Up in Flames

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Artfully Adelie

PHOTO PROMPT Copyright -Mary Shipman

“It’s a great fixer-upper…perfect for newlyweds,” the realtor chimed as I scribbled my signature.

With naivety and honeymoon smiles, my husband and I gazed at the crumbling castle that we vowed to make our kingdom.

Only two weeks later, I came home with paint and paste to find him drilling something other than the floorboards.

There comes a point when you can only repair something so much.

Despite his praying and pleading, I knew there was no way to restore this to its original beauty.

No more wasting time with tools.

With gasoline and a lighter, I make my final improvement.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to read my contribution to this week’s Friday Fictioneers, hosted by the magnificent Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. I’ll keep this short, because I’m sure you have better things to do than read my blabbering- like checking out some other stories from fellow fictioneers!

Eternally grateful for your love and support,

Adelie

53 thoughts on “Up in Flames”

Björn Rudberg (brudberg) on June 18, 2014 at 2:48 pm said:

He should have known the drill… but I guess he didn’t get it until he’s burned..

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- artfullyadelie on June 18, 2014 at 2:57 pm said:
  
  *applauds* Nice one, Bjorn! Thank you so much for reading and sharing your genius!
  
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andy1076 on June 18, 2014 at 2:50 pm said:

Burn it all and start anew, That’s alright I suppose 🙂

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- artfullyadelie on June 18, 2014 at 2:59 pm said:
  
  I think it’s a rather healthy coping mechanism, Andy. I don’t think you’ve really lived until you’ve set a few things on fire! 😉
  
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Melody Pearson on June 18, 2014 at 2:56 pm said:

Hmmm, hope they escaped before she lit the gasoline.

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- artfullyadelie on June 18, 2014 at 3:00 pm said:
  
  I debated whether or not to specify if anyone was left in that house. I thought it might be more fun to let the reader decide! Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to share your thoughts, Melody!
  
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Woman_on_Pause on June 18, 2014 at 3:14 pm said:

Loved this!!! I hope she paints the town red. 😉

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- artfullyadelie on June 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much for reading and writing such kind words. Yes, I have a feeling she’s just getting started! 😀
  
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tedstrutz on June 18, 2014 at 5:00 pm said:

Some nice lines here… I liked the way she kind of matter-of-factly said ‘drilling something other than the floorboards’… kind of a noir vibe. I liked the ‘vowing to make castle a kingdom’ line too.

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:37 am said:
  
  Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts, Ted. It’s funny, because this character’s point-of-view is a lot more amusing than mine. It’s crazy how those things happen. 🙂
  
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FabricatingFiction on June 18, 2014 at 5:11 pm said:

Naivety and honeymoon smiles – love your phrasing.

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:46 am said:
  
  Thank you so much. I’m not sure where her matter-of-fact voice came from, but I’m really glad you liked it! 🙂
  
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  - FabricatingFiction on June 19, 2014 at 9:35 am said:
    
    I did 🙂
    
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sustainabilitea on June 18, 2014 at 5:39 pm said:

Love the matter-of-fact tone of this, Adelie, and the metaphors work perfectly. Just a grammar thing: “I knew there’s no way…”, you’ve been in past tense so “I knew there was no way” (yes, I know it effects word count, but…). The ending, although in present tense, could stay that way because she could be talking right now. Deftly done.

janet

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:53 am said:
  
  Hello, Janet! Thank you so much for the grammar tip. I contemplated that whole there’s past tense situation, and for some reason, I kept it— not quite sure what my reasoning was at that point. I really appreciate you reading and taking the time to give me advice!
  
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Professor VJ Duke on June 18, 2014 at 9:32 pm said:

Hmm interesting! What was he drilling?

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:55 am said:
  
  Hah…..I think you know 😛
  
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  - Professor VJ Duke on June 19, 2014 at 9:13 am said:
    
    The professor is horribly dull, you know
    
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    - artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 4:02 pm said:
      
      Not at all! The professor is many things- dull is not one of them!
      
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Sandra on June 19, 2014 at 4:22 am said:

Oh very noir! I shall think the worst… I prefer it that way. 🙂 Well done.

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:57 am said:
  
  Thank you so much for reading, Sandra. Yes, I was implying the worst- Glad we’re on the same page! 😀
  
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Snow's Fissures and Fractures on June 19, 2014 at 4:39 am said:

Young and restless, light the fire first, think about it later. You delivered, again!

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 8:58 am said:
  
  I really appreciate you reading and reflecting on it! I agree, arson isn’t always the best solution! 🙂
  
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helenmidgley on June 19, 2014 at 12:34 pm said:

Some fab lines in this, loved the dark humour woven through it 🙂

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 4:03 pm said:
  
  Thank you so very much for reading. It’s amazing what darkness has stemmed from this photo prompt!
  
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patrickprinsloo on June 19, 2014 at 2:56 pm said:

Bravo. Hope the marriage didn’t also go up in flames. Unless ‘drilling’ is a euphemism. In which case, double bravo.

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 4:06 pm said:
  
  I really appreciate the bravos! The drilling was indeed, a euphemism. Suffice it to say the *ex* husband is left with nothing but his tool. 🙂
  
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Caerlynn Nash on June 19, 2014 at 3:07 pm said:

Sometimes a well-placed match is just what you need! 😉 Nice story.

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- artfullyadelie on June 19, 2014 at 4:06 pm said:
  
  Isn’t that the truth! 😀 Thanks so much for reading and for the kind words!
  
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hugmamma on June 19, 2014 at 5:10 pm said:

A gal after my own heart… Loved it!

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- artfullyadelie on June 20, 2014 at 10:02 am said:
  
  Thank you so very much for reading and the sweet words, hugmamma! 🙂
  
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Karen Whitelaw on June 19, 2014 at 10:01 pm said:

Clever and brilliantly written, Adelie. I love the multiple meanings of your carefully chosen words.

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- artfullyadelie on June 20, 2014 at 10:11 am said:
  
  Karen, thank you so much for reading and for writing such kind feedback! It really brightened my morning! 🙂
  
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elappleby on June 20, 2014 at 7:27 am said:

Loved it! ‘drilling something other than the floorboards’ – what a great line! You’ve managed to achieve funny, sad and determination in one story. Fab 🙂

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- artfullyadelie on June 20, 2014 at 10:16 am said:
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such magnificent feedback, elappleby. I wasn’t quite sure what tone I was aiming for at first, so I just let the story go witnessed where it wandered. I figured it was best for her to find the strength to move on, and I’m glad I was able to get a few laughs out of it. Thanks again! 🙂
  
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talesfromthemotherland on June 20, 2014 at 11:07 am said:

I’m not sure I want to know what else he was drilling… dark and delicious, Adelie.

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- artfullyadelie on June 20, 2014 at 1:05 pm said:
  
  Thank you so very much for reading and sharing your thoughts! Yes, I tried to leave out as much detail as possible so that readers could let their imaginations fill in the gap. 🙂
  
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aliciajamtaas on June 20, 2014 at 6:57 pm said:

With naivety and honeymoon smiles What a glorious line – so naïve then “BOOM” ! Great story.

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- artfullyadelie on June 23, 2014 at 9:46 am said:
  
  Thank you SO much for reading and leaving the wonderful feedback, Alicia! I’m glad you enjoyed my little twist!
  
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patriciaruthsusan on June 21, 2014 at 1:24 am said:

Adelie, Good and well-written story. Well, I guess that was the end of more than one thing. Well done. 🙂 —Susan

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- artfullyadelie on June 23, 2014 at 9:48 am said:
  
  Susan, thank you so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. I suppose a lot of my stories are running along the theme of fresh starts! 🙂
  
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Nan Falkner on June 23, 2014 at 4:47 am said:

Dear Adelie, I really enjoyed your story. Was the husband being unfaithful or he really was drilling on something else. If the former, I wonder if she let him know before she threw the match. Wow – short honeymoon! Nan 🙂

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- artfullyadelie on June 23, 2014 at 9:53 am said:
  
  Hello, Nan! As you imagined, the husband was being unfaithful. I thought about stating whether or not he was in the house when she set it on fire, but I decided to leave it to the readers’ imaginations! 😀
  
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Joseph Pinto on June 27, 2014 at 12:04 pm said:

Loved this! What a punch in the gut! 🙂

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- artfullyadelie on July 9, 2014 at 3:13 pm said:
  
  Hah, thank you! I’m glad I was able to strike a good balance between humor, hurt, and revenge. Your comment really made my day! 🙂
  
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  - Joseph Pinto on July 10, 2014 at 7:09 am said:
    
    Good, I’m glad! 🙂
    
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chattinatti on July 1, 2014 at 5:43 pm said:

Naughty naughty…but oooh so entertaining! I love your metaphors and you have some phrases that are on point as well! Well done as usual!

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- artfullyadelie on July 9, 2014 at 4:56 pm said:
  
  I really appreciate your lovely feedback, and I’m glad I could amuse and entertain. Writing this was quite fun, and I’m glad it was a fun read! 🙂
  
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  - chattinatti on July 9, 2014 at 5:24 pm said:
    
    Yes, you have a flair for Sci Fi and pseudo-erotica :D…I say…explore! lol 🙂
    
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    - artfullyadelie on July 10, 2014 at 2:16 pm said:
      
      lol, that’s an interesting combo of genres. I’ll take your advice! 😀
      
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      - chattinatti on July 10, 2014 at 3:53 pm said:
        
        Whooo yeah…I would LOVE to read something that comprises elements of both genres! 😀 lol
        
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Holistic Wayfarer on July 10, 2014 at 5:38 pm said:

Ha ha ha. Something I woulda done. Know when it’s over! =) Thx for the follow. Glad to have met.

Diana

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- artfullyadelie on July 11, 2014 at 1:50 pm said:
  
  Hello, Diana! Thank you so much for reading this! I’m really glad you enjoyed my piece. It was very fun to write! 🙂
  
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