“Refinement,” Albert said, raising his glass high. “That’s what’s missing from society these days. A sense of class. Culture.”
Light glinted on the rim of the round glass and danced over the little ripples in the golden wine. Albert watched it in silence for a moment, studying each little movement. The wine’s aroma filled his nostrils. He took a small sip and let the taste linger on his tongue.
Yes, he decided, this was an excellent vintage.
“What a shame,” Albert continued, “that our society no longer values such things. Such wonderful, wonderful things.”
His gaze swept over the room and he smiled a cold smile, one that never reached his dark eyes.
“Wouldn’t you agree?” he asked.
There was no answer. Ten eyes stared pleadingly at him from terrified faces. Twenty hands struggled with the ropes that bound them to polished wooden chairs.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Albert said. “That’s why you’re here. No refinement. No taste. You’re everything that’s wrong with society. And I’m here to fix it.”
A knife appeared in his hand: cold as ice, bright as silver.
“Now,” he said, “if you want to live, tell me which cheese would go best with which wine.”
Word Count: 200
This is for Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner. Thanks to rogershipp for running the challenge! The picture is from pixabay.com.
Wow! I was not ready for that… I could sense immediately that I did not think I was going to like Albert… But NO!!! Not for those reasons… Well done! Thanks for participating this week.
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Thank you! I’m glad I was unpredictable.
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Forgot to say… Loved the title!
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My goodness. What a terrifying awful man. Poor children, what a monster. I hope they escape but well, probably not.
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They still have a chance, I think. Hopefully they can find a way out. Thanks for commenting!
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Albert is the one that is unrefined! Holding a knife as a threat to unprotected people is a far cry from refinement. I hope he doesn’t carry out his threat.
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Violence is a bit unrefined, yes, but whoever said lunatics were consistent? Thanks for commenting!
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Oh dear, oh dear!!! What a thrill!! Please make a sequel out of this. 😀 Awesome write, JA.
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Thank you! Not sure where a sequel would go, but I’ll think about it.
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Scary. Reminded me of a horror movie.
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Thank you!
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Oh yes! I love this, J.A. The casual build up with the wine and then the reveal of the knife. So well done!
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Thank you!
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Reblogged this on A Whispered Wind and commented:
This appealed to my darker nature.
Comments are closed. Please visit JA’s blog to leave a comment. Thanks.
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That was one hell of a culture shock. Absolutely stunning finale.
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Thank you!
And now I’m mad at myself for not calling the story “Culture Shock.”
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