Photo copyright – Adam Ickes
She went shopping with her mother.
He went for drinks after work.
A sexy stranger. A drunken kiss. The wrong witness. Word spreads.
On the pier where he’d proposed six weeks earlier, everything comes undone.
The ring hits his chest, slips between the planks. Plop.
Gravel pelts his shins as her Mustang roars away.
Was she blinded by tears or the lights of the oncoming semi?
He shucks his boots, dives into the evening-calm water, wonders if the gloom of the lake floor is anything like her coma.
Prays if he finds the ring, maybe she, too, will finally resurface.
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I’m desperately trying to find my fiction groove again–my muse has been AWOL for weeks–no cards, no letters, no phone calls. There was finally a tiny spark of something when I saw this week’s photo prompt for the Friday Fictioneers, so I snatched at it and actually managed to churn out a 100-word story.
Things I See and Know 
patrickprinsloo
December 15, 2013 at 3:41 PM
A very sad tale. Tragic.
kerrieanns
December 15, 2013 at 5:53 PM
A very powerful tale of tragedy and desperation. Well written 🙂
dreaminofobx
December 18, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Thank you!
talesfromthemotherland
December 16, 2013 at 1:25 AM
I skipped to the end this week… my second one had been #59, but there was a link problem and I had to re-post. I then realized I could start here and work back. I try to read them all, but don’t always make it this far. Glad I did. This is a really tender story, of mistakes and regret, and the search for redemption. Timeless, and well told.
dreaminofobx
December 18, 2013 at 8:08 AM
I’m glad the foibles of technology brought you to my story! Thanks for reading, and for your kind comments.
atrm61
December 16, 2013 at 5:56 AM
So poignant and heart-rending!Beautifully told.
dreaminofobx
December 18, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Thank you for reading and commenting!
atrm61
December 19, 2013 at 2:26 PM
🙂
rochellewisoff
December 16, 2013 at 5:57 AM
Dear Michelle,
Painfully beautiful and tragically well-written. Happy to see you back. I’ve missed you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
dreaminofobx
December 18, 2013 at 8:07 AM
It is nice to be back–and to have been missed. I’ve not found a more supportive community since I started blogging, and it caused me much distress to just drop off the grid for the past several weeks. It wasn’t even that I was embarrassed that I couldn’t post something of quality amongst so many talented writers…no matter how intriguing the photo prompts, I just couldn’t come up with ANYTHING period. I hope I’ve broken through the wall, because I’ve missed writing fiction, and I’ve missed all of you!
sustainabilitea
December 16, 2013 at 5:36 PM
Glad you made it back. Maybe your muse took an early Christmas break. 🙂 Anyway, he or she is back and on target this week.
janet
dreaminofobx
December 18, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Thanks, it is good to be back among such welcoming folks. I don’t know about my muse…she’s got some sort of serious attention deficits. Very flighty.