A Short Story: Running from a Nightmare

Author’s Note: The short story below is the seventh in an ongoing series and was drawn up based on a recently discovered treasure trove of writing prompts. As a creative exercise, I’ve been pulling two cards from a box of prompts and writing whatever comes to mind — it’s that simple. This week’s topic: “person with an unfortunate nickname” and “person who did something bad a long, long time ago.” Below is my interpretation of that combination. And since we are just couple weeks from Halloween, this is the third post in a row that’ll dabble in some darker themes. I welcome your feedback and, if inspiration strikes, please do share your own version in the comments!

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After a hard workout, John DuBois always drank a chocolate shake. A cup of whole milk, four tablespoons of cocoa powder, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. His wife, Janey, thought it was overkill, but that was the routine and he never strayed.

“Having your chocolate sundae, sugar bear?” She ran a hand across his back and kissed his sweaty cheek as she passed. He cracked a smile and shook his head but didn’t look up. “Need a little whipped cream?”

“Funny lady.” He tipped his head and the sweet concoction disappeared in a few big gulps. “Want me to make you one?”