Douglas squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to concentrate on the many questions brought into being from the situation he found himself in. He had to whittle them down to just the three important ones, but Iris's staring eyes were putting him off. How was he supposed to think?!
After a minute or two of fruitless reasoning, Douglas still hadn't decided if "Should he play Iris's favourite Beatles tune?" was an important question or not - and he really fancied a banana which didn't help matters. He was dithering between including the question or not because a) he wasn't sure if he knew for definite which Beatles tune was her favourite - despite her singing "Hey Jude" somewhat incessantly in that underwater cave to take her mind off not having a toaster, and b) the fact that the question had cropped up surely meant that it was a plot point to be remembered at a later time, so it had to be important. Right? He didn't know so he opened his eyes. Iris seemed to be staring even more intently, even though, from her recumbent position on the bed, her line of sight was directed at the ceiling. He looked at his watch - time was escaping him. All thoughts of bananas evaporated.
"Sorry, Iris" Douglas muttered as he stooped down, brushed an errant chocolate raisin off the bed, then slid his forearms between Iris's unconscious form and the rather old fashioned candlewick bedspread, and turned her on to her side to face the wall. "What the hells...?"
A faint, blinking light behind Iris's right ear caught his attention. He gently brushed aside a lock of her dark hair to get a better look. It was probably a bluetooth earpiece, he told himself as he moved closer. Or a hearing aid? Although, Iris never had any hearing problems as far as he knew? But there was nothing there. No audio technology, no medical devices, nothing. Except for the light that continued to blink once every second or so. A light that was flashing under her skin!
Douglas was momentarily stunned. After a second or two that felt like hours, he gathered his wits and looked as his watch again. Then at Iris. The light was still blinking and, from his new position amongst the shoeboxes and notebooks, he noticed that the light was reflecting off a small, white triangle jutting out from her skin next to her hairline. He moved in for a closer look. The triangle looked like the corner of a label. There was even something printed on it - a letter, by the look of it, but only part of it was showing above the skin's surface. Gingerly (Douglas was proud of being a red-head), he gripped the label betwixt finger and thumb and gently pulled it out. One centimetre, two, three, then it stopped - clearly fixed to something within Iris.
Douglas read the fine, block-cap text: MADE IN TAIWAN
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! I love that ending!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the candlewick bedspread. Well played, Mr Devine.
Sx
Glad you like it, Ms Scarlet. I'm not quite sure where I was going with it all, but that's for somebody else to work out now!
DeleteI wonder if Douglas knows how many calories there are in a chocolate raisin?
And happy belated birthday, Mr. Devine.
DeleteAh, thank you, Rimpy!
DeleteJeepers ... this story is taking some unexpected turns. Thank you Mr D!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, Mr Batarde!
DeleteFantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks, but it was your Rennie-reveal that inspired me!
DeleteAw, shucks.
DeleteI don't how I'm going to follow on from that.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you just did - and with pictures, too! I shall have a read in a mo.
DeleteI agree with Mitzi, but I'm sure someone else will cary on with this excellent story.
ReplyDeleteI feel a little out of my depth here!
Don't be silly. You'll be fine. It's all for fun, after all.
DeleteDon't be daft, Joey! This is, as Rimpy says. just a bit of fun!
DeleteSXXX
Joey, I'm with you! This is a blog for writers better than I!
DeleteI must admit, I felt somewhat out of my depth too, and didn't really know when/how to jump in. And each time I'd thought about it, someone else got in before me!
DeleteMy effort was created on panic and adrenaline (and a tiny borrow from a Victoria Wood sketch).
Surly Iris is not made in Twain is she? Or is she?
ReplyDeleteOh it's getting juicier.
And never the twain shall meet. Or shall they??
DeleteI think my vague idea for Iris/es will be taken down a different path by different writers.
Douglas forgot to flip the label. The other side read, "Don't remove under penalty of law".
ReplyDeleteUh, oh! He's for it now!
DeleteThat was a stunning twist!
ReplyDeleteLeopard skin miles! My gosh
An act of desperation, Kylie. I didn't have a clue what was going on! :)
Delete