I found an old photograph at this quaint little antique shop I often visit. Obviously, it inspired me something best served creepy…meet Kelly Green, my latest #fridayflash.
Kelly Green
Foam bubbled through her red strands, hair tangled with seaweed and sand clusters. The shredded remains of her dress rolled with the crashing waves. Caught in a fishing net, she faced the abyss of the sea, flesh bloated and skin a pale shade of green.
Coastal town fishermen finding the body of Miss Green. ''That's our Kelly.''
‘‘She the girl?’’ asked the fisherman holding his net full of fish and a dead body. ‘‘She the one?’’
‘‘Who’d you want her to be? Sure it’s her.’’ Their voices lost in the seagulls above and the deadly waters below. Her corpse danced as the net neared the shore.
Another fisherman waited, boots deep in the tide. ‘‘Yep, it’s her all right. That’s our Kelly.’’ Guilt rose in the seamen’s chests, remembering her atop the white cliffs. Not the first or the last they hadn’t stopped from jumping.
*
‘‘Think it’s pretty, Mamma?’’ Kelly twirled in her dress made specially for the occasion. A sharp shade of green, her favorite. ‘‘Think I’ll be the prettiest?’’ She tilted her head at the mirror, scrutinizing the details by the hem: sparkling gems with embroidery. She recognized her mother’s craft, the only soul in the village with enough patience and skill.
‘‘Don’t you let it go to your head, girl. Don’t want town folks to think you’re vain.’’ Mamma straightened Kelly before kneeling to mend the bad pleat hidden by the sash.
The Fishwives sat by the fire, carefully watching Kelly’s every move, listening to every word. ‘‘I wonder, Mamma…’’ Barely fourteen and dreaming of Jacob on his boat, sweat mixed with seawater. ‘‘I wonder if anyone will want to dance with me but miss their chance. Too shy or afraid to ask me or something.’’ Jacob’s smile at last year’s harvest ball brought hers back. Strong, he’d make a fine husband.
‘‘You can’t go on living with ifs and maybes, Kelly.’’ Mamma’s head bowed to the needle and thread jabbing the fabric, and Kelly noticed the gray mixed with red. Her mother’s hair used to be like hers, before Kelly got picked.
*
The ballots rustled in the wind, the Masson jar half-filled with names. The First Fishwife cleared her throat and read the chosen piece of paper.
‘‘Kelly,’’ she read as the village of four hundred gasped. ‘‘Kelly Green.’’
Kelly approached the altar with her head held high, knowing once She chose you, you obeyed. Mamma cried a little, probably because her days would be lonesome with Dad and Timmy out fishing.
‘‘A proud, proud day to secure the fate of so many,’’ the First Fishwife proclaimed as she regained control of the small crowd. ‘‘God will be happy for such a gift and will give us plenty for the year to come.’’
Kelly’s future lay with the sea, her soul to melt with the waves and her voice to crash on the shore, shouting her name so no one would forget her sacrifice.
Anne Michaud 
July 14th, 2011 at 11:52 am
This reminded me of my visit to the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands, and I could imagine it happening there, in another time. Well done.
July 14th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Thanks, Tommy:) I thought of Beachy Head, writing this piece. Haunting and gorgeous and frightening all at once.
July 14th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
OH, this is beautiful and heartwrenching. Loved the twist! I like how the story played out from end to beginning. Nicely done!
July 14th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Thanks so much, Anita! I figured #fridayflash is the best platform to try things I otherwise wouldn’t.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I find it interesting that they send the soul to the sea, but they recover the body.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Yes, poor Kelly will haunt the beach forever… thanks, Tim:)
July 14th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Loved it. Well done.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Thanks, Di:)
July 14th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
i love the description in this and i really like how it all came from a picture!
July 14th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Thanks, Becka – I have TONS of these old pix, so I’ll do like Ranson Riggs and write stories from the images they inspire:)
July 14th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Very dark – kind of reminds me of The Lottery – you do an excellent job with characterization and tone – the description is awesome too! Well done!
July 14th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Thanks, Angie!!
July 14th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
I use image prompts all the time! The description here is lovely and I really like the ending. Wasn’t expecting that.
July 14th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Thanks so much, Sonia:) I do love me props!
July 14th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
this is beautifully evocative, the image of the corpse dancing in the net with the water, like fish do with their dying breaths. Lovely, well not lovely cos it’s death, but you know what I mean!
July 14th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
I do know, Marc – that image is stuck in my head, still. All blue and gray and beautiful…thanks:)
July 14th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Very Hungergamish. 😉 Great piece. I liked ‘her soul to melt with the waves’. 🙂
July 15th, 2011 at 8:04 am
Thanks Tammy:)
July 14th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Gorgeous imagery. Full-color story from a black and white photo. This is brilliant. I am all about clicking the “Short Fiction” tag in hopes of being able to read more of this — or perhaps reading more in the future! Well done.
This makes me think of my dream of getting together a writer’s group who write short fiction based on a photo then share. I’m always amazed at how different people pick up on different things in photos.
July 15th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Jenny, count me in that group – I LOVE getting inspired by any kind of art form and to read the different approaches to the same theme would be really cool! Thanks for stopping by, there are a few other #fridayflash stories on here;)
July 14th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Many The-Lottery tones in this, except they took it so much better. Something elegant in their lack of ugliness, while being more unsettling at the same time.
July 15th, 2011 at 8:07 am
Thanks John:) I read The Lottery a while ago, I’m not sure I remember all its bits, but there’s a similar ‘luck’ in the draw…
July 16th, 2011 at 9:51 am
I got chills in the last few lines as I realized what was transpiring. A brilliant piece from a black and white photo Anne. Great visualization and wonderfully chilling. You definitely did the picture and story justice. I enjoyed it and it was very creepy. 🙂
July 16th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Thanks Pat! I *love* to creep people out:)
July 16th, 2011 at 11:46 am
It’s such a shame that she never got to find out what a husband Jacob would make. Very sad, but rich in details.
July 16th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
You know what I like to think, Icy? That every time he’ll go to the beach, she’ll watch him swim;)
July 16th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
I can see this becoming a larger piece. Great setting and story. The first part was a great hook, the rest gave the reader more to think on. Some things are definately not what they appear to be. Her mother should have encouraged her to go and kiss Jacob, at least she would have known that before she sacrifced herself.
July 16th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Laura!! Yes, I also think Kelly should have at least gotten a goodbye kiss from Jacob…bet the Fishwives wouldn’t have liked that one:)
July 17th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Oh, creepy 🙂 Very neat story. Thanks for sharing. I can also see it being a larger story.
Julie/Firewolf
July 17th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Thanks, FireFoxy Lady. I’m starting to consider expanding it, after such comments;)
July 17th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
“Not the first or the last they hadn’t stopped from jumping.”
I wondered about the construction of that sentence – and then it came so painfully clear in the last section. A cold, cold, life that, and hard. I can see how such sacrifice might be demanded to assure life and livelihood to the village.
What’s the old Star Trek phrase? “The needs of the many…”
You created a wonderful atmosphere in this piece, and in such a short space. And living, breathing characters.
Excellent.
July 18th, 2011 at 7:30 am
Well, thank you, Kevin:) I do love my flash fiction to be uber economic!
July 17th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Ah a gift to the gods of the sea to ensure good fishing for the next year…. sad for the girl. Nice descriptive writing.
July 18th, 2011 at 7:29 am
Thanks so much for stopping by, Helen:)
July 19th, 2011 at 5:39 am
Wow. I was not expecting that ending. You write such an intriguing story. This was a refreshingly wonderful read. I completely enjoyed it. I’m glad you shared it.
Kwee
Kwee Writings
July 19th, 2011 at 7:07 am
Thanks, Kwee:)
September 29th, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Have heard of your reputation Anne, I am sitting here at the job wot pays the bills, and chanced upon your website. Love the layout and really enjoyed this scary little tale. You have a new fan. Thanks Anne.
Ray.
http://endatheray.wordpress.com/
September 30th, 2012 at 7:10 am
Why, thank you, dear sir ♥