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!’

0 0 votes
Post Rating
19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Carrie OLeary
Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
1 year ago

I 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.

Fuji
Fuji(@fuji)
1 year ago

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.

Marianna Pieterse
Marianna Pieterse(@marianna-pieterse)
1 year ago

Allan, 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!

Linda Rock
Linda Rock(@linda-rock)
1 year ago

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.

Carrie OLeary
Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
Reply to  Linda Rock
1 year ago

Milk Tray, that’s the one. My brain couldn’t come up with the right name for the chocolates ????

Linda Rock
Linda Rock(@linda-rock)
Reply to  Carrie OLeary
1 year ago

 ????  you were very close though, Carrie!

Christer Norrlof
Christer Norrlof(@christer-norrlof)
1 year ago

I 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!

Margarida Brei
Margarida Brei(@margarida-brei)
1 year ago

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.

Greene M Wills
Greene M Wills(@greene-m-wills)
1 year ago

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!

Lotchie Carmelo
Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
1 year ago

What a fun read, Allan. I almost blew out the coffee I was drinking because I suddenly laughed. Very nicely done. 

Fuji
Fuji(@fuji)
1 year ago

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!

Last edited 1 year ago by Fuji
Lotchie Carmelo
Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
2 months ago

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. ?

Lotchie Carmelo
Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
Reply to  Allan Neil
2 months ago

You’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.

Recent Comments

19
0
Selected Authors may submit comments (5 Credits)x
()
x
Scroll to Top

Sharing a Post

Why do my friends need to SignIn to read the post I shared?

Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!