The Unicorn Challenge: The Night Before


The night before was a blur.

Georgina squinted her eyes as she opened them, the light from the sun outside the bedroom too bright for her liking. She sat up slowly; her head spinning.

With a murmur, she took the strands of her long blonde hair out of her mouth. She looked around the strange room, noticing the time on a small clock beneath a TV on the wall opposite: 11:04.

She noticed movement beside her and a man with long black hair and a goatee beard turned to face her. Panicked, Georgina needed to know where she was.

‘Morning,’ the man said with a friendly tone. His blue eyes appeared to shine in the bright light. ‘Sorry, I must’ve fallen asleep.’

‘Who…’ Georgina staggered up off the bed, noticing she was still wearing her red silk dress.

‘Relax, Georgie,’ the man said, ‘You look like you have no clue what’s going on.’ He moved off the bed and over to a chair by the window. ‘You were great last night.’ He lifted a holdall and carried it back over to the bed. He unzipped it, and Georgina saw it was filled with loose money and jewellery. ‘The way you got through that vent to open the door was amazing. And nobody saw us.’

Parts of the night returned to Georgina, and she cringed. She remembered losing her shoe outside the jewellers.

She also remembered gurning into the security camera inside the shop. She closed her eyes and cringed again.

Posted for The Unicorn Challenge. A magical challenge hosted by Jenne Gray and C E Ayr. They provide a photo and we provide up to 250 words inspired by it.

11 responses to “The Unicorn Challenge: The Night Before”

  1. The Sicilian Storyteller avatar

    Oh, you wicked boy! You had me believing there was a bit of hanky-panky going on between these two, and rightly so (I might add) after your delicious description of a would-be morning after. You strung me along … I really didn’t struggle … until the final reveal and what a great surprise that was! An excellent jewelry heist caper. Too bad she couldn’t resist mugging for the cameras!

    A great fun write, Tom!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom avatar

      Hehehe! I couldn’t resist Nancy… although, should I be to blame for the way you read my story? (Walks away, whistling a jaunty tune)

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Chris Hall avatar

    Good one, Tom!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom avatar

      Thanks again, Chris!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Margaret avatar

    Ha. Quite the twist. Georgie’s in trouble, I think. That camera. I like the ‘red silk dress’. Good for slipping through tight vents? Nice detail. Fun story.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom avatar

      Thanks, Margaret. I wonder if we’ll find out what happened next?

      Liked by 1 person

  4. clark avatar

    yeah! what they said…

    excellent intro of characters for a caper story (between this and Nancy’s ‘corn) I’m getting a hankerin’ to jump in the pool for some more old school ‘True Crime’ stories

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom avatar

      Go for it, Clark! 🙂

      Like

  5. ceayr avatar

    I guess Georgie Girl isn’t cut out for a life of crime, Tom!

    Fun take.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom avatar

      Thanks, CE. You’re right, she doesn’t quite fit the bill, does she?

      Like

  6. […] 5)  the Unicorn Challenge bloghop “the kernel of the story: Tom’s fun noir,  ‘The Night Before‘ […]

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