DEATH BY SCRABBLE
OR TILE M FOR MURDER
by Charlie Fish
This short story is for people who have suffered at the hands of SCRABBLE. That would be me. I have never been good at the game but I do love to play it. I don’t like to play it with people who see it as mortal combat. That would be my husband and his mother. It was always more than just a game with them.
In Death By Scrabble, it’s also a very intense game. The husband, who is the narrator, describes a game he is playing with his wife – the wife he really hates. His wife plays her tiles, tallies her points. He plays his tiles and tallies his points. They are within points of each other. All along he tells us how much he hates his wife. He wishes she were dead.
And then, he notices that strange things are happening as they play their words. She plays ZAP and gets an electrical shock. He plays EXPLODE and the air conditioning explodes. He begins to think something could come of this game. He tests his theory by playing FLY. Sure enough, a fly starts buzzing around the game. Now he knows, if he can make the right word, he can get rid of his wife.
He contemplates his letters: AQWEUK. He plays the word QUAKE and hopes the magnitude of the earthquake will finish her off.
The rest of the story is here. It’s a short short story, only four pages. I thought it was funny and fun to read. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.
How clever! I will favorite place this site and read the story sometime soon.
Many assume that I am a good scrabble player because I am an English teacher, but actually, I am horrible. My husband loves the game though.
Great story! So clever, although I did anticipate the end.
Fun premise. If he was playing the new Scrabble Trickster, he could use the word Borden, and maybe Lizzie would show up.
Sounds like a fun one!! I’ve never played Scrabble can you believe that?
I’m going to have to go read it. I love Scrabble and am pretty decent at it.
And how can Staci never have played?!
Too funny!
This does sound like a fun story. I’ll have to give it a read. My short story wasn’t very enticing this week.
I always hated to play because Dad and Grandma ALWAYS were in your face about how they won. And being a bad speller KNOWING I am a bad speller made it even worse. lol But give me the number games and I am awsome.
Dosent help that for most of my life I was a REALLY bad loser. Took it personally lol I think I am better now at losing lol
I think I may just have to read this story. Sounds interesting. Thanks