He was groping blindly in the night, floating in a black hole that sucked all the light and energy from his universe, was that a faint sound he could hear in the distance, a repeated echo trying to penetrate his consciousness.
He awoke to the discordant beep, beep, of the alarm, haunting echos of the previous night persisting in his tired brain as he stumbled from bed to complete his morning toiletry.
His wife was at the table, eating breakfast, eyes intent on her iPad, he pecked her cheek and stated that he was working late tonight, don’t make supper for him.
Inching out of the driveway, the incessant chatter in his head started like a thousand demons pounding on his skull, with a mighty effort he sought relief by concentrating on steering his way through the heavy traffic.
Sitting at his desk in the office, concentrating on the computer screen, he sensed he wasn’t alone, he had an eerie feeling he was being scrutinized by an unknown entity and found wanting.
Later that afternoon, driven to distraction by his conscience, he pressed his cell phone and canceled his after-work assignation with Joyce Taylor, the company Vice-President.
He must have some explaining to do about the previous night unfortunately
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He just had to come to terms with his conscience.
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Hmm, that is haunting. We are being watched… probably by a Big Brother of some kind…
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He was being watched by his conscience, giving him no peace.
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Oh boy, a self haunting perhaps, the very worse kind. Nice, Len!
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Yes, Gary, when we are haunted by our thoughts or our conscience, it is the worst kind because there is no escaping.
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Erinyes calling…
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(well, he can hope…lol)
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Maybe, but I think it would be a lesser Fury, as he was able to walk away from her Though hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, so maybe Joyce will morph into an Erinyes.
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Excellent story. I am glad the haunting was about his conscience. Nice phrase: “found wanting”.
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Thanks, Frank. As I commented to Gary, the worst kind of haunting because you can never escape from yourself.
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Eagerly waiting for the next installment. It sounds like a ghost looming and coming…
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His ghost was his conscience haunting him.
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Excellent re-framing of a familiar tale. And, dual-function as a cautionary tale as to the inappropriateness of a cell phone as a mode of private communication…lol
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He would never leave his cell phone around for the wife to find.
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A little Tell-Tale Heart operating? A gripping tale of a purely human struggle. Nice Six!
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yes, the conscience is a powerful thing, and it stops us from doing some really stupid things.
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very well done. captivating
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Thanks, UP.
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Is it the phone, black hole or his wife spying on him?
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Nothing so dramatic, just his conscience.
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That is the deadliest. Will not let him sleep.
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You capture the brain chatter really well. And haunted…by his conscience?
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Thanks, Jenne. Yes, lucky for him that he has a conscience.
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Seems your man is not cut out for a wee spot of extra-marital houghmagandie!
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Right on, Ceayr. It’s not for everyone.
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He has some work ahead, most likely, where restoring his marriage is concerned.
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I think so too, Mimi.
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Our conscience can nag us into doing the better thing. It is not worth the stress! Well written.
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It seems his conscience did him a favour, thank goodness he took notice!
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Ignore your conscience at your own peril. It usually tries to lead you in the right direction.
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makes me wonder, what he did. captivating tale!
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It’s what he was going to do, Audrine, but his conscience got the better of him.
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