Island Surprise

Writing using a picture prompt - 300 words.

Claire Jenkins, mystery author, stepped out of the rustic rowboat as it neared the beach, then pulled it ashore. Taking a break during a writer’s conference in Hawaii, she was off to explore the smaller island across the shore. She grabbed her tote bag, which held snacks and a notebook, just in case inspiration struck.

This place is too beautiful to be uninhabited, but she hoped it was. She walked the beach, marveling at the tropical landscape, and then slipped through a path parting the trees. She stopped in her tracks, when she saw an elegantly set table for two in the tropical woods, with a bottle of wine. Claire thought she had walked in on a romantic getaway, she didn’t want to intrude.

Through the trees she was stunned to see a man, wiping what appeared to be blood off his hands, with a wet towel. He was stomping out red liquid drops in the dirt ground, unaware of her presence.  Claire stood still watching him, giant green leaves concealing her.

He finally turned around. "Ohh..." she put her hand over her mouth, shocked to see the handsome man who was half of the newlywed couple staying in their hotel’s honeymoon suit. She and her friends saw them several times in the dining room, and even spoke to them. Where was his wife, and what was he doing? Claire couldn’t help it, her wild writer’s imagination filled in the blanks for what she didn't know. All the news stories of husbands killing their wives played in her mind. Chills ran up her spine, almost paralyzing her. Calm down, you don’t really know what’s going on here. She wondered if she could get back to her boat and off the island without being discovered. But how?

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