Choices

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.


The prompts: This story must contain the words: mattress, trunk and slide


Choices

Edgar considered his two options – three really. He could always choose to do nothing.

The idea of action was, for the moment, more appealing.

Mattress or trunk, mattress or trunk; this was going to be a tough call.

On the one hand, the mattress seemed to be made for the job. It was perfectly shaped for someone that cared to recline and simply let the day’s stream of random thoughts ricochet around in one’s mind. On the other hand, its thin plastic construction made him doubt the object’s durability. This could be important.

The trunk was a little more of a mystery. Edgar felt a little like having to choose either the mattress or whatever was behind door number three. Yes it was big but not quite big enough. Yes it was sturdy; at least it appeared to be so. However, that could be more of a liability than an asset. After all, one might argue that an anchor was sturdy. That didn’t qualify it as suitable.

A wrong choice here might have a considerable downside. Choosing correctly meant life while to pick wrong might mean, well, afterlife.

What to do. What to do.

Edgar didn’t make snap decisions. He was helped along in the process when his peripheral vision caught the horizon beginning to slope upwards. A moment later, his feet began to slide.

Down he went. It was quite a long way down from the bow to the current waterline about half way up the length of the nearly vertical ship’s deck.

As he slid along, he noticed an old woman grabbing at the mattress. He considered fighting her for it but wasn’t sure he could take her. He was more of an intellectual sort.

The trunk it is, he decided just as he hit the water.

Word count 299