“The Book Club”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: Write a story titled “The Book Club”.

“Is everyone here?” Mrs. Trilliam asked, peeking anxiously through the drawn curtains at the driveway.

Mr. Yorgott scanned the room and muttered each person’s name under his breath. Once he was done, he said, “Yes, that’s everyone.”

“Good,” Mrs. Trilliam said, taking one last look out the window before sitting down.

Ms. Everett stood. “Now, who wishes to begin today’s discussion?”

No one dared speak up. Everyone knew that when Ms. Everett asked a question, it was rhetorical. When she spoke, all attention was on her and her only.

“Very well, I will begin,” Ms. Everett said with a satisfied smirk.

She reached down to pick up the book resting on her seat and slid her finger to a dog-eared page. Ever so slowly, she opened the book to her desired page, letting it flop open and bend the spine backward. Around her, her fellow club members winced at such blatant disrespect for a book.

There was a moment of silence as Ms. Everett searched the page for the correct passage. Finally, when she did speak, her piercing voice echoed around the room.

“Page thirty-nine. Paragraph seven. ‘Cowards should not be underestimated, as their cowardice may prove genius.’ Thoughts?”

Again, no one spoke. Perhaps it was because they were afraid. Or perhaps it was because they all knew something Ms. Everett didn’t…

Final Comments: For some reason, I wrote this hearing a British accent… This was a fun one though!

Overall Rating: 😂