A Simple Choice

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

The prompts: This story must contain the line: "Don't try to stop me."

A Simple Choice

Thelma watched open-mouthed as the alien spacecraft silently settled down in the middle of the south forty.

She considered going inside to fetch her shotgun but a warning glance from Old Luke swayed her otherwise. That dog had more sense than most people. If he decided to give this particular incident a pass, he probably had good reason.

If only Zeke were still here, she thought. He would be a good one to send out and test the waters. Back when he’d been around, Thelma had always considered him to be somewhat expendable.

Problem was, Zeke took off one night and she hadn’t seen him since. She never did find out where he got off to. She’d been watching something or other on the television that night. Zeke came in all excited about something and was ranting, “Blah, blah, adventure, blah, blah and don’t try to stop me.”

Now, a door irised open on the spacecraft and Zeke came strutting out.

He came walking up to the house like he had only been gone for a couple of hours instead of months.

“Evening Thelma. Good folks there,” he said gesturing back over his shoulder towards the craft. “What’s for dinner?”

That was it.

Zeke walked into the shack/house, plopped himself down in front of the television and started cruising through the channels.

Once again, Thelma considered the shotgun. If Zeke couldn’t stay gone, maybe she could help.

As she got up from her chair, the momentarily forgotten spacecraft caught her eye.

“Good folks there.” That’s what he’d said and Zeke didn’t like anyone.

Thelma looked in the window at Zeke. He was watching a QVC special on sharp kitchen implements.

God how she hated him.

She left him a note, “Blah, blah, blah and I’m taking the dog with me.”

Word count 300




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