
The Wrong Good News
He was big, strong, lean and handsome. Very handsome, as required for the mission he was on.
Dressed all in black, he stood on the edge of a tall, vertical cliff. Directly below him, tiny in the distance, lay a speedboat, tied up to an unseen jetty tucked under the cliff.
With a well-practised crooked smile, he tightened the straps of his backpack and stepped off the edge of the cliff, plunging downwards for a breathless time before hitting the water and going under in a seething welter of bubbles..
Clawing himself to the surface, he climbed aboard the speedboat, which conveniently had a key in the ignition, and sped off across the water, coming ashore on the private beach of an exclusive resort. He did not go to the door, but instead climbed up the abundance of wisteria against the wall and on to a second-floor balcony, listening carefully before using a special key to open the door.
The bedroom was in darkness, but he could hear the sound of a shower behind another closed door.
Opening his backpack, he withdrew a black attaché case, which he clicked open to reveal a rectangular purple box, which he laid reverently on the bedside table before extracting a calling card from a pocket of the attaché case and laying it on the box.
The shower stopped. The man quickly packed everything away and retraced his route back to the speedboat.
The shower room door opened and a young woman, wrapped in a towel walked into the room.
She could have been a movie star, a beauty queen or a top model; a tall, elegant, supremely confident female.
She noticed the box on the bedside table and examined the card, then picked up the box.
Her nose wrinkled. ‘What the…?’
Dismissively, she threw the box down on the bed before thinking aloud, ‘Diamonds? Yes. Champagne? OK. An invitation to Buckingham Palace? I’d take that.’
She snorted, ‘But what do I want with a box of chocolates? Far too many calories!’
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI love her reaction at the end Allan. I have to admit, when I was in my early teens, I used to wish for that wonderful chap to go through all the heroics to leave me a box of Dairy Box on my bed. I looked like a string bean at that age though and could afford the calories. Good job.
What fun, Allan! This so reminded me of one of my favorite jewel thieves/cat burglars – Hercule Flambeau from the Father Brown mysteries. It’s so like something he would do. He hasn’t won over his fair lady yet either, according to the latest show, but it’s not for want of trying. I especially liked the “well-practised crooked smile” – so Sean Connery.
Thank you, Fuji. This story is actually a spoof on a popular TV ad for chocolates in the UK. I had lots of fun bending it.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAllan, this was so much fun to read! I was hooked right up to the end. I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. The ending was brilliant! So not what I expected. Hopefully his next expedition would win him the girl!
Thank you Marianna. It was great fun to write too!
Oh my, Allan, the Cadbury Milk Tray man! Your story took me straight back to that 1960s advert! How we girls swooned over him! Love how you have put a new slant on it with your ungrateful recipient’s response! Very funny and, as always, very well written.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you Linda. I used to loathe the ad, being insanely jealous of the hero!
Milk Tray, that’s the one. My brain couldn’t come up with the right name for the chocolates ????
???? you were very close though, Carrie!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI am not familiar with the ad you mention, Allan, but I visualized James Bond while reading about the protagonist’s heroic activities. At the end, I felt a bit sorry for him for the rejection of his present. But maybe the beautiful lady wasn’t meant for him after all. Good work!
Ohhh, so the iconic Milk Tray man does exist! Apparently, he is once again going to make a dizzying delivery to mark Cadbury’s 100th anniversary on British TV. Thank you Allan for bringing some great nostalgic memories back to me.
It starts like a scene from a Bond movie and ends with a spoiled brat who doesn’t appreciate a box of guilty pleasure! Absolutely great, Allan!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you all for lovely feedback. So much appreciated.
What a fun read, Allan. I almost blew out the coffee I was drinking because I suddenly laughed. Very nicely done.
For everyone (like me) who never saw the original commercial and didn’t even know there was a commercial, I looked it up and here it is!
Cadbury’s Milk Tray Ad
Seeing the commercial makes me love the story even more!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks again Fuji. I hit your link and almost laughed at my own story afterwards!!
Hello, Allan. Congratulations that your story, “The Wrong Good News” was selected for the new theme. I remember how this story makes me blow out my coffee. Re-reading is still a fun read. ?
Thank you Lotchie. I’m afraid I have been unwell since mid-January. Getting better.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYou’re most welcome. Oh no! Sorry to hear that. I hope everything will be better. I am always praying for your healthy body and mind. Please stay safe.