In the quaint town of Mundaneville lived the lovely Hatter family, who unwittingly wrapped themselves in an unintentional comedic saga that brought them fame across the village.
Norris Hatter, a hardworking office worker, embarked on his journey to a far-off country as instructed by his employer. A few days into his trip, he sent a letter back home stating that he had reached the country safely and planned for her arrival there. Over the moon was Emily, whose minuscule moment of joy was shattered as she switched on her TV for the news.
"Flight to Country X Crashes, No Survivors," the headline read. After a dramatic gasp and fainting on the poor couch, she came to the conclusion that her husband was contacting her from the celestial land above and beckoning for her arrival. In a fit of panic, her reaction was to sell everything—the house, the furniture, and possibly the neighbour's cat. She was convinced she needed to prepare for her ascent to heaven.
But fear not! The postman has arrived! Cue the entrance of our hero. A few days after the fateful letter, she was the recipient of electric news. Her husband was alive! His flight was changed at the last minute, and he escaped the tragedy that was the crash.
Emily was so relieved that she lay on the floor, poised as a giggling star when revelation struck. She had sold all their furniture! Everything, from the bed to her aunt's gift of the cook set that she never used. And so their cosy home turned barren in the blink of an eye.
What a mad banquet of miscommunication. She certainly lives up to the last name of the great old ancestor, the Mad Hatter, for her crazy ideas. With a mixture of laughter and exasperation, she realized the extent of her folly, earning her a place in the chronicles of Mundaneville's most eccentric residents.
Poor Mr. Norris; I truly feel for him. He escaped the tragedy that was the crash, but not the catastrophe that was his wife. As he journeyed back home, unaware of the chaos that awaited him, one couldn't help but sympathize with his unwitting role in this uproarious comedy of errors.
***
How was this?
Prompt: The letter that arrived too late
Task: Write a short story under 250 words. I might've exceeded the word count, but what was I to do anyway? It is beyond me how anyone can form a coherent story with everything necessary with that word count. If you're one of the few, congrats from my side. (367 words, excluding the A/N)
My target: Make it silly. I mean, the idea as a whole is quite ridiculous, so I'd like to think I achieved it.
Well, if you enjoyed it, that's all there is to it. Have a good one!
YOU ARE READING
Short stories from the top of my head
Non-FictionThere's no actual reason to read this. It's just a jumble of odd short stories that I've made throughout my years of living. I won't be using the actual vocabulary I used then, so you don't have to worry about trying to sort through my younger years...
