Bullet Holes and Babushka Dolls

Jade's fingers drummed impatiently on the ornate, walnut, table's polished surface. "It is the third, Wednesday of the month, isn't it?" she murmured... With an affirmative nod to herself, she frowned and resumed peering through the restaurant's darkened, bay window. This was totally out of character for her typically, punctual friend, Katrina.

"Her precious BMW's broken down..." (as if)! Or she's caught in a ten-car pile-up driving here..." (miniscule chance of that happening here in 'Dullsville'... slumbering deep in winter). Wafting upwards, the smoky, aroma of her third cup of coffee briefly obscured her view of the almost deserted street. Abruptly, Jade scraped her wooden chair backwards and beat a hasty retreat.

Her mind spun crazily... her heart pounded erratically like a novice drummer attempting a rock beat... Ta dum, ta dum, ta ta dum... "A fool's errand, that's all this is... Katrina will be tucked up cosily in bed... she'll chuckle and mock me for needlessly panicking!" Surely such reasoning was futile... her foot pressed harder on the accelerator pedal.

After an eon or two, the darkened cottage materialised in the gloom. The signature, immaculate lawn was now a vagrant's unkempt haircut. Desiccated dandelions crunched underfoot... the mute, house crouched patiently as Jade apprehensively advanced towards its entrance. Her knuckles rapped against the rustic door... the evening echoing emptily.

"Katrina... please be okay!" The anxious anthem droned on and on... stuck on repeat. Hastily retrieving the spare key stashed under the china garden gnome, she unlocked the front door.

Advancing, apprehensively through the noiseless rooms, ears straining for any sound at all, Jade inched towards the main bedroom.

"Everything's fine!" she chided herself. "She's been working too hard; maybe she's unwell; she accidentally dropped off to sleep..." Jade quietly called... "Katrina, are you alright?"

No reply! Barely visible, through a crack in the bedroom doorway, she spied Katrina's cherry red, star patterned patchwork quilt. Easing into the seemingly, unoccupied room, Jade spun slowly on her heel... bewildered. "What on earth?"

A rogue breeze caught the door behind her... THUMP! Leaping in fright, heart pounding, she gazed balefully at the closed door. The normally pristine architrave was splintered in several spots... surely not!

Bullet holes... three of them!

Ice water trickled down her spine. "What happened here?" her muddled mind mumbled. Her stare wandered around the room, futilely attempting to make sense of the unfathomable. It lit upon one of Katrina's most prized possession... her set of antique Babushka dolls... a gift from the Ukraine. Katrina's twin brother Grant had recently brought them back for his sister... but that was before... before he died suddenly, tragically in an horrific car crash! Since then, their display had taken on an almost shrine like appearance.

Not so now! The largest doll lay desolately on its side.

Distractedly, Jade picked up the fallen doll... the two halves fell apart. Out tumbled a tiny scrap of tightly folded paper... on it, hastily scrawled, she read...

~ Creek

~ 2:00am

~ G

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'Half baked', apologies Poppy!

My immediate thought, when I read your random prompts was to revert to a 'Year Three's mindset and dream up a scenario which included all five 'Spelling' words!

I doubt by any stretch of imagination, that this could be seen as a poem... however, I had fun with it.

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See below for Poppy's Prompts: January Edition