Three friends board a cruise for fun, but one goes missing—overboard. Was it an accident, or something darker?
Grab Hold First Line:
She didn’t scream when she fell; at least, that’s what the official report claimed.
Prompt Paragraph (≈190 words):
Three friends—Lila, Carmen, and Jo—boarded the ship expecting laughter, cocktails, and ocean sunsets. Instead, two days in, Jo is reported missing. The captain says she fell overboard, a tragic accident, a stumble on the slick deck. But Carmen and Lila know Jo. She wasn’t careless. She wasn’t drunk. She didn’t stumble. Jo had whispered to them earlier that night that she had discovered “something dangerous” happening among the crew. Now she’s gone. The official announcement is brisk: a memorial service at sea, condolences, then back to the buffet line. But Carmen and Lila refuse to let Jo’s voice vanish beneath the waves. They retrace her steps, sift through fragments of conversations, and watch the crew’s eyes for fear or guilt. Each hour brings them closer to port—and to the end of their chance to uncover the truth. One question burns: will they prove it was murder before the ship docks, or will the ocean keep Jo’s secret forever?
3 Questions to Spark Flash Fiction:
- What “dangerous secret” did Jo discover before she vanished?
- How do Carmen and Lila outwit a crew that wants them silent?
- Does justice prevail before the cruise ends—or does the killer strike again?
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