She had made a poor job …

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

Day three of this week’s challenge! The tale begins here.
She had made a poor job of hiding the damage

As she gazed, Miriam’s eyes took in something she’d not seen before. How had she missed it? She hurried out of her back door, across the neatly mown lawn to the fence where she and Dorothy had spent many a pleasant moment chatting about the frailty of mankind – and one man in particular.


Dusk was approaching, but late sunlight lit up a strange dark mark on the side of next door’s tiny garden shed – the biggest Dorothy had been allowed, sufficient to house a lawnmower, rake, pruning shears and a limited collection of other garden tools. Miriam glanced towards her neighbour’s house, saw the blinds already drawn, and craned further over the fence.

She realised she hadn’t seen the mark before because it had been hidden by an overgrown viburnum. The bush was dying, however, shedding leaves, and it had been that last ray of light through the twiggy branches which had exposed what was – Miriam squinted – a cut, a hole, in the wall, out of which poked a piece of blue plastic.

Dorothy must have made the hole, stashed whatever was in the blue plastic, twenty years ago. She had made a poor job of hiding the damage, but the bush had done the job for her. Until now.

Miriam needed to get into that garden and rescue that blue plastic. It was important. How and when could she do it, though, without Him discovering her?

Next door’s back porch light went on. Miriam eased herself away from the fence, ducked down and waddled back to the house, thinking.

(Read day four here.)

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