She’s Gone Away: #FridayFictioneers

This one’s dark! Sometimes I’m not sure I like what’s lurking in my imagination. I feel I owe the nice man digging his garden in this photo an apology. But here goes…

Photo by Connie Gayer

Mr Johnson next door sure loves his garden. Out there all weathers, planting, weeding. It’s his only time to himself, his wife being so ill.

“What you doing today there Mr Johnson?”

“uh… no… nothing. Just new drainage.”

“Mrs Johnson any better?”

The shovel slips from his grasp. Eyes down, his hands flounder in the muddy puddle to retrieve it. He’s shaking.

“I brought her this” I venture “she likes chocolate doesn’t she?”

He leans hard on the shovel, pressed into the wet earth. Slowly he meets my eyes.

“Mrs Johnson’s… gone away for a little while sonny.”

98 words

Written for Rochelle Wisoff Fields’ Friday Fictioneers Challenge. Follow the link to read everyone else’s (more uplifting) tales!

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