Copyright Erin Leary
The flame of passion, never having burned too brightly in Lily’s breast, flickers briefly before expiring, mired in the swamp of Maurice’s devotion.
Gazing down at him from her marital pedestal, she examines her exit strategy.
Lily is no fool. No-one jumps ship until a life-boat appears, but the horizon appears markedly bereft of any kind of craft, alive or otherwise.
“Do I need a man?” she ponders. “Or do I crave security?”
The answer is revealed by the discovery of hitherto undisclosed life-insurance.
Lily sets sail.
Maurice?
Well, though a tad less devotional, the swamp proves fit for purpose.
I crossed another item off my bucket list with my success at Flash 500, after what seemed like a lifetime of being long/short-listed. Right… what next? A big thank-you to Rochelle for the very literal “heads-up”, not to mention her support and her championship of the flash fiction cause at Friday Fictioneers.
castelsarrasin 
Dear Sandra,
Poor Maurice. T’would seem that he’s interned in the swamp of his misplaced devotion. Poetic yet grisly. Well done. Again a hearty congratulations on Flash 500!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you! Yes, everyone needs a Maurice in their life … briefly.
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Congratulations on winning Flash 500 – just read it and it’s a wonderful story; brilliantly structured, with the best last line. And this one too is pretty damn fine. I was surprised she bumped him off, but she sounds quite a hard nut.
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Thank you Claire, glad you liked A Matter of Minutes – I was thrilled to win. So far as this story goes, I think Lily has hidden depths, certainly Maurice is plumbing them at this moment. 🙂
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Oh, Lilly…poor choice, I guess I read too many crime novels to know better. 😀 Poor Maurice, what a price to pay for his devotion. Excellently crafted, as usual.
As for your 500 words story, what can I say? I enjoyed it so much, it was like a scene from Midsummer Murders or A Touch of Frost. Well deserved, Sandra! Well deserved.
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked them both. 🙂
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Excellent story, Sandra and so well told. Your metaphors were perfect for the tale. I really enjoyed this one. Great job.
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Thank you!
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Really enjoyable tale. Congrats for your 500 word story too which I loved reading!
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Thanks Graham. Certainly a red-letter day for me when I read the results. 🙂
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Poor Maurice. And bad Lily – although we do have some sneaky admiration for her. Beautifully told.
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Poor Lily – imagine being loved to the point where you have to murder someone… 🙂
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A well written story. Guess she picked security, poor fella.
Congratulations, I enjoyed your story, a well deserved win.
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Many thanks!
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Congratulations on the Flash 500! It was a great story! I also like this one. A metaphorical journey to murder… very nice.
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Thank you! Glad you liked them both.
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Congrats on ANOTHER prize winning story! Enjoyed reading it as well as this one. Only thing which jarred with me slightly this week was the two uses of “appears” in the same sentence. The second one could be something like “remains”. See you next week.
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Thanks Paul, I never saw that. I keep saying I’ll investigate that software that checks for repetition! That’s one of my blind spots. Thanks for reading.
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Goodness! This made me laugh out loud which was sad for my computer screen because I was eating peanuts. Thanks for the well-thought out chuckle.And CONGRATS again!
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Thanks Alicia. Sorry about the peanut strewn computer screen. 🙂
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Murder as poetry? That’s what I read, anyway. lol
Congrats on your flash piece. I read it just the other day. I always enjoy your writing.
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Thank you Dawn. That’s very kind of you.
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I read you wining flash fiction. Congratulations.
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Many thanks!
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This is a wonderful story, Sandra. Very clever storyline and I continue to be amazed at how you build such depth into your characters and their relationships so efficiently. Huge congratulations on winning Flash 500. that story is also a masterpiece.
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Thanks Margaret. The win was an unexpected surprise. But a lovely one.
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Congratulations Sandra. That’s fabulous news!
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Thanks Louise. 🙂
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Brilliant, I laughed aloud.
You are firmly entrenched in the top two here on FF, in my opinion, and your Matter of Minutes is a masterpiece.
I absolutely love the subtlety of the exchange, finishing with the detective’s tacit collusion.
I congratulate you on your well deserved success.
Bravo!
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Thanks CE. On both accounts. ‘Minutes’ was one of those stories that I really couldn’t evaluate – sometimes I thought it worked, on other readings it didn’t seem to. But I was pleased Flash 500 decided it did. 🙂
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Haha, Sandra – you’re so wicked. Heaven help any less-than-satisfactory husbands that wander into the path of your sharp stories.
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One of my FB friends said more or less the same. 🙂 My husband reads all my stories – forewarned is forearmed he says.
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(congratulations, too, on your Flash500 victory – well deserved!)
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Thank you!
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You have me chuckling at the demise of poor Maurice… well done. I really loved your 500 also… and once again an applause for winning… I’m never disappointed with a visit to your virtual lair.
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Virtual lair sounds lovely! 🙂 Thank you Bjorn.
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This is brilliant, beginning to end. Reading your stories, I finally understand how to use metaphors. Poor Maurice… And congrats on your well-deserved win. That is one marvellous short story.
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Metaphors, allegories, similes…. all very confusing I find. 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment.
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Such a clever comparison. That’s why you are a winner! Loved your winning fiction story as well.
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Thank you! Glad you liked them both.
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Congratulations on winning the “Flash 500”, Sandra. It was a great story. I can understand you’re winning. Poor Maurice in this story. Looks like he was in that unfortunate position of being worth more dead than alive. That’s dangerous territory. My dad used to joke that he was safe as long as he was worth more alive than dead. :D. Well done indeed. 🙂 — Suzanne
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🙂 You made me grin there. I think my father had a similar mantra. And thank you for your congrats.
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Nicely written.
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Thank you. 🙂
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Congratulations on Flash 500 win ! I was impressed on how you built the story with dialogue and very little mind voice. I hope to learn from you 🙂
This story is short and sweet…who needs a man?
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Ooh, don’t pick up any of my bad habits, Ansumani. 🙂 And I won’t answer your last question; my husand often drops by this site. 🙂
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Hi Sandra! Congrats for Flash 500. Just now read it. Excellent story.You use beautiful phrases. Give me a chuckle even in sad situations. FF is as usual excellent.
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Thank you Indira. I enjoyed your story too.
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Thanks dear.
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Congratulations on your Flash 500 win, and on this story of escape from the humdrum.
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Thanks Liz.:)
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Congratulations on your victory! Great post😀
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Thank you! 🙂
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Great story, I like a good “black widow” femme fatale type thing, and great metaphors.
Also, well done with your flash fiction win! I gave it a read, very enjoyable 🙂
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Thank you; glad you enjoyed them both.
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metaphorically perfect. one of your best.
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Thank you!
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Congratulations on your win. I loved your piece – A Matter of Minutes! So well deserved!
This is equally wonderful! Poor Maurice! Yay for Lily!
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Thank you for reading both Yolanda. 🙂
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Oooh what an exceptionally well-written story. I had to read it over a few times to really appreciate all the nuances. Poor Maurice. Congrats also on your Flash 500 win. That story kept me glued to the screen from start to finish. You have a talent!
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Thank you, so glad you liked them both.
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Sandra, as I read various other stories, I thought someone should name the main character Lily, so I’m glad you did. This is a veritable garden of metaphorical allusions. Great job. Congratulations on your win in Flash 500. It could not have gone to a more deserving writer. I read the story and absolutely loved it.
-David
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Thank you David, I’m pleased you liked them both.
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Heehee, loved it! Great use of analogy, or is it metaphor? I never remember, ha. And congrats on the 1st place in Flash 500!
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I’m never too sure myself, Judee. Thanks for reading.
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Congratulations, on your great win! The words guide us through the plot so well as if we are ourselves there. A lovely read!
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Thank you! 🙂
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that was interesting
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Thank you.
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Congratulations Sandra on your recent success. This story demonstrates your talent.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Congratulations on your well deserved win. Your take on this week’s prompt is just masterful, as always.
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Many thanks 🙂
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Great solid story! It’s just perfectly crafted and packaged. A delight, Sandra. Congrats on your Flash 500 win! Excellent news.
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Thank you Amy, glad you liked the story.
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Sandra,
Yet, another masterful piece of writing. It’s no surprise that you’ve reached you 500 Flash.
Congratulations … May your words continue to floe and delight us with your stories.
Superb …!!!
Isadora 😎
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Thank you!
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Congratulations Sandra, on the fabulous success of Flash 500 and another wonderful entry this week. I love the way you work the imagery into the story, in the first lines… and then expand it so wonderfully!
The link to Flash 500 doesn’t seem to be working here or on Rochelle’s page, but I think i read the story a while back? The restaurant shoot out? Or is that another fabulous piece? Mazel!
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It’s a different one Dawn. I just tried to click on my usual link to Flash 500 and it’s not connecting so I think there must be a problem on the site. Maybe try later. Thanks for reading Lily’s Pond. 🙂
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The site will be back on line tomorrow, I’m told.
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Great piece that made me smile with it’s matter of fact telling. Brilliant
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Sounds like she got what she wanted out of him.
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Firstly congratulations on Flash 500. Maurice will undoubtedly rest in peace now that Lily has jumped the pad.
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🙂 Very clever! Thank you.
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Sandra… how beautiful! I love the word picture! So well done… congratulations on your Flash 500 award!!!! 🙂
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Thank you Courtney 🙂
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Another great story – but from a prize winning writer, I expect nothing less! Congratulations to a talented writer and a friend I haven’t yet met. Well done, Sandra.
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One of these days, Erin… 🙂 And thank you for your comments.
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What a story! Whoosh! Took my breath away. Some very painful shades of disillusionment at the start, the death of a marriage, the question of man vs. security, all perfectly phrased. The ending has to be inevitable, but oh, so beautiful-crafted.
And congratulations, Sandra on your Flash500 win! I read the story, and it was brilliant! You deserve that award! Here’s to you!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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You’re welcome, and it’s my pleasure! 🙂
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Congratulations on A Matter of Minutes! I read it and think it shows good character development. Lily sounds like a mean one and may find herself in deep water if Maurice resurfaces.
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