Furious fiction

 

1. Your story must include someone PACKING A SUITCASE.
2. Your story must include the phrase “ACROSS A CROWDED ROOM” (as dialogue or narrative).
3. Your story must include the words CHARM, CRUSH and FAINT.

Feel free to interpret these criteria in any creative way you like. The phrase must be word-for-word but can be part of a larger sentence. The three required words can be longer but the original spelling must be retained (e.g., “CHARMing” or “FAINTed”).

Your story must be 500 words or fewer (hyphenated words count as just one) and the winning story will earn its talented author $500AU.

We also love seeing you share the fun throughout the weekend by tagging #furiousfiction in your Twitter and Instagram updates.

You have 55 hours.

The clock is ticking.

She looked across the crowded room her eyes searching for the door furiously. It was time to go, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

 

Half an hour ago, he had gone to bring her a drink 'just for the road' but had not eventuated back. 

 

She had spent that time just waiting, sipping her glass of soda water, and smiling at strangers. 

 

Thinking about the suitcase packed and ready in the room, she was getting restless, as she was supposed to have left by now.

 

She remembered what had happened just 2 hours ago. 

 

Her husband had again slapped her when she had refused to obey him, and she had agreed to do what he had asked her to do. 

 

"Go and get the bloody drink for the gentleman", he had ordered her,  crushing his cigarettebutt in the ash tray. 

 

She had been angry for being the charming hostess to his evil doings. 

 

The drink, actually, the half naked bearer of the drink was supposed to really charm their guest, and the routine was once the guest gulped down the contaminated drink, and fainted, they would rob him and take photos with her naked body next to his. 

 

Blackmail  was one of the weapons he used, and she was his pawn. 

 

She had mixed the drinks, and had whispered to the guest  "pretend to sway a bit please", and had winked at her husband at the same time. 

 

Within 20 minutes, both the guest and her husband had fainted, and she had quickly taken all the money from both of them, and had started to pack her suitcase to leave. 

 

But right at that time, when she was packing her suitcase, the waiter had knocked at the door bringing their room service order. 

 

She had to open the door, so she had, and received the order, but the waiter had pushed open the door to bring the trolley in, revealing the two fainted guys on the floor. 

 

Too much to drink, hey? He had commented. 

 

Yes, they don't know their limits.

She had picked up a glass of wine, as if she had been sipping it. 

 

He had left, and she had shut the door, but then, he had come back. 

 

Oh I forgot to get the order signed, he had interrupted her. 

 

She had been in the middle of getting ready to get out, still she had kept her calm, and had signed the bill.

 

She couldn't let him go now. So, she had poured a glass of wine for him too.

“Come and give this lonely woman some company”, she had slurred the words out. 

 

I don't think, I can, I don't drink on duty. But I can help you. What about fifty fifty. 

 

OK. She had quickly agreed. 

 

And that was the time the guest had come around.

 

What's happening? He had asked. 

 

Picking up the heavy ash tray she had said, “Oh nothing, but I think, you had fainted, while pretending!”

 

Next minute he was on the floor again, but now there was a fine line of red under his head, and his eyes were open, though he had ‘fainted’ again.

And that's the time when the husband came around, and said, "Excellent work"! 

The waiter had picked up the ashtray to silence the husband as well, but the woman knowing pretty well her husband and his resilience, had snatched the ashtray and asked the waiter to clear and disappear.