White Whispers

"What do you think?" Mary's bursting with excitement.

"I dunno, Mum... It's beautiful, but how much-"

"Designer, so it costs thousands new. I got it for... Neveryoumind. Let's just say, a bargain. Try it on. If it's no good, I'll sell it on, make a profit. Win-win."

Tina can't bear to squash the excitement shining in Mary's eyes. Besides, this is far better than anything they can afford.

Perfect fit. Exactly her style. Comfortable. Flattering.

The moment she puts it on, she wants to cry. Every second, her skin crawls. Mary's eyes are teary, too, but she's smiling, hands clasped in front of her like she's gripping a dream and begging it to be real.

"OK, Mum. I'll think about it."

That night, she dreams-

~it gets tighter and the neckline higher the closer she gets to the church. Choking, gasping, can't bre-

She's always aware of it, like an itch separate from her body. Thinking of the big day makes her sick with dread. Around Alec, her heart pounds for the wrong reasons. His smile, that once gave her butterflies, now puts her in mind of a hungry tiger showing its teeth. She

~walks down the aisle. He turns and his eyes are black, hollow. His grin widens until his face cracks, and the rest of him, too, revealing writhing black sludge underneath the pristine surfa-

"Could you keep it at yours, Mum?"

"Of course!" Mary smiles. "Mustn't let Alec see it before the big day!"

I'll think of something. Get another dress. Come up with an excuse.

Tina smiled weakly. "Yes, that's it. Can't let him see it."

It doesn't help. She

~cowers before his fists, feels her nose crack and burst, dismay at the shock of red cascading down the white fabric-

"Mum?" Where'd you get the dress?"

Mary's cheeks go pink. "Why?"

Tina affects a careless shrug. "Curious."

"It was a gift."

"A gift? Who from?"

"I don't know her. She included a letter, something about, from one mother to another. See," Mary rummages in her kitchen drawer and pulls out an envelope. "She included a photo of her daughter wearing it. Isn't that nice? She even looks a bit like you."

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Word count excluding title, subtitle, and authors notes: 366

Submitted on Friday 16th August at 11:15AM

A Year of Stories: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one continues my 229 day streak since 1st January.

Please consider lending your support to the other creators on this madcap "a story every day" adventure. They're putting out excellent content every day!

Rachel Deeming

Gerard DiLeo

The story behind the story: This is the first one of these stories where I've wilfully cheated. I know before I finish it that I'm not going to hit the ending I am envisioning in 366 words, and instead I'm only going to find a Sensible Stopping Point. So there will be another one of these at some point.

This is another one where I have deliberately avoided using first person perspective, even though I wanted to. I think first person, present tense might have worked better because it's better for building suspense. Easier, anyway. What do you think?

Thank you

Especially if you are one of the wonderful people who has been staunchly reading these daily scribbles since the start of the year. I see you, and appreciate you very much indeed!

If you enjoyed this one, the very best compliment you can give me is to share it, or read another!

For more wedding planning shenanigans:

If you'd prefer a wanky poem: write

A recent Top Story:

My look back at July:

My reflections on the recent nonet challenge:

Here's my current Dollar Challenge:

And now for something completely different:

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Thank you again!