Miff found herself drawn into an increasingly sticky web after her casual observations of her neighbours turned obsessive and her notebook was filled with minute observations. The husband, Jerome, was a Neanderthal of the worst order keeping his wife locked up like a slave. Miff had never seen her. However, her lingerie, which she’d photographed out on the line in case it was required as evidence, was clearly very expensive. Miff was poised on the edge of her chair waiting for the shouting, the violence, which strangely never came. There were only his comings and goings. No sign of her at all.
….
102 Words.
This has been another contribution to Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wishoff Fields. This week’s prompt was provided by © Valerie J. Barrett. Thank you Valerie.
We’d love you to join us. Every week, Rochelle posts a photo prompt and we respond in 100 words or less and I’ve been quite amazed at what we’ve been able to accomplish in so few words. Makes me ponder the need for the novel.
Beyond the Flow 
Sinister. So much from so few words. I want to know more. Great stuff.
She should leave poor Jerome alone. He’s not doing anyone any harm, from the sound of it.
Maybe Jerome is the wife……………………
Maybe Miff has too grand an imagination and Jerome has done nothing wrong. Nice intrigue.
Thanks, Brenda. I’ve been thinking about the different explanations this story could have. I was thinking that his wife was disabled and couldn’t leave the house. Then, I had the idea that it was his lingerie. That there was no wife. I’ll be interested to see how different people interpret this and the other responses.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thanks, Sandra. You’re right. She’s let appearances carry her away and she’s very much crossed the line and is going a bit mad I think.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Yes, that’s where I ended up in the end. Funny how these characters take on a life of their own and take you with them.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thanks, Scooj. I’ve ended up thinking that it’s Jerome’s lingerie. He has a bit of a fetish.
I believed in the wife. So I believed in her disappearance. Miff is obsessive, but she’s onto a crime
So he likes to wear lingerie. Miff should mind her own business… But of course there are many other possibilities. 🙂 That was an interesting take.
I like the disabled wife plot because there are a lot of possible storylines that can be pursued. Anyway, you’re right. It’s interesting to see where people go with it. =)
Sometimes our tales write themselves and it’s nothing like we intended!
That’s an intriguing tale. I think Miff would have seen some signs of the wife if she was disabled; outings in a wheelchair, or doctor’s visits, or something. I suppose it could be agoraphobia, though. If she was held captive, would Jerome have hung the lingerie outdoors. I doubt it. That’s a mystery for our obsessive Miff to fathom!
I know! Jerome has guessed she’s spying on him and is teasing her!
It’s like a Rear Window sort of scenario. I’m sure we could come up with a lot of interesting scenarios for what is going on. Nice story.
-David
I am guessing that Jerome is an Aussie too, so surely Neanderthal is superfluous!😄
Seriously, if he is putting her lingerie out, he seems like an okay guy to me.
Lots of options here, Rowena, we can all write our own ending…
I confess I thought the lingerie must have been his – whatever keeps him happy!
Sounds like you caught on faster than I did. I was but the humble scribe.
Ha!You like to land yourself in hot water with that pen of yours CE!
Jerome is actually this video gamer person my son follows and he is so annoying. He doesn’t regulate his volume and his voice blares out and I’m surprised I haven’t put a hammer through the screen. Calling that Jerome a Neanderthal and casting him in my murky plot helped me get through the afternoon. He is actually American.
I always find it interesting to read people’s responses to these stories and as a writer, it’s a golden opportunity to understand your impact on your reader better.
Thanks, David. Working out different scenarios to these stories can be a lot of fun.
Best wishes,
Rowena
I love you suggestion, Penny. Made me smile.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Methinks he likes his lingerie…..
~Donna
https://authorshutterbug.wordpress.com/
The nosey neighbour needs to get out more, and speak to him. Then she might learn there is no wife, just his strange hobby. I think? A fun read.
Miff must find something better to do other than watching her neighbours. By the way, did Jerome kill his wife?
Maybe he just liked lingerie? No yelling, arguments, violence—maybe she was an invalid? Maybe he took very tender care of her. . . .there are lots of possibilities here.
Maybe Jerome likes to wear fine underwear. Is there any real indication that there is a wife?
I wonder if it’s not all in her imagination… or maybe Jerome was just a closet crossdresser
By the time I’d edited, that was the conclusion I reached as well. It crept up on me.
Best wishes,
Rowena
I don’t think so. It seems the fetish theory is on the mark.
Thanks, Linda. I’m becoming quite fond of these open-ended stories and leaving the reader to decide. Or, even letting the character have a say. I don’t have to be the omnipotent author.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Yes, I agree Miff needs to get off his case. There’s probably another story about her motives as well. Why is she so focused on what’s going on next door? What is she avoiding? I love these 100 stories.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thanks very much, James. I agree a chat would be a great idea and could possibly bring them together. Perhaps, there needs to be a crisis of some sort. I might return to this story down the track and extend it. Seems to have legs.
Best wishes,
Rowena