mystery

Flash Fiction Prompt: The Puzzle That Knew Her Name

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Each piece came with no note, no clue—just a growing sense that someone, somewhere, knew her far too well.

Prompt:

She stared at the nearly complete puzzle, her hands trembling as she fitted the final piece. It was her own face—eyes wide, mouth open—and behind her, a shadowy figure standing at her window.

It began on her 21st birthday. A birthday card with a single puzzle piece slipped beneath her door. She laughed it off, thinking it was a quirky prank. But a week later, another piece arrived. Then another. No return address. No handwriting she recognized. She began saving each one, arranging them on her kitchen table late at night. The image took shape slowly—a park bench, a house, a figure in the distance. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, not until she finished it. When the picture was nearly complete, she noticed something terrifying: the puzzle depicted her living room. And the final piece, still in her hand, revealed what waited just behind her.

Question to Encourage Comments:

If you received mysterious puzzle pieces revealing something personal about your life, would you finish assembling it—or destroy it before knowing the truth?

Flash Fiction Prompt: No Windows, No Past: She Woke Up Where Nothing Made Sense

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Every surface is spotless, every sound is gone — except the echo of a memory that refuses to stay buried.

Prompt:

She woke up with a scream caught halfway between dream and memory.

The walls were a blinding white—too clean, too deliberate. No windows. No doors she could see. Only the sterile hum of a light that never flickered. Her pulse quickened as she pressed her hands against the walls; they were cold, like hospital metal, like the edge of a secret she wasn’t meant to touch. A faint mark—a single fingerprint—stood out on the far corner, as if someone else had once tried to escape. She whispered her name to the silence, but even her voice sounded foreign. Then she saw it: a small camera, hidden high above, the red light blinking. Someone was watching. The realization hit her harder than fear itself. She’d been here before.

Question for Readers:

If you woke up in this room, what would you do first — scream, search, or stay silent and listen?

Flash Fiction Prompt: When Trouble Comes Calling, Don’t Answer Too Fast

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When danger raps on your door, will you answer—or pretend you’re not home?

First Line:

The knock came like the sound of a jackhammer—loud, sharp, and carrying the promise of trouble.

Starting Paragraph:

It was 2:17 a.m. when the pounding started. Three hard raps, a pause, then two more, each one rattling the thin wood like a judge’s gavel in a case that had already been decided. I froze mid-step, coffee mug halfway to my lips, the bitter steam curling into my face like a warning. The streetlight outside cast a crooked shadow across my door, and in that warped silhouette, I thought I saw a fedora tilt forward—old-school, like something out of a black-and-white movie where no one smiles. My heartbeat was a snare drum in my ears. I wasn’t expecting anyone. In fact, nobody should even know I was here. My eyes flicked to the drawer by the sink. Inside was a loaded choice: a .38 revolver wrapped in a dishtowel… or my phone. Neither option promised safety. The knock came again—slower this time, almost polite.

Three Questions to Spark the Story:

  1. Who is on the other side of the door—and what do they want?
  2. What is the secret the narrator is hiding?
  3. How will the choice between the revolver and the phone change the outcome?

Moments of Lucidity

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In moments of lucidity everything seems simple to me. The complicated unravels, the mysterious is no longer a mystery, and for that spit second everything makes sense. It’s a space I want to remain in, but I’ve learned it won’t last. I’m fortunate to have my brief glimpse before returning to jousting with windmills like Don Quixote. The brief glimpses of the simplicity of life helps me to focus on what’s really important:

Love is the answer.

We all need forgiveness, no one is perfect.

Kindness builds bridges faster than a construction crew.

Real-Life Drama You Couldn’t Make Up

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We binge mystery thrillers for the drama, suspense, and shocking endings—but real life? It’s got juicier plot twists, worse decisions, and way fewer commercial breaks. We’ll watch a mystery thriller on our TV wondering how it is going to turn out. The story’s writer’s did a great job in holding us in suspense. We’re not sure what will happen. When we go to bed we may have trouble falling asleep because the ending was exciting and worse, if it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. What we don’t think about is that the mysteries or drama shows we watch are happening all the time all around us. I knew a guy who had been married (notice the past tense) for twenty-five years. He confided in my that he was having an affair. Then he proceeds to tell me with whom he is having an affair. I knew all three people. I didn’t need to read a book to see how this was going to end. Well, he ends up divorcing his wife and he marries the younger woman with whom he was having an affair. He tells me that when he dies both women will be by his bedside each holding one of his hands (talk about narcissism and ego). He did die and no, both women were not holding his hand we he died. Not too much suspense there. The only suspense was how much his first wife was going to get in the divorce settlement. She was the only winner in this story. She unloaded his sorry butt and made him pay.

Episode 62: Grieving – Trying to Understand the Mystery

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In Episode 62 of my podcast, Journey from Grief to Healing, I talk about the questions we ask while grieving that have no apparent answers. I offer a counter-intuitive way of dealing with these questions that helps to move on to acceptance living life more fully and vibrantly.

You can listen to Episode 62 on your favorite podcasting app or click here for Episode 62.

Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to receive notifications of future episodes.

“The Wind” A Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

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The Wind

Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies’ skirts across the grass–
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all–
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

Source

Explore the Enigma of ‘The Secret’ by Emily Dickinson”

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The Secret

Emily Dickinson

Some things that fly there be, —
Birds, hours, the bumble-bee:
Of these no elegy.
Some things that stay there be, —
Grief, hills, eternity:
Nor this behooveth me.
There are, that resting, rise.
Can I expound the skies?
How still the riddle lies!

Source

Inspiring Quote for Today ~ What are You Living For?

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“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive,

but in finding something to live for.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Positive Thought for the Day ~ Today Holds Wonderful Discoveries for You

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Today is a mysterious treasure waiting for you to discover its wonders. There are opportunities everywhere. It doesn’t matter who we are or our status in life, the treasures are waiting for us. Keep an open mind, the day’s treasures may be different than what we wanted or expected, but they’re there and they are waiting for you.

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