A single bullet – a tragedy and the shattered lives of five children
1924 Cape Town, South Africa.
When a much-loved mother is accidentally shot and killed by her three-year-old son, she leaves five young children devastated and unsure of their future. Their father separates the children and sends twelve-year-old Elizabeth to England to be raised by his spinster sister.
Elizabeth’s life is shattered by a twist of fate. Life with Aunt Agnus is miserable and as dull as the woman herself, but a ray of hope comes in the form of a letter from her sister.
A second twist of fate.
You can read all of my short stories here on my website, just by becoming a subscriber – it’s free!
A Twist of Fate
At the sound of the explosion, I dropped the blanket and ran towards the house. I continued through the kitchen door, following the wailing sound coming from my parents’ bedroom. Little Richard stopped crying when he saw me, his eyes stretched wide and his jaw quivering; he dropped the gun—it hit the wooden floorboards with a clunk. He knew he’d done something wrong, and his face twisted as the tears flowed.
I stared at Mum lying motionless on her back, blood oozing from a wound in her chest, and her eyes staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t move. I choked a soundless gasp.
Dad and Catherine arrived, bumping past me. Catherine screamed and covered her face with both hands. Dad fell to his knees, cradling Mum’s head and repeating her name over and over.
‘Mary, Mary, Mary….’ He shook her. I knew she was dead.
Our family was devastated by the loss of our mother. We clung to each other, crying oceans of tears, knowing that this incident would change all our lives forever. To this day, I have no idea how a loaded handgun was left where a three-year-old could find it.
…That’s all you can read without being a subscriber! But if you’ve read this far, it’s obvious you want to read more.
Just pop back up to the top of the page and sign up – it’s FREE!
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
If you’d like to read this story as a PDF, MOBI, or ePub (so you can read in Preview, Apple Books or Kindle formats), you can access it via https://extras.stellaperrott.net/twist-of-fate
“I wonder how many equally remarkable stories will never be told.”
I hope you will continue to share those with us. Thank you.