It had all been a terrible mistake, getting involved with a man like Gary, but Mona was attracted to his earthiness, his dark, brooding looks, and his quietness. Most of the men she had known were uncomfortable with silence and had to fill it with inane chat, boasting and mansplaining. But Gary was different to most men. She knew that now.
As his fingers tightened around her neck and his unusually long nails dug in, she choked on her words.
“Where will you bury me?”
“With the lies I told about you and me, it would be better if I dropped you in the lake,” he sneered.
As Mona’s body became limp in his arms, Gary felt a pang of guilt. He went to the shed, grabbed a shovel, and began to dig a hole in his garden, where she wouldn’t feel so alone.
Kim M. Russell, 19th January 2026

This Monday at the dVerse Poets Pub we are writing Prosery with Lisa and a song by an artist I hadn’t heard of: Alejandro Escovedo.
Lisa gives us some background to the artist and to the song she has chosen to share with us ‘Bury Me, which she describes as “a personal reckoning on how he is living his life”.
We are writing a prose story with a limit of 144 words, including a line from the lyrics of the song: ‘Bury me with the lies I told’.
I don’t know why, but these grim tales of murder are somewhat amusing… I wonder if Gary’s last name was Bluebeard, that would have been a hint maybe.
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Hahaha!
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Omg, Kim, my scalp was tingling by the end of it. Such vivid imagery. You have to be careful of those quiet ones. Great story!
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Thanks Lisa! I love a dark story.
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You’re welcome. Masterfully (or Mistressfully) told.
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Ouch!
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Move aside, Stephen King! Well crafted.
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Thank you!
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What a wonderfully ‘complete’ and deliciously dark story! Jae
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I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Jae!
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Damn, that’s dark. Great write, Kim!
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Thanks very much, Jay!
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Oh my, Kim! This was a fabulous write… Ya gotta watch the nice ones, eh? Not so nice in the end…
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Thanks Dale!
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Oh my goodness ~ this is about as dark as I’ve read recently AND I thoroughly enjoyed the darkness. You could have added numerous lines in the middle and given us a novela!!!
*I remember Glenn and his unique style! Thanks for the reminder.
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Oh, so good, Kim! I’m surprised he felt any guilt. I wondered with the long fingernails if he was some kind of supernatural creature.
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Thank you, Merril.
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You’re welcome, Kim.
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Oooh nicely dark, as the saying goes, beware the silent types!
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Cheers Paul!
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