Live and Let Die
This is my fifth April A-to-Z Challenge. The past couple of years, I’ve written 100-word flash fiction each day. This year I’m doing the same, only with a twist: each day’s story will be inspired by the title of a Paul McCartney song. So let’s continue the fun with…
LIVE AND LET DIE
Ellie knelt down on the newspaper and dug her trowel into the soil.
“Sorry,” she said to the green strands poking out from the dirt. “But if my azaleas are to flourish, you must go.”
After ten minutes, Ellie’s back started hurting, and she could feel her arthritis kicking in. She went inside, took some pain medication, then came back out with a spray bottle of “X-Termin-8” weed killer.
“This should do the job quicker,” she said, standing on the newspaper to dispense the lethal liquid. Her feet covered the dirt-soiled headline:
Popular Weed Killer Linked To Fifty Elderly Deaths
Check back tomorrow for “M”…
“Live and Let Die,” the theme for the James Bond movie of the same name, was written by McCartney and released as a single by Wings in 1973. It reached number 9 on the UK charts, and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
This clip of the song is from the 1973 TV special, “James Paul McCartney”:
And since it is, in my opinion, one of the best James Bond themes, here’s the single version:
Love the song, love the story. Burying bodies in the garden, best fertilizer ever. I wonder if that is why my mom is taking up gardening? I better check on dad tonight. It’s early and my mind is still in the dark sleeping place. Good job, Colin. Really loving these.
Thanks, Elise. Actually… I probably shouldn’t say (after all, the story’s in the eye of the beholder), but that wasn’t the twist I had in mind. I was playing with the idea that Ellie’s out there killing weeds to save her azaleas (“Live and Let Die”–choosing who lives and who doesn’t) using a weed killer that will end up being the death of her. I like your idea, though. So, yes–that TOO! 😉
I’m never disappointed when people read a story in my flash fiction that I didn’t intend. One of the advantages of this format is that allows the reader’s imagination to run wild. And yours is clearly very healthy. 🙂
That is so much better. I told you my mind was still in the dark sleeping place, right. I see now. Still, most excellent. Kind of off-topic, my daughter and I share a music playlist over an app called Spotify so she can introduce me to new music she finds and I can introduce her to my old stuff. Today, she put a huge number of Beatles classics on the playlist and chastised me for not having done it myself. Anyhow, I thought you might find that kind of funny and listening to Strawberry Fields for the first time in ages made me kind of think of your story. I don’t know why.
Thanks again, Elise. My kids make much use of Spotify, so I know of it. Wow, what I would have given to have something like Spotify when I was a teen, scouring record shops for the music I wanted to listen to! It’s good to hear your daughter has excellent taste in music. 🙂 As for Strawberry Fields and my story… Beatles, Paul McCartney, fields, garden, strawberries, red, blood, death… I’m sure there’s a connection there somewhere. 🙂
I too, liked this story Colin! I’ve been trying to be diligent and flit about visiting folks doing A-Z. I admire all of you for taking up the challenge!
Thank you, Donna! And I’m sure I speak for all the A-to-Z-ers when I say thanks for your support and encouragement. It means a lot coming from a stbnytba. 😀
Ha! From your mouth to God’s ear, Colin! I read your other entry too, btw, (K) and should add I loved that! I too was stumped by The Hun. All I could think of was Attila The Hun, but then I saw your reply to one of the others commenting and got it. GREAT story telling!
Given dear old Attila was one of those old Germanic marauders, I’m sure the reference was intended by the Brits during WWI. Thanks, again, Donna! 🙂
Apparently, it will do the job quicker. Just not the one she wants. o.o
Indeed!! 😯
You still got it Colin! Nice twist 🙂 I love the creepy endings, but I like the really sweet one you did too earlier in your posts. So basically I like all of them (I’m rambling, sorry; I just woke up and my coffee’s not working yet). My question is: can I request another sweet ending before the alphabet challenge is over?
Ha ha! Thank you so much, Me! Truth is, I wrote all of these between January and February, so they’re already sort-of set… though, true, it’s my blog, I can change them if I want to. The best I can promise is that not all of them result in someone dying. There might be a sweet ending coming up–I don’t recall, to be honest! We’ll have to see… 😉
Poor Ellie. Maybe she’ll be one of the lucky ones.
Sadly, Ellie had the misfortune of being the main character in one of my flash stories. That immediately cuts her life expectancy. But, you never know… 🙂
Colin, I read it as you intended – she muddied up the paper and didn’t notice her weed spray would kill her! Poor Ellie.
Poor Ellie, indeed.
Ellie is the name of one of my two MCs in one of my WIPs. But she’s not that old, so you didn’t kill her. Thanks =)
I’m glad I didn’t kill her. That would be authorial murder, wouldn’t it–to kill off someone else’s character? Maybe not illegal, but probably very impolite. 🙂
Oh, the price of a good garden! Some people will give their life for a few azaleas. One of the many reasons I’ve never been much of gardener.
My daughter started prepping the ground to plant some flowers yesterday. I’ve not had much success at gardening, but I think she’s more inclined to make it work. As long as she uses the right weed killer… 😉
oh no!!
Indeed! :-O
Whoa! That was a cyclical ending! Nice! Enjoying your posts!
Cheers,
Deepa
Deepa’s Kaleidoscope
Thank you, Deepa! I’m glad you’re enjoying these. 🙂