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One a week

PHOTO PROMPT -© Raina Ng

Officer Bankowski, clad head-to-toe in coveralls, stepped around the yellow tape and entered the kitchen.

“Y’know something Banksy?” Dewell joined him in the corner, away from forensics, “I became a cop to arrest drug dealers. To catch bank robbers. Shit, to be a goddamn hero.”

Bankowski was silent, observing forensics at work as they measured the arterial spray (8 foot), outlined the small void in the red mist on the wall (child, 4 foot), tracked the victim’s steps as she ran from her husband.

“I did not expect to see so many kitchens,” Dewell continued in a quiet voice. “So goddamn many.”

100 Words.

Sigh. Another bleak one from me. I seriously intended to be more lighthearted this week, so I googled ‘Kitchen’ and ‘Jokes’ for ideas. Bad idea. The sheer volume of ‘make me a sandwich’ and ‘get back into the kitchen’ jokes depressed the hell out of me.  Anyway, this lead me down an entirely different path of googling; misogyny, violence… which resulted in the above.

If you are curious about the title:

Violence against women is a serious problem in Australia where:

– Over 12 months, on average, one woman is killed every week as a result of intimate partner violence.

– A woman is most likely to be killed by her male partner in her home.

whiteribbon.org.au

I also read a lot about the 2015 Australian Of The Year Award recipient was Rosie Batty, domestic violence victim and campaigner. Just a heads up, don’t google her story if your kids are asleep, as you’ll want to wake them up and give them a cuddle.

Sorry folks.

If you were looking for something more uplifting I recommend checking out all the other 100 word stories (I’m sure someone has a more positive take) or you can check out my Five Sentence Fiction story from Monday here called ‘Brass Ones‘.

Anyway, I promise that next week I’ll try to be positive.

Try.

Cheers

KT

Published by: wildbilbo

My name is Kristian Thoroughgood, alternately known as KT to my friends, or @WildBilbo on twitter. As of August 2015, I am forty years old. Australian. My blog is intended to be both a place for me to polish my creative writing muscles (not a double entendre) and for others to read and comment on my musings. Expect short stories, articles, essays and other brain dumps. My opinions are my own, and whilst I take care to be at least moderately informed about any topic I speak or write about, these opinions are subject to rapid change in the face of passionate arguments and greater evidence. Please note - on my blog, Evidence beats Passion.

Categories Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Rant, Short, WritingTags, , , , , , , 36 Comments

36 thoughts on “One a week”

  3. KT, Sometimes a sad story needs to be told so others can learn from it. Don’t be obliged to write “positive” ones. Your message here to fight domestic violence is positive too.

    Nice narration and characters in your story.

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  5. The tone was edgy and real. I think it’s great writing. Yeah, the subject matter is grisly but so is life sometimes. It’s very effective writing–the kind you would read in a really compelling crime novel.

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  6. I appreciate the background to your writing inspiration. As a victim of domestic abuse, I say, don’t apologize for bring attention to the reality of it. No downer here, paint the true picture so others can’t turn a blind eye! Although, as a writer of murder and horror, mine, maybe as a way to deal with the horrors of the past, I understand wanting to write in a less depressing format. Sometimes there is no happy ending, and yet sometimes we rise above and despite it all manage to get as close to possible to happiness as we can. You will find that happy muse, but keep writing – you do it so well! Thank you

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    1. Thanks Yolanda, I’m really glad that you commented on this. I get occasional reservations on writing fiction on difficult topics because there are real people (like yourself) who have been affected by these issues. I’m very glad you liked it and appreciate the kind words.
      KT

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  18. Very powerful, KT. I love how you’ve used point of view here. You mention your decision to have Banksy silent while Dewell speaks, but what came across to me is that Dewell is speaking for both of them, and Banksy’s assent and agreement is understood. Marvellous work.

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  21. The demeanor of the detectives said a lot. I worked with a former cop. He hated the domestic calls. Half the time the spouse wouldn’t press charges, or if she did, she’d come bail him out two hours later. It was very depressing and one of the reasons he quit the force. A very well written piece.

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  25. oh! I loved this. The horror of it and the reality of it. All in 100 words. I’m so glad you posted facts on domestic violence. I’m not hopeful that it will end, but it’s more hopeful that this comes more to the fore in our literature…unfortunately, it’s a timeless issue and your story is set in a timeless way.
    Ellespeth

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  26. Don’t worry KT. I brought an uplifting story to the party this week. A good story with an emotional undertone, violence of any kind, but especially against someone you should love and protect, is deplorable.

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