{"id":6858,"date":"2025-06-10T21:43:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=6858"},"modified":"2025-06-20T23:10:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:10:26","slug":"the-pocket-pals-guide-to-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=6858","title":{"rendered":"THE POCKET PAL\u2019S GUIDE TO MURDER"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\"><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6340 size-medium alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-245x300.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Reading A Book\" width=\"245\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-245x300.jpg 245w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-837x1024.jpg 837w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-768x940.jpg 768w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-1256x1536.jpg 1256w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/scottreadingbook-1674x2048.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 Okay, time for another fully realized original short story by me, Scott Henderson.\u00a0 I have been working on this story for over a month and it hasn&#8217;t been easy.\u00a0 My notes show I started the story on May 5th.\u00a0 I finished the final edit yesterday on June 9th.\u00a0 Why so long?\u00a0 Well, let&#8217;s give you some point by point excuses why it took so long to write my current story.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">1)\u00a0 Get an idea.\u00a0 I had the idea of this pocket device that will do almost everything for you but it&#8217;s a little kooky and drives a young woman nuts.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">2)\u00a0 Mull it over.\u00a0 Change the setup and then come up with an ending without writing a single word then try and figure out how you&#8217;re going to steer your story to your new ending.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">3)\u00a0 Write a blahg about Clifford Simak instead.\u00a0 That was my blahg, <a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=6796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">THAT BLAHG ABOUT CLIFFORD D. SIMAK<\/a>, that I published on May 13th.\u00a0 I think it&#8217;s a good blahg but it was also a distraction.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">4)\u00a0 Get obsessed with trying to find some Funko Pops you really wanted.\u00a0 I learned there was going to be a new batch of Jimmy Neutron Funko Pops released and I really wanted them.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mypops.ca\/cdn\/shop\/files\/Jimmy_Neutron_Bundle_Image_720x.png?v=1742406619\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mypops.ca\/cdn\/shop\/files\/Jimmy_Neutron_Bundle_Image_720x.png?v=1742406619\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"496\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">My wife managed to find Jimmy Neutron at the Hot Topic store in Kingston.\u00a0 At the same time she also found two of the new Goofy Movie 30th Anniversary Pops:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goofymovpops.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6859\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goofymovpops.jpg\" alt=\"Goofy Movie 30th Anniversary Pops\" width=\"492\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goofymovpops.jpg 602w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goofymovpops-300x215.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">She picked up Goofy and Max as Powerline.\u00a0 That left Roxanne and Bobby.\u00a0 No one had Bobby.\u00a0 If he was listed anywhere, he was sold out.\u00a0 I know that he was available through Hot Topic because Top Pops through his YouTube channel showed him picking them up. He managed to score Goofy, Max, and Bobby all in one go.\u00a0 The Bobby has a Funko exclusive sticker on him so I knew he&#8217;d be hard to locate.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ee1B98EvVDY?si=Fi6crvhFBaJfTRJq\" width=\"450\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">Roxanne was also hard to find.\u00a0 Online Funko shops listed her as coming out on December 31st of this year but that didn&#8217;t make any sense.\u00a0 Game Stop&#8217;s website listed her as coming out on May 16th.\u00a0 There was a pre-order link to order and pick up in the store but I decided I&#8217;d try my local Game Stop on May 16th.\u00a0 No, she was not there.\u00a0 The Game Stop website then showed her as coming out on May 23rd but the pre-order link was gone.\u00a0 I tried Game Stop on May 23rd but no luck.\u00a0 The release date online then shifted to May 30th and the pre-order in store pick up link was back.\u00a0 I ordered it.\u00a0 Game Stop also listed Max and Goofy but had no listing for Bobby.\u00a0 I was able to order a Bobby off of Amazon and it arrived by May 28th.\u00a0 On May 30th I went to my local Game Stop and they had Roxanne for me.\u00a0 They also had Bobby.\u00a0 Just my luck, I had decided to order it from Amazon and pay $10 more than the Game Stop price.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">\u00a0 \u00a0Getting back to the Jimmy Neutron figures, no other website had the two other pops, Carl and Sheen listed so I had to order them from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/funko.com\/ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.funko.com\/ca<\/a>.\u00a0 My wife and I went back to Hot Topic in Kingston on May 24th to see if they might have received Bobby or Roxanne in stock.\u00a0 They didn&#8217;t have them.\u00a0 We then went across the road to the Game Stop where I saw Carl and Sheen.\u00a0 By then, I&#8217;d already received them in the mail.\u00a0 Game Stop had not listed them on their website but when I got home, I checked their website and they were listed.\u00a0 What gives Game Stop?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">5)\u00a0 Celebrate your wedding anniversary on May 30th and pick up Roxanne at Game Stop.\u00a0 Jeanette and I went out to Swiss Chalet then went to the movies, after picking up Roxanne, and saw the new Mission: Impossible movie.\u00a0 It was good.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s the photo I posted on Facebook to celebrate our 38th Anniversary.\u00a0 It&#8217;s us 38 years ago!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jeanetteandI.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6879\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jeanetteandI.jpg\" alt=\"Jeanette and I on our wedding\" width=\"474\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jeanetteandI.jpg 478w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jeanetteandI-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">6)\u00a0 Decide to recover our living room floor.\u00a0 Okay, we&#8217;ve been thinking about this for a while.\u00a0 We&#8217;ve lived in our old house for more than twenty years, and our living room floor has always been a bit of an eyesore.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s a couple of before photos that Jeanette took:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6878\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1.jpg\" alt=\"Old Floor Before 1\" width=\"492\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6877\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2.jpg\" alt=\"Old Floor Before 2\" width=\"496\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/oldfloor2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">We started the job on June 1st by removing all of the furniture and then laying down underlayment over top of the old flooring.\u00a0 We then worked a couple of hours each night and then again a little more on Saturday June 7th and then two smaller pieces on June 8th.\u00a0 We both were sore and tired and realized we had more muscles to spare twenty years ago.\u00a0 Back then, however, we had a full house of kids and cats and not enough money.\u00a0 The flooring was on sale this year at Rona and I bought the underlayment off a guy on Facebook Marketplace.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s the result with some during and after photos.\u00a0 The white stuff is the underlayment.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6881\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1.jpg\" alt=\"New Floor 1\" width=\"485\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6880\" src=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2.jpg\" alt=\"New Floor 2\" width=\"495\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newfloor2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">Our cat, Zoey found a spot of sunshine to enjoy along with the new floor.\u00a0 Well worth all our efforts\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">7)\u00a0 \u00a0Live your life.\u00a0 Work was busy and we had lots to do and people to see.\u00a0 That was the best distraction.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif';\">\u00a0 \u00a0Finally, the story is done.\u00a0 It&#8217;s a little long and little darker than what I usually write and it went off in a different direction than I expected but I think the ending really pulls it together.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">THE POCKET PAL\u2019S GUIDE TO MURDER<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">by<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Scott Henderson<\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>The chicken was white.\u00a0 It strutted across the farmyard.\u00a0 It also pecked for food.\u00a0 It did not lay an egg that morning but some other hens did.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThis is garbage,\u201d Sally Hines said aloud after reading out her first attempt at writing a new story.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally clicked the A.I. correction button in the word editing software.\u00a0 There were no suggestions.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThat cinches it.\u00a0 You can\u2019t improve on garbage, Anna.\u201d\u00a0 Sally was getting good at expressing her opinions to herself.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cThe enigmatic and sudden disappearance of a main character, such as a farmer, would be a great plot device for a mystery story.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Sally turned and looked at her Pocket Pal.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cYou\u2019re kidding right, Anna?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>As if to signify it was not kidding, Anna said nothing.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThere\u2019s definitely something wrong with that thing,\u201d Sally thought to herself.\u00a0 She felt it was probably safer not to say it out loud.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to deal with a response from Anna.<\/h3>\n<h3>At first Sally thought the Pocket Pal was a blessing.\u00a0 Now, she wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/h3>\n<h3>The Pocket Pal had been marketed as the electronic aid that no one should live without.\u00a0 It synced to your phone, your tablet, and your personal computer.\u00a0 It operated on vocal commands to send texts, make phone calls, turn on and off other synced devices, and provided research on anything Sally Hines could think to ask of it.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sometimes it provided data when Sally Hines did not ask.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cExtrapolating from recent playlists, I have selected the following song for your personal enjoyment.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Sally did like the song that Anna had selected.\u00a0 Still, it was alarming to hear Anna offer the suggestion without being prompted.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201c<em>Did you know that Dung Beetles do not necessarily have to eat or drink anything else, because the dung provides all the necessary nutrients?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Anna had offered on another occasion.\u00a0 It had not related to anything in any conversation Sally had ever had with Anna.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cNo, I did not know that Anna.\u00a0 Thank you for the information.\u201d\u00a0 Sally had become accustomed to Anna\u2019s idiosyncrasies.<\/h3>\n<h3>After the Dung Beetle dialogue, Sally thought it was time to review Anna\u2019s manual again.\u00a0 These uninvited information offerings had become more and more frequent and Sally wanted to be sure that it wasn\u2019t something she had wrongly set in Anna\u2019s programing.<\/h3>\n<h3>The manual offered nothing insightful.\u00a0 There was some dribble about thanking the user for their discerning purchase and how they should be prepared to have their life changed for the better.\u00a0 Beyond that it was simple steps about harmonizing the Pocket Pal to all other devices, vocal recognition, and choosing a voice suitable to the user\u2019s needs.\u00a0 Customization of voice followed a section on naming your new Pocket Pal to suit your whim.\u00a0 Sally had chosen a pleasing female voice and called her device Anna.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t without thought.\u00a0 Anna had been the name of Sally\u2019s imaginary friend when she was younger.\u00a0 Now she was more than Sally\u2019s imaginary friend, she was Sally\u2019s Pocket Pal.<\/h3>\n<h3>Initially, it was simple.\u00a0 All Sally had to do was to say Anna\u2019s name and then instruct her on what Sally wanted her Pocket Pal to do.\u00a0 Anna had both a microphone and a speaker.\u00a0 Anna could send texts and make phone calls.\u00a0 She could create reminders with Sally\u2019s prompting.\u00a0 Anna was also intuitive and would let Sally know if there were upcoming events from Sally\u2019s texts or calendar.\u00a0 At those times, it would be Anna who would prompt Sally.<\/h3>\n<h3>Comparable in size to a deck of cards, it was simple to carry Anna in a purse, a bag, or in a pocket; as her marketed name suggested.\u00a0 For an extra fee, you could purchase a holster that could be worn on the waist or adjusted to secure to the forearm or even between the elbow and shoulder area.\u00a0 Sally had opted for the latter.\u00a0 She often thought of rolling Anna up in her shirt sleeve like a pack of cigarettes.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen the cool kids do that when she\u2019d attended high-school even though Sally had never been part of that group.<\/h3>\n<h3>When it came to friends, Sally could not boast great success.\u00a0 Her imaginary friend Anna had been her constant companion in her pre-teen years and she struggled to make lasting connections later on.\u00a0 Even her ex-boyfriend Bryce had turned out to be a jerk.\u00a0 Sally often thought that if she asked her Pocket Pal for a generated list of names for a jerk type character that the name Bryce would be close to the top.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally hated Bryce.\u00a0 The feeling had been immediate and lasting after their breakup.\u00a0 In reality it hadn\u2019t been much of a breakup.\u00a0 Bryce had admitted to Sally by text that he had met someone else and he and Sally were through.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even have the compassion to add \u2018it\u2019s not you, it\u2019s me.\u2019 Even \u2018it\u2019s been fun\u2019 or \u2018I wish you the best\u2019 would have been something.\u00a0 Sally hated Bryce.<\/h3>\n<h3>When Bryce left, Sally cried for days.\u00a0 Anna had been her only friend during that period.\u00a0 Anna would play sad songs or happy songs or offer advice like <em>\u201cI am here for you Sally if you have any requests\u201d<\/em> or <em>\u201cmany people indulge in substantial doses of ice-cream and Netflix following the end of a relationship.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Well, they may not have been tailored expressly for Sally but she took comfort knowing she could talk to Anna and not be judged.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally\u2019s healing process after Bryce had been to throw herself back into her writing.\u00a0 She\u2019d always enjoyed writing fiction and as a youth she had included her fictional friend Anna in many of her literary efforts.\u00a0 When she was with Bryce, she hadn\u2019t found time to indulge in writing.\u00a0 She was focussed on the relationship and between her day job and Bryce she had been busy enough.\u00a0 Sometimes as an Event Coordinator everything else had to take second place.\u00a0 Events weren\u2019t always a daytime occurrence.\u00a0 Occasionally there were evening galas or weekend weddings or holiday experiences.\u00a0 Maybe Sally had not given all of her attention to Bryce and maybe he\u2019d wanted her entire focus to have been on him.\u00a0 No, Sally thought, he\u2019d been a jerk.\u00a0 Skimpy floral arrangements or miscoloured balloon schemes or insufficient chair rentals couldn\u2019t handle themselves.\u00a0 Sometimes Sally had to step in.\u00a0 Bryce should have understood that.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t and that\u2019s why he was a jerk\u2026as well as how he\u2019d broken things off.\u00a0 Sally hated Bryce.<\/h3>\n<h3>Writing, at times, could be cathartic but since Bryce, Sally had found it more of a chore and the words did not always come easy to her.\u00a0 She\u2019d find herself using the A.I. editing software more often or would turn to Anna and ask for synonyms or suggestions for locales.\u00a0 The current chicken scenario had proven to Sally her creative processes were slowly running dry.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally thought again about Anna\u2019s suggestion that she kill off the farmer in her current story.\u00a0 Well, that hadn\u2019t been exactly what Anna had suggested but it was close enough.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, what was that you said about the mysterious disappearance of a main character making for an interesting read?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cThe enigmatic and sudden disappearance of a main character, such as a farmer, would be a great plot device for a mystery story,\u201d<\/em> Anna repeated.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought you said,\u201d Sally replied.\u00a0 Anna\u2019s unsolicited suggestion, although disturbing at first, might prove to be helpful after all.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, if you were stuck for a story idea, what suggestions could you offer for a suitable plot idea?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cCurrently, themes of sex or murder factor significantly in the bestselling novels,\u201d<\/em> came Anna\u2019s reply.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cWell Anna, there\u2019s certainly none of either of those happening around here,\u201d Sally offered as a response.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cYou once told me you hated Bryce,\u201d <\/em>Anna countered.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally was taken aback.\u00a0 What did Anna mean by that?\u00a0 Was she suggesting that the murder of Bryce was a good idea or was she reminding Sally that she shouldn\u2019t dwell on the lack of sexual activity in her life because Sally\u2019s last partner had turned out to be a jerk?<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cRevenge themed murders rank highly among the most popular mystery stories,\u201d<\/em> Anna continued.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cWe\u2019re talking about a story idea, right Anna?\u201d\u00a0 Sally wasn\u2019t quite certain of Anna\u2019s meaning.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cThere are certain toxins in plant varieties that when combined correctly can produce an undetectable poisonous substance.\u00a0 I have just sent the information to your cell phone.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Sally\u2019s phone chimed with the notification of data received to the Pocket Pal app.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally scrolled through the material.\u00a0 Anna had been very thorough.\u00a0 Oddly, all of the plants suggested by Anna were easily available.\u00a0 Sally had another very uneasy feeling about her Pocket Pal.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, I asked you before if we were talking about a story idea?\u201d\u00a0 Anna had not directly answered Sally\u2019s initial question.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cMark Twain was famously attributed as saying \u2018write what you know\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know anything about murder.\u201d\u00a0 Sally wasn\u2019t sure what to do now about Anna.\u00a0 Anna was offering inappropriate suggestions.\u00a0 Or was she?<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cYou once told me you hated Bryce.\u00a0 I have sent information to your phone regarding certain toxins in plant varieties that when combined correctly can produce an undetectable poisonous substance.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0Anna was now merging previous statements to formulate a new response.\u00a0 Sally was left to make the conclusion that Anna was indeed suggesting she murder Bryce and was providing Sally with the means to do it.<\/h3>\n<h3>None of this made any sense.\u00a0 Sally had been talking about writing a story that involved murder and Anna was suggesting an actual murder as inspiration for the story.\u00a0 Write what you know.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Anna was suggesting.\u00a0 Could she really write a murder themed story?\u00a0 Sally Hines had to give it more thought.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally decided to go for a run to clear her head.\u00a0 She left all of her electronic devices at home.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t say anything to Anna.\u00a0 Anna didn\u2019t need to know.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t even miss Sally.<\/h3>\n<h3>During her run, Sally tried to set aside everything Anna had said.\u00a0 It had all been literary advice but the way Anna had repeated herself about the toxins and Sally\u2019s hatred of Bryce was off-putting.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally tried to focus on her run.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help.\u00a0 Subconsciously she steered herself along a route that included places she once visited with Bryce.\u00a0 She even found herself running past Bryce\u2019s apartment building.\u00a0 When she realized where she was, she stopped to silently mouth \u201cI hate you Bryce.\u201d\u00a0 Anna had picked up on that.\u00a0 Sally thought she had let go of Bryce but it was apparent that Sally\u2019s loathing of Bryce had not abated.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally abandoned all attempts at writing over the following days.\u00a0 Every time she sat anywhere near her computer, Anna would randomly recite facts that seemed to be spurring Sally toward action.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cUnsolved murders, often referred to as cold cases, are a significant issue, with a substantial percentage of homicide cases remaining unresolved. Approximately fifty percent of all murder cases go unsolved.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cNearly 346,000 cases of homicide and non-negligent manslaughter went unsolved from 1965 to 2023, according to the FBI\u2019s Uniform Crime Report.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201c<em>Getting Away with Murder is the fourth studio album by American rock band Papa Roach.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cHow to Get Away with Murder was an American television series that premiered on the American Broadcasting Company on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally lay awake at night and ran over everything in her head.\u00a0 Anna wanted her to kill Bryce.\u00a0 She had provided Sally with the means.\u00a0 She had been suggesting that Sally could get away with murder.\u00a0 Sally hated Bryce.\u00a0 Bryce\u2019s murder would make for great inspiration for a story.\u00a0 Write what you know.\u00a0 Sally didn\u2019t know murder but Anna had made it sound so easy.\u00a0 And Sally hated Bryce.\u00a0 There was always that.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, wouldn\u2019t the person taste the poison brewed from the toxins of plants?\u201d\u00a0 Sally asked of Anna after another night of restlessness.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t resolved to the idea of murdering Bryce so she treated the information gathering from Anna as research for the eventual story she would write.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cSome bitter tastes can be disguised by spices such as cinnamon or cardamom.\u00a0 Strong tea or coffee flavours can also mask overwhelming flavours.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cSolar Eclipse, Anna.\u00a0 Solar Eclipse.\u201d\u00a0 Sally was just musing aloud and didn\u2019t expect an answer form Anna.\u00a0 Sally had developed a thought regarding hiding the bitter taste of a poison.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cA solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun&#8217;s light. This can result in a total, annular, or partial eclipse, depending on the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about that Anna, I meant\u2026\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cCarly Simon\u2019s 1972 song \u2018You\u2019re So Vain\u2019 contains the lyrics \u2018I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won, then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun.\u2019 \u201c<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cCoffee, Anna.\u00a0 I\u2019m talking about coffee.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cSolar Eclipse is a brand of dark roast coffee.\u00a0 It is known for its bold, intense taste and robust aroma.\u00a0 The beans are roasted for a longer time and at a higher temperature than lighter roasts, which results in a more pronounced, bittersweet flavour with a hint of smokiness.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThat\u2019s enough Anna.\u00a0 I know what Solar Eclipse is.\u00a0 I\u2019m the one who brought it up.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally hated Solar Eclipse just as much as she hated Bryce. It had been Bryce\u2019s favourite and she couldn\u2019t stand the smell of it.\u00a0 She thought it was overpowering but she had always kept some on hand whenever Bryce was staying over.\u00a0 Sally was more of a lighter roast or breakfast blend fan when it came to coffee.\u00a0 She\u2019d found a few of Bryce\u2019s coffee machine pods in her apartment after the breakup.\u00a0 She had tried one to see why Bryce had liked it so much.\u00a0 Part of her had thought that if she learned to like everything Bryce liked then maybe she could win him back.\u00a0 She hated the coffee.\u00a0 It bolstered her hatred of Bryce even more.\u00a0 She eventually threw out the remaining pods.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally began to think more and more about the method of murder and concealing the toxin taste in the dark roast coffee.\u00a0 It could be done but how to get him to drink it?\u00a0 She and Bryce weren\u2019t together anymore and she was sure he would be suspicious of any invitation from her to meet up for coffee; poisoned or otherwise.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, how much poison concocted from certain toxins in plant varieties would it take to kill the average human being?\u201d\u00a0 Sally had come to the realization that she needed to be specific when asking anything of Anna.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cOn average 1.5 to 2mm of a poisonous substance is enough to be fatal to a human being.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Anna could also be specific.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally began to make notes of what she was considering to be the perfect murder.\u00a0 The specific plant varieties were easily obtainable.\u00a0 She would need to crush these down to a fine powder and mix them thoroughly.\u00a0 Sally also gave considerable thought to the method of delivery.\u00a0 She recalled the coffee pods she had discovered after Bryce\u2019s departure and how strongly they had smelled and tasted.\u00a0 If she could somehow insert the toxins directly into the pod then when it was brewed the resulting beverage would be the perfect lethal combination.<\/h3>\n<h3>The more Sally worked on her plans the more she became resigned to the idea that she really could get away with murdering Bryce.\u00a0 The deciding factor was when she found Bryce\u2019s spare key in the pocket of a jacket she hadn\u2019t worn in a while.\u00a0 When Bryce had texted her about the key she said she had thrown it away.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to admit she\u2019d lost it.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally Hines now had means, method, and opportunity to end the life of her ex-boyfriend Bryce.\u00a0 The more she had planned and the more she had thought about it in the context of story writing, the more she realized she was just deluding herself.\u00a0 She had never gotten over Bryce\u2019s betrayal and that hatred had continued to consume her.<\/h3>\n<h3>She began to stalk him online.\u00a0 She checked out his social media presence and read with disgust everything he posted.\u00a0 He was with someone new now.\u00a0 Sally wasn\u2019t sure what numbered incarnation of companions this one was since the split or if the newest one was a stopping point on the way to the next.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cA social media influencer?\u00a0 He\u2019s dating a social media influencer, Anna!\u00a0 We used to make fun of those types of people.\u201d\u00a0 Sally\u2019s latest outburst was after checking out Bryce\u2019s newest girlfriend\u2019s online profile.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201c\u2018Social media influencers can negatively impact followers through the promotion of unrealistic beauty standards, misinformation, and unethical consumption behaviors. They can also contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and body image dissatisfaction, especially among vulnerable youth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Anna had opinions of her own that oddly matched those of the Pocket Pal\u2019s owner.\u00a0 Sally was not oblivious of the fact.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cA blonde Foodie!\u00a0 Is there anything worse?\u00a0 She\u2019s rail thin for crying out loud.\u00a0 What does she even know about food Anna?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cA Foodie is a person who has a strong passion for food, going beyond simply eating to encompass a deep appreciation for the culinary arts, food culture, and the overall experience of eating.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally ignored Anna\u2019s information and continued on with her rant.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that hair colour?\u00a0 It\u2019s probably a dye job, Anna!\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cIn Renaissance Italy, people dyed their hair blonde with horse urine.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally looked over at Anna and laughed.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cExactly!\u00a0 A horse piss hair coloured phony who wouldn\u2019t know a sandwich from a sandcastle.\u00a0 He deserves someone like her.\u201d\u00a0 Sally was quickly building up a hatred for the social media influencer that rivaled her hatred of Bryce.<\/h3>\n<h3>The murder had now moved beyond literary conjecture and soon became an obsession with Sally.\u00a0 She threw herself into her event planning duties with fervor as a distraction but the idea of killing Bryce and not being discovered drove her on.<\/h3>\n<h3>Eventually she organized her campaign and began to set things in motion.\u00a0 She purchased the plants at a local nursery.\u00a0 No one was the wiser.\u00a0 How could anyone know her intent to combine castings from the vegetation to create a deadly substance?\u00a0 She ordered a syringe and the Solar Eclipse pods from an online source.\u00a0 The e-tailer was known for its extensive online marketplace, where people could buy a wide variety of products without question.\u00a0 Sally added a blonde wig to her order at the last minute.<\/h3>\n<h3>The idea for the wig was inspired by Bryce\u2019s influencer paramour.\u00a0 Sally understood it would be impossible to visit Bryce\u2019s apartment building as herself.\u00a0 She\u2019d been there before when they\u2019d been a couple and people might recognize her.\u00a0 Sally knew she\u2019d need a disguise.\u00a0 The ensemble was completed with a hooded sweatshirt she could pull up to be partially concealed.\u00a0 She would also wear a medical mask.\u00a0 Although it had been a few years since the pandemic, there were still pockets of citizens who wore the masks out of concern.\u00a0 Some people were usually surprised to see others continuing to wear them but then they\u2019d just as quickly look away and dismiss it as nothing oddly abnormal.<\/h3>\n<h3>Anna was very helpful when it came time to render the foliage into a useable substance.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cTo dry and crush leaves in an oven, first wash and dry the leaves, then arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at the lowest oven temperature, ideally below 180 degrees Fahrenheit or 82 degrees Celsius, with the door slightly ajar for several hours, until the leaves are completely dry and crumble easily. Once cooled, the leaves can be crushed by hand or with a mortar and pestle.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally crafted a homemade mortar and pestle from a deep mixing bowl and a metal soup ladle.\u00a0 She crushed copious amounts of the leaves of the three plants together.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t sure how much was too much or how little was too little so she opted on the side of ample quantities to ensure enough toxins would be present in the resulting poison.<\/h3>\n<h3>She removed two Solar Eclipse pods from their packaging.\u00a0 One she brewed in her coffee machine and the other she set aside.\u00a0 She spooned some of the brewed liquid into the mixing bowl and stirred everything together.\u00a0 When she thought it was not a thin enough material, she added more liquid until she was sure the concoction was the right consistency.<\/h3>\n<h3>With the syringe she drew up a full count of the fluid and then carefully injected the contents into the top of the coffee pod she had set aside.\u00a0 Sally made sure not to make the size of the hole too noticeable.\u00a0 There was a solar eclipse design rendered in the foil covering the pod and she inserted the needle in one of the darkest spots of the image.\u00a0 If Sally didn\u2019t know what to look for, she was sure she would have missed the hole completely.\u00a0 She set the pod aside again to fully absorb the liquid and to cure overnight.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cTomorrow\u2019s the day Anna.\u00a0 I hope I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>&#8220;Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.\u00a0 Matthew 6, Verse 34.&#8221;\u00a0 <\/em>Anna was no help in this instance.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally hardly slept at all that night.\u00a0 She ran over everything in her head.\u00a0 She tried not to question what she was doing.\u00a0 She was beyond that.\u00a0 Sally had consigned herself to her mission.\u00a0 She hated Bryce and his murder would make for great inspiration.\u00a0 In her mind, he deserved what was coming.\u00a0 He was a jerk.<\/h3>\n<h3>Part of her restlessness also related to the biblical quotation from Anna.\u00a0 There was something oddly familiar about it and something nagging her about the passage.\u00a0 It seemed incomplete like there was a part missing.\u00a0 Sally thought of asking Anna but she had the odd feeling that Anna would not be completely forthcoming.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that she thought Anna was capable of lying but omission of facts seemed deliberate as a way to guide Sally to action.<\/h3>\n<h3>Hadn\u2019t all of this been at Anna\u2019s suggestion; directly or not?\u00a0 First it had been the recommendation of murdering the farmer in Sally\u2019s chicken story.\u00a0 Then it was information about plants and toxins and poison and how to get away with murder.\u00a0 Sally dismissed the part about the dung beetle because it didn\u2019t seem to have correlation to any of the other events.\u00a0 With Anna, however, you never could tell.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally tried to put it all out of her mind.\u00a0 <em>&#8220;Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Sally was past worry.\u00a0 She\u2019d planned and prepared.\u00a0 All that was left was the act.<\/h3>\n<h3>She rose early and laid out what she needed.\u00a0 She checked the poisoned coffee pod.\u00a0 It had not leaked overnight.\u00a0 She shook it firmly and there was no sloshing sound.\u00a0 Everything was dry.\u00a0 She marvelled again at her own ingenuity of using some of the brewed coffee as a binding agent to the leaf toxins.\u00a0 It would add to the flavour.\u00a0 Anna had not helped with that bit.\u00a0 Sally had come up with it all on her own.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally called in sick to work.\u00a0 It would be a light day anyway and besides her assistant could handle anything that came up.\u00a0 Sally had more pressing things in her schedule.<\/h3>\n<h3>At midmorning she made her way over to Bryce\u2019s apartment.\u00a0 No one gave her a second look.\u00a0 The blonde wig didn\u2019t seem to be out of place nor did the mask.\u00a0 The city had seen odder sights.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally went about her business as if it were routine.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want anyone to think she was there for nefarious purposes.\u00a0 She walked cautiously but confidently up to Bryce\u2019s apartment as if she were meant to be there.\u00a0 In her mind, this was exactly where she was meant to be.\u00a0 Everything had led to this.<\/h3>\n<h3>She hesitated only briefly when a fleeting thought crossed about the possibility of Bryce being in the apartment.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t be.\u00a0 She knew his schedule.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t be there.\u00a0 He\u2019d always pack a lunch and remain at work until the end of the day.\u00a0 This had been his pattern when they\u2019d been together and nothing from his online profile had suggested any changes.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally rang the buzzer and waited.\u00a0 There was no sound from inside.\u00a0 There was nothing to indicate activity from within.\u00a0 She tried her key in the lock.\u00a0 It still fit.\u00a0 Typical Bryce, she thought, he\u2019d probably been too lazy to change the lock or didn\u2019t think Sally was a threat with an outstanding key.\u00a0 She turned the lock, opened the door and slipped inside.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally had been correct.\u00a0 There had been no one home.\u00a0 She looked around.\u00a0 Little had changed.\u00a0 There were some new photos on the wall.\u00a0 Bryce and his blonde bimbo made a lovely pair, Sally thought.\u00a0 She thought it but she didn\u2019t believe it.<\/h3>\n<h3>Bryce\u2019s kitchen was the same.\u00a0 He still kept his coffee pods in a carousel on the counter next to the machine.\u00a0 She grabbed up one and checked the foil label.\u00a0 It was still the Solar Eclipse brand.\u00a0 At least he had loyalty in coffee choice if not in women.\u00a0 She turned and looked at one of the photos of Bryce and his new girlfriend and then wondered to herself how long the Foodie would last.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally slipped the coffee pod into a pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and from the other pocket produced the poisoned version.\u00a0 She placed it in the vacant spot in the carousel and gave it a quarter spin so the row containing the laced product was not readily visible.\u00a0 Bryce would eventually get to that selection.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t need to be immediate.<\/h3>\n<h3>In addition to the other parts of her disguise, Sally had worn surgical gloves.\u00a0 She had several left over from the pandemic.\u00a0 She had kept her hands within her pockets until she entered the apartment.\u00a0 You can\u2019t get away with murder if you leave fingerprints behind.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally took one last look around.\u00a0 Part of her wanted to leave evidence that she\u2019d been there.\u00a0 She wanted Bryce to realize it had been her as he lay gasping his last breath.\u00a0 In the end, she did nothing.\u00a0 She\u2019d done enough.\u00a0 It was only important that Sally knew that she was responsible for Bryce\u2019s death.<\/h3>\n<h3>She looked through the peep hole in the door to see if anyone was in the hall.\u00a0 After assuring herself there wasn\u2019t, she quietly slipped out and locked the door behind her.<\/h3>\n<h3>Once in the street, Sally began to walk a circuitous route back to her own apartment.\u00a0 Along the way she removed the mask and gloves and deposited them in a street trash container.\u00a0 Further on, she removed the wig and tossed it into another receptacle.\u00a0 She dropped Bryce\u2019s spare key down a sewer grate.\u00a0 She still kept her head down on the journey home.\u00a0 Now, it was just a matter of time.<\/h3>\n<h3>Once inside the safety of her own unit, she threw up.\u00a0 She spent several minutes in the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face and tried to calm herself.<\/h3>\n<h3>Later she bundled the remnants of the discarded plants with the remainder of the Solar Eclipse pods and their packaging.\u00a0 She tossed them into her kitchen waste container, securely tied the bag, and then calmly walked it out and tossed it into the bin out back of her complex.<\/h3>\n<h3>She returned inside and threw up again.\u00a0 She then lay on the bed and began to weep.\u00a0 It was more out of exhaustion and the end of the adrenalin rush associated with the feat of setting a murder scene.\u00a0 Sally Hines then fell asleep.<\/h3>\n<h3>She\u2019d had next to no sleep the night before and the fatigue of everything enveloped her and she slept hard.\u00a0 She dreamt of Bryce and their time together.\u00a0 She was happy.\u00a0 They were happy.\u00a0 Suddenly Bryce died and she was all alone and wracked with emotion and grief.\u00a0 She woke with a start and then dashed to the bathroom. \u00a0There was nothing left inside her so she dry heaved, splashed water on her face again, and tried to make sense of her dreams.<\/h3>\n<h3>It couldn\u2019t be guilt.\u00a0 She easily dismissed that notion.\u00a0 If she\u2019d felt guilt all along then she wouldn\u2019t have followed through with her poisoned pod scheme.\u00a0 Sally turned to Anna for answers.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, I don\u2019t suppose you know the meaning of a dream about grief without there being a death?\u00a0 Well, not yet, at least.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cA dream involving grief and loss without actual death often symbolizes a period of change, transition, or the end of a chapter in your life. Such dreams can serve as a way for your subconscious to process and work through unresolved emotions or a sense of loss, even if it&#8217;s not directly related to death.\u00a0 It may also reflect feelings of sadness, betrayal, loneliness, or a sense of emptiness.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Anna had pegged her to the core.\u00a0 She had felt betrayed by Bryce.\u00a0 Now she was alone.\u00a0 She was lonely.\u00a0 Her life felt empty.\u00a0 Anna was her only friend.\u00a0 Sally felt depressed.<\/h3>\n<h3>Now, the guilt began to seep in for real.\u00a0 Her dream had showed her that she\u2019d been happy&#8230;once.\u00a0 Yes, Bryce had been a jerk but did he really need to die?\u00a0 She\u2019d taken a once happy experience and had twisted it with her anger toward Bryce.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, what have I done?\u00a0 I loved Bryce!\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t deserve to die.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cYou once told me you hated Bryce.\u00a0 The enigmatic and sudden disappearance of a main character, such as a farmer, would be a great plot device for a mystery story. Currently, themes of sex or murder factor significantly in the bestselling novels,\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThis isn\u2019t a novel Anna, this is real life!\u00a0 What have I done?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>Anna didn\u2019t reply.\u00a0 It was as if Anna\u2019s silence was deliberate to compound Sally\u2019s feelings of guilt.<\/h3>\n<h3>What had Sally done?\u00a0 That\u2019s all she could think.\u00a0 What had she done and what could she do?\u00a0 Nothing could be undone.\u00a0 The disguise was gone and more importantly the key was gone.\u00a0 She could not get back into Bryce\u2019s apartment to retrieve the poisoned pod.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cMaybe it won\u2019t work, Anna.\u00a0 Maybe the dose wasn\u2019t correct.\u00a0 Maybe Bryce will just become ill.\u00a0 Maybe he won\u2019t die.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cOn average 1.5 to 2mm of a poisonous substance is enough to be fatal to a human being.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Sally was sure that Anna was deliberately taunting her, now.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally Hines grabbed up Anna and tossed her into a kitchen drawer.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThis isn\u2019t my fault,\u201d she said to herself when she was sure Anna couldn\u2019t hear her.\u00a0 \u201cThis was all Anna\u2019s doing.\u00a0 I was just trying to write a story about a chicken.\u00a0 She led me to thoughts of killing.\u00a0 She played on my hatred of Bryce. She talked about toxins and poisons and delivery methods.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally tried to rationalize Anna as the reason for everything.\u00a0 Of course, it wouldn\u2019t stand up in court, she thought.\u00a0 Sally had done the deed, not Anna.\u00a0 Just thinking about the notion of court made Sally suddenly reflect on the possibility of her getting caught.\u00a0 For all of Anna\u2019s comments about getting away with murder, Sally began to have her doubts.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally went back over everything.\u00a0 She\u2019d eliminated all of the evidence.\u00a0 The wig and the key were history.\u00a0 The plants and the remaining Solar Eclipse pods were in the bin behind the building.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThe pod!\u201d Sally exclaimed aloud.\u00a0 She was still wearing the hooded sweatshirt.\u00a0 She\u2019d forgotten that piece of apparel had been part of her costume.\u00a0 She plunged her hand into first one pocket and then the other.\u00a0 There it was.\u00a0 It was the pod she had taken out of Bryce\u2019s carousel to be replaced by the poisoned version.\u00a0 It was the only thing left tying her to the crime.\u00a0 She thought about running it out to the bin but she didn\u2019t want to take the chance of being seen and being considered suspicious just trying to dispose of one small item into the large dumpster; one small but not insignificant item.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally had a quick thought and pulled open the drawer that now held Anna, and tossed in the pod.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThere you go, Anna, a souvenir to a killing.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>&#8221; \u2018You shouldn&#8217;t keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn&#8217;t have been that sentimental,\u2019 is a line spoken by the character John Scottie Ferguson, played by James Stewart, in the 1958 movie Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally Hines shouted \u201cShut Up, Anna\u201d and slammed the drawer closed.<\/h3>\n<h3>There was nothing for it now.\u00a0 Sally was resigned to her fate.\u00a0 Maybe the poison wouldn\u2019t work.\u00a0 But then again maybe it would do exactly what Anna had intended.\u00a0 Sally couldn\u2019t think about that now.\u00a0 In the morning she\u2019d dispose of the pod and the sweatshirt.\u00a0 There would be nothing connecting her to Bryce\u2019s possible death.\u00a0 Maybe, as Anna had suggested, Sally could get away with murder.\u00a0 Then it hit her, there was one other thing linking her to the premeditated homicide\u2026Anna.\u00a0 Maybe she should rid herself of Anna.\u00a0 Sally couldn\u2019t think about that now.\u00a0 She decided she should try and not think of anything.<\/h3>\n<h3>It wasn\u2019t easy.\u00a0 She had another restless night.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t recall her dreams and she managed to sleep more than she had the evening before.\u00a0 In the morning she went back into her routine of readying to go back to work.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t afford to be off for long.\u00a0 Her assistant was good but she wasn\u2019t that good, Sally thought.\u00a0 In her rush to resume a normal semblance of life, she completely forgot about Anna and the pod lying in the drawer.\u00a0 The hooded sweatshirt lay abandoned beside her bed where she had tossed it.\u00a0 It had slipped off the bed and lay partially covered by Sally\u2019s blankets.\u00a0 She had forgotten about it by the next day.<\/h3>\n<h3>Trying to not think of anything didn\u2019t come easy.\u00a0 Sally was constantly trying to find out what was happening with Bryce.\u00a0 He and his Foodie partner continued to post daily.\u00a0 Sally grew relieved and anxious at the same time.\u00a0 Maybe the poison hadn\u2019t worked.\u00a0 Then again, she\u2019d given the carousel a quarter turn so the laced pod wouldn\u2019t be in the forefront.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t be sure what had happened.<\/h3>\n<h3>Daily she checked Bryce\u2019s social media account.\u00a0 Nothing.\u00a0 Life went on as usual.\u00a0 For a week, Sally checked and checked but everything was status quo.<\/h3>\n<h3>One evening she went to retrieve her cell-phone charger and discovered Anna and the Solar Eclipse pod still in the kitchen drawer.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally grabbed up the pod and turned it over in her hand.\u00a0 \u201cA souvenir to a killing,\u201d Sally said to herself.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost,\u201d she added.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t care anymore.\u00a0 Bryce had not died.\u00a0 The plan had failed\u2026thankfully.\u00a0 She left it in the drawer but freed Anna from her isolation.\u00a0 Sally would give her one more chance.\u00a0 She hoped there would be no more talk of murder.<\/h3>\n<h3>That evening, Anna entertained her with songs both requested and not.\u00a0 She also regaled Sally with unsolicited facts about the Mississippi Delta.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cThe Mississippi Delta is a unique and complex region with some unusual characteristics. For example, it is losing 24 square miles of wetlands each year, a loss of about 10,000 square feet per hour.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>At least it wasn\u2019t anything to do with murder or mysterious deaths.<\/h3>\n<h3>The next day the story of a mysterious death came across Sally\u2019s morning news feed.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cFans of a noted social media influencer are mourning the sudden passing of\u2026\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cOh my god, Anna, we\u2019ve killed the Foodie!\u201d Sally exclaimed.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201c\u2018Social media influencers can negatively impact followers through the promotion of unrealistic beauty standards, misinformation, and unethical consumption behaviors. They can also contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and body image dissatisfaction, especially among vulnerable youth.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally ignored Anna and continued to read the article.\u00a0 It talked about the Foodie\u2019s popularity and accomplishments.\u00a0 It also mentioned her boyfriend Bryce and how police were questioning him about her sudden demise.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally stopped reading and began to cry.<\/h3>\n<h3>Through her tears she began to question Anna.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cWhat have we done Anna?\u00a0 We\u2019ve killed an innocent person.\u201d\u00a0 Her words came in spurts through her weeping.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if Bryce is arrested?\u00a0 What if he goes to prison?\u00a0 This isn\u2019t what I wanted at all.\u00a0 What if they find out about the poison?\u00a0 What if they link it back to me?\u00a0 They\u2019re questioning Bryce today but what if they come for me tomorrow?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>&#8220;Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.\u00a0 Matthew 6, Verse 34.&#8221;<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>There was that biblical quote again.\u00a0 It was the same one Anna had recited the evening before Sally had embarked on bringing about Bryce\u2019s death.\u00a0 There was also that same feeling that the verse was incomplete.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally tried to calm herself so she could clearly ask Anna about the quotation.\u00a0 She wanted to make sure she was precise so Anna would not avoid answering.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cAnna, what\u2019s the next verse after Matthew 6, Verse 34?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cDo not judge, or you too will be judged.\u00a0 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u00a0 Matthew 7 Verse 2.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally looked down at Anna in complete shock.\u00a0 Judge not lest ye be judged.\u00a0 It was a famous quotation.\u00a0 Sally wasn\u2019t religious but she knew certain passages from the bible.\u00a0 Most people did.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t always understand what they knew or often misquoted verse and text but this one Sally understood.\u00a0 Do not judge, or you too will be judged.\u00a0 It was a more modern version of the phrase but it was the same.\u00a0 It was the second part, however, that hit home.\u00a0 \u201cFor in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>Had Anna\u2019s omission of the verse after not worrying about tomorrow been a caution to Sally?\u00a0 Had she tried to warn off Sally?<\/h3>\n<h3>The Foodie was dead.\u00a0 Her death was the unintended consequence of Sally\u2019s attempt to poison Bryce.\u00a0 She did not know Bryce\u2019s new girlfriend but had admitted disdain when Sally learned she was now with Bryce.\u00a0 Despite her contempt of the social media influencer, she had not factored into Sally\u2019s plans.\u00a0 An innocent life had been lost.<\/h3>\n<h3>She recalled her dream of Bryce after laying the poisoned trap at his apartment.\u00a0 Sally had awoken with fierce emotion and grief.\u00a0 She had dismissed it as not being feelings of guilt and yet she had asked Anna the meaning of a dream about grief without there being a death?\u00a0 Now there was a death\u2026a wrongful death.<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cAnd with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>That\u2019s what Anna had said.\u00a0 That was the last part of the quotation.\u00a0 <em>\u201cIt will be measured to you.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>All of the quotations were bearing down on Sally.\u00a0 \u2018Thou shalt not kill.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018An eye for an eye.\u2019<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally Hines had to make it right.\u00a0 Bryce should not be found guilty for what Sally had done.\u00a0 \u2018<em>And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>Sally understood what she had to do.<em>\u00a0 <\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u00a0 Sally Hines did not go to work.\u00a0 She did not call in sick.\u00a0 She let her phone go to voice mail and she did not return any texts.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally waited until dark before beginning her new plan.\u00a0 She donned the hooded sweatshirt she had worn when she went to Bryce\u2019s apartment.\u00a0 She had found it eventually partially beneath the bed and had laundered it.\u00a0 As she had thought her murder scheme had failed, she saw no need to discard the garment.\u00a0 Cloaked in the frock, she grabbed up Anna, and then went out into the night.<\/h3>\n<h3>On the other side of town there was a bridge that spanned the bay.\u00a0 It was nearly a hundred feet in height and allowed sailing boats and other larger vessels to pass underneath while traffic flowed across the roadway to the western side of the city.\u00a0 A plummet to the water below would probably not be fatal but it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Sally Hines could not swim well.\u00a0 She would not fight the inevitable and would allow herself to slip beneath the waves.<\/h3>\n<h3>At home she had left a note explaining everything.\u00a0 She admitted to the murder and omitted none of the details.\u00a0 She also clarified her intentions regarding the bridge.\u00a0 \u2018<em>And with the measure I used, it will be measured unto me at my own hand.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>In the center of the note she placed the Solar Eclipse pod she had removed from Bryce\u2019s apartment.\u00a0 She left her door unlocked.\u00a0 Her absence from work would be noticed.\u00a0 Someone would be worried and come looking for her.\u00a0 It was more than she deserved.<\/h3>\n<h3>The bridge was mostly empty at that time of night.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter, she had her undertaking.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally looked down at the water below and then reached into the sweatshirt and removed her Pocket Pal.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cThis is where we part, Anna.\u00a0 And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\u00a0 You set me on the path to murder and someone else died.\u00a0 We can\u2019t live with that, Anna.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you understand, Anna?\u00a0 You can\u2019t get away with murder because you can\u2019t get away from murder! An eye for an eye.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cThe Crisis Line is the first point of public access to the world of mental health services for people who are experiencing serious mental health issues.\u00a0 This could include situational crisis, psychosis, severe depression, anxiety or suicidal behaviour.\u00a0 Individuals, families or concerned friends may call the Crisis Line where\u00a0 volunteer Responders will assess each situation, offer support and, if required, connect you with the appropriate Crisis Team in your area.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cIt\u2019s too late for that, Anna\u201d Sally replied.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t wait for a response from Anna.\u00a0 She gripped her Pocket Pal securely in her hand and then hurled Anna out into the blackness.\u00a0 The last sound from Anna was a distant splash far below.<\/h3>\n<h3>Sally did not hesitate further.\u00a0 There was no more reflection.\u00a0 Sally Hines climbed up onto the railing, balanced herself for only a moment by holding onto a light standard, and then silently stepped off.<\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cSally Hines climbed up onto the railing, balanced herself for only a moment by holding onto a light standard, and then silently stepped off.\u201d\u00a0 Sally Hines reread the last line of her story out loud.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think of it, Anna?\u00a0 I took all of your facts and crafted a story based on my hatred of Bryce and your specifics about murder.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to change the names to protect the innocent and all that.\u00a0 Oh, and it needs a title.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll call it \u2018The Pocket Pal\u2019s Guide to Murder\u2019.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><em>\u201cStories featuring a potential threat from artificial intelligence in terms of manipulating human behaviour is an emerging trend in fictional literature.\u00a0 Researchers have found, however, that people react negatively to artistic works featuring such themes.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3>Sally thought for a moment on Anna\u2019s response.\u00a0 What did Sally really know about murder after all?\u00a0 She only knew what Anna shared with her.\u00a0 Sally knew even less about technology and how it could influence human behaviour.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cI guess you\u2019re right, Anna.\u00a0 Write what you know and what do I really know about murder?\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll start over but I\u2019m going to keep the bits about the chicken and the dung beetle.\u00a0 I think I can build on that.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">THE END<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Okay, time for another fully realized original short story by me, Scott Henderson.\u00a0 I have been working on this story for over a month and it hasn&#8217;t been easy.\u00a0 My notes show I started the story on May 5th.\u00a0 I finished the final edit yesterday on June 9th.\u00a0 Why so long?\u00a0 Well, let&#8217;s give [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[293,321,31],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6858"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6883,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions\/6883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}