“John!” I cried.
I was walking home, lost in thought. These streets are so familiar — yes, I could walk them with my eyes closed.
Or in the dark.
October days keep getting shorter. Now I walk beneath the light of the moon and the occasional streetlight.
So I was walking home and there was my old friend John, emerging from the alley.
“John O’Reilly!” I said. “I was just thinking about you! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“Karen?” he said, studying my face. “It HAS been years.”
“Just yesterday,” I said, “I was thinking about that day that we skipped school together. That was probably 15 years ago. It’s funny, isn’t it? How you think of someone and then there they are!”
He laughed. Well, it was more of a snort, but that’s how he laughs. Even that sound brought back a host of memories.
“Remember how we ducked out after getting off the bus? We didn’t go into the school — we just headed down to the river.”
“I think that was the last time I was barefoot,” he said.
“That’s what made me think of it!” I said. “Yesterday I cut my hand washing dishes and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. You gashed your foot on something in the river, remember? Broken glass? But you bled like bejeebers and it wouldn’t stop.”
His silence was deafening. I looked up at him, seeing him beyond my fog of memory.
His hands were covered with blood.
This is my submission to the Unicorn Challenge. The challenge is quite simple: write no more that 250 words and use the photo as a prompt.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
OMG !
Oops!
Sounds like friend John has been up to no good.
Nicely crafted piece, Sally.
Ah! I wasn’t expecting that.
A warm and friendly build-up, warm memories, and then ‘Ulp!’
I like stories that leave the reader wondering, and I’m wondering…
Ooh! That was unexpected
Wow! This one is eerie!
Love the chatty, nostalgic lead up to the meeting of the two, and the contrasting horror and mystery of all the blood, and the passing of 15 years. She’s been thinking about him and there he is. So many clues to suggest that all is not as it should be. I’m considering a few possibilities to explain who he is/was, and I love that ambiguity.
loved it
(funny thing, was discussing the business of ‘flashbacks’ with ceayr, how it can be clunky and disruptive if not finessed. seamless integration here, we learn what’s necessary without even hesitating (with the flow of the narrative)
nice
No, no, no! For Christ’s sake, Karen! Get the hell outta there before it’s too bloody late!
Excellent build-up to a horrific ending. Well done, Sally!
Nice (and scary!) twist at the end! Enjoyed it.
Because it’s nearing Halloween, I’m reading this as a haunting tale. But seriously, it did give me a chill!
Yikes!!! I’m hoping he was a ghost back for the season! More please, Sally! 💞