Posted by Lora Mitchell on February 13, 2012 at 07:19
I loved this. I see her putting up with this grunting slob and suffering silently for years…plotting for the right time. I visualize him making love the same way. Ah…”repent at leisure” and revenge is mushroom sweet. Here’s mine: triplemoonstar.blogspot.com
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:49
Thank you Lora, I’m glad you liked it.
I’ve tried commenting on your blog twice, and it should have worked, but i can’t see my comment. I liked your tale and the way the daugther helped her mom find her, creative and interesting. 🙂
Posted by V. L. Gregory-Pohlenz on February 13, 2012 at 05:56
Love it! Agree with previous comments——–“EXACTLY!!!”
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:44
Thank you Gregory, nice of you to stop by. 🙂
Posted by Dallas Kelly on February 13, 2012 at 01:39
Loved it! It had a folkloric sort of feel to it.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:43
Thank you, and nice of you to stop by and comment. 🙂
Posted by janmorrill on February 12, 2012 at 23:37
Perfectly, deliciously dark. I love it!! You should write more stories about Maude and George. 🙂 Of course, it sounds like there won’t be many more to write.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:42
Yeah, ha, I think George’s part of the tale has come to an end. Thanks for the visit and comment. 🙂
Posted by Jake Kale on February 12, 2012 at 21:57
I must be the only person who feels sorry for George! It just seems a bit over the top to poison someone just because they’re a slobby eater. Having said that, I’m guessing that’s just one of many faults Maude’s had to put up with over the years. Either that or she’s a clean freak, in which case George might be relieved to get away from her!
Aside from clearly empathizing with the victim (which, in my defense, is not a bad thing), I really enjoyed this, and I loved that final line. If ever a line can be said to have been written with relish, that was it.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:41
Aw, that’s okay, George wasn’t all bad – Maude just hit her breaking point, I guess. I’m glad at least one person felt sorry for him. Thanks for the visit and the fun comment. 🙂
Posted by bridgesareforburning on February 12, 2012 at 19:21
That grunting slob George. Maude is well rid of him. This story was nicely constructed. You begin building George’s character in the first sentence and make Maude, the killer, a sympathetic character. Very nicely written and conceived. Thanks for the nice comments on my ditty.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:39
Thank you so much, I appreciate your thoughtful comment. Thanks for coming by. 🙂
Posted by elmowrites on February 12, 2012 at 19:18
I agree with the other comments – you paint this perfectly to make us root for Maude, not George. Well done! I’m worried how you and Susan both went for killing off the husband … but not as worried as your respective partners should be!!
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:38
Ha! Well, I don’t hwve a partner, I divorced mine, so no need for the mushroom solution. 😉 Thanks for the fun comment and for stopping by. 🙂
Posted by loustar02 on February 12, 2012 at 19:02
Great build up and characterisation of both Maude and George. I love the grunting in response but the way he clearly didn’t really listen to her words at all. Excellent!
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:37
Thank you loustar, it’s nice to hear the characterizations held up. Glad you enjoyed it.
Posted by A.V. Scott on February 12, 2012 at 18:24
Loved it! I wonder if its a slow and painful death.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:36
Heh, I bet Maude is hoping so. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Posted by Carlos on February 12, 2012 at 18:16
Really nicely done; It’s mortifying — I wonder how many women, secretly or not, feel this way about their husbands?
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:35
Probably more than we want to know. 😉 Thanks for the visit and comment.
Posted by Susan Wenzel (@SusanWenzel) on February 12, 2012 at 17:53
Very nice. Your husband is a sloppy pig and mine is a sly fox…both deserved their special dinners. Thank you for sharing (and reading)! I’ll tell you, I grew up picking morels and spring mushrooms on the east coast but am TERRIFIED of picking the mushrooms here. So many edible and so many more poisonous.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:32
Yeah, you really do need a book to know what you’re picking. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Posted by writingbothsidesVincent on February 12, 2012 at 17:09
You drew George perfectly. I couldn’t help but cheer for Maude. Nice job.
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:31
Yeah, poor George, I had to make him a slob. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Posted by LupusAnthropos on February 12, 2012 at 16:37
“Agaricus and Old Lace.” 🙂
Thanks for your comment on my site and for posting your link, since your story obviously wasn’t there when I went through all the other entries the other day.
For anyone who may be navigating back through these, here’s my link: http://wp.me/p24aJS-2F
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:30
And thank you for commenting. 🙂
Posted by susielindau on February 12, 2012 at 16:18
So great and now she can poison him at her leisure!
Posted by Judee on February 13, 2012 at 09:29
Ha, yes, thanks for dropping by, susie. 🙂
Posted by Mike on February 12, 2012 at 14:28
A great story.
That last word ‘Exactly’ spoke volumes. Poor old George.
Maude is obviously looking for a chance to make up for ‘marrying in haste’.
A clever use of the prompt.
Thanks for a wonderful read.
Posted by Judee on February 12, 2012 at 15:15
And thank you, Mike for the lovely comment. Glad you liked it.
Posted by Sunday Scatterings | in tuit on February 12, 2012 at 13:07
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