This post is part of StoryADay May (https://storyaday.org/) #StoryADay #StoryADayMay @storyadaymay #freeshortstory #ThursdayDoors #TDWC26
Steffie In Pink
Such a pretty pink house. Such a pretty house. Such a pink house. Steffie felt uncharacteristically uneasy being in such a conspicuous structure, except that all the houses around were conspicuous. Such a pretty emerald house on one side, such a pretty cerulean house on the other, pretty lemon and ochre and lavender and pale indigo houses all around. Because who wouldn’t want to vacation at the beach surrounded by an off-color rainbow?
Not that Steffie was on vacation. Quite to the contrary, she had come to lie in wait for someone who would — not someone who had offered, but someone who would — give her information.
She had found a corner of the pink kitchen that would shield her from the windows. She had found listening devices and had moved them into a drawer in the pink bedroom, had spotted supposedly hidden cameras and had left them, because she had already been seen.
Now she knew her reluctant informant wouldn’t be coming, but her old friend, an assassin, would be. Not a particular “old friend”, since all previous assassins were now deceased, but familiar in type if not person.
The sun set and the pink faded to gray.
In the dark silence, Steffie heard the almost silent tickle of a pick in the lock of the kitchen door. No surprise that the motion sensor lights between the cottages hadn’t come on. She braced herself and so was ready when the threat came, not from the door she had heard, but from the door she hadn’t. Misdirection was spycraft 101.
She reached toward a carving knife from the drainboard.
The assassin dove for it. Momentum sent him plunging into the chef’s knife Steffie had grabbed from the opposite counter. It drove deep, between his ribs and into his heart. He didn’t make a sound, except for the satisfying thump as he hit the floor.
Steffie left the knife in place. If she had withdrawn it, he would have bled red all over the pretty pink floor, and she couldn’t have that, now, could she?
MY PROMPT FOR TODAY: That very pink house.
MA
Bernie Cruikshank
May 12, 2026 at 5:47pmWell ok – that is an interesting direction to head in a pink house! No spots of red for Steffie.
Marian Allen
May 13, 2026 at 8:36amI write a story a day in May, and the one for Thursday Doors always means Steffie the Spy.
Maureen O'Hern
May 12, 2026 at 4:40pmYour ending left me with EUW. Blood on a pink floor? Steffie leads life on the edge, pink or otherwise!
Marian Allen
May 13, 2026 at 8:35amAny blood Steffie spills gets cleaned up ASAP. No trace left behind.
Robbie Cheadle
May 12, 2026 at 3:07amI enjoyed this very much. Very unexpected story for this photo.
Marian Allen
May 12, 2026 at 10:07amSteffie always does Thursdays for Story A Day May. You never know exactly what she’s going to get up to, but it will usually involve some form of mayhem.
Deborah
May 11, 2026 at 11:04amYeah, Steffie walks away again! I love how left the pink kitchen tidy. I loved this line, ” Misdirection was spycraft 101?” Or question.
Marian Allen
May 11, 2026 at 1:28pmSteffie always comes through for her fans.
Brenda
May 11, 2026 at 3:18amThrilling story, Marian. I love the character you created; nothing if not neat. 🙂
Marian Allen
May 11, 2026 at 10:21amSteffie doesn’t like loose ends. She … er … cuts them off.
Suzette Benjamin
May 8, 2026 at 6:56amSuperb writing Marian. Steffie is one pretty cool spy, nerves of steel and attentive to keeping her home’s spotless ambiance despite the unsavory dangers that intrude into her “pretty pink” decor. Love where you took this photo. Great job!
Marian Allen
May 8, 2026 at 9:37amIf she spilled blood, she’d only have to clean it up. Work smarter, not harder, right?
Daniel Antion
May 7, 2026 at 5:07pmMy favorite hero. And, she keeps the kitchen neat and tidy — bonus.
Marian Allen
May 8, 2026 at 9:36amShe’s nothing if not fastidious.