Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story, based on a photoprompt, with a beginning, middle and end, in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!
Dark Matter – the prequel
“There’s nothing to stop you having a baby,” said the gynaecologist. “I recommend your husband takes a sperm test.”
“He won’t,” said Fiona.
The consultant shrugged.
Trevor, her husband, was working in the observatory in Tenerife that week. Fiona phoned their friend, Mark.
“You must keep this absolutely secret,” she said. “You know Trevor and I have been trying to have a baby for years. Well, Trevor’s the problem. I wondered if…you’d be the dad? – only without telling anyone.”
“Are you sure you want this?” asked Mark, as they climbed into bed.
Fiona nodded.
“Just don’t tell anyone, that’s all!”
Autumn Leaves 
That kind of secret is so hard to leep
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Thank you for your generosity in commenting on my second story of the week, Neil. You’re right – that kind of secret is very hard to keep.
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This isn’t going to go well I can feel it!
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Thank you for commenting, Minister. You may very well be right!
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I agree with Neil. And it might ruin the friendship and the marriage. I find this a very difficult situation you’re throwing at us here, Penny. 🙂
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Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Gabi. I’m thinking of using the situation in a novel, so the difficulty is probably a good thing! 😉
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That’s good! You’ll certainly not run out of conflict. 🙂
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Oh dear. What a fragile web we weave when through kindness we intentionally do deceive.
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Thank you for your entertaining comment, James. Yes, it’s a fragile web Fiona’s weaving.
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Fiona’s going to have a bit of a problem if Trevor reads this!
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Thank you for your amusing comment, Keith. There’s no risk Trevor will read this; he only reads technical journals and Kerrang!
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Now that’s a top-secret! nice tale.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Mason.
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You’re welcome.
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What goes on outside the picture. While dad’s away, new dad comes. Deceit will likely catch up however.
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Thank you for your comment, Oneta. As you say, a lot goes on outside the picture. I agree that Fiona’s deceit is likely to catch up with her eventually.
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Great! You do know this happens (maybe in more untoward circumstances), right? With all the DNA testing commercially available, family secrets are being uncovered. 🙂
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Thank you for your kind comment, Bill. I don’t doubt that this happens, although I imagine it’s unusual.
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Perhaps unusual. Not sure how rare. You might be surprised. 🙂
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This won’t end well. At some point, the truth will out!
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Thank you for your comment, Linda. While I agree that at some point the truth will out, I don’t think it will necessarily be disastrous. It will certainly be interesting to explore the consequences in a longer piece of writing.
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It would certainly make an interesting novel. Lots of personalities interweaving.
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Perhaps Trevor knows that his sperm is duff. Mark had better watch out🙂
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Dear Penny,
Well that does shed some light on the story. I’d say there are some dark times ahead. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for your generous comment. It’s amazing how useful FF is for stimulating ideas. You may see more of these characters!
Shalom
Penny
xx
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Dear Penny,
I’m not sure that Fiona is thinking this through. She’s letting her desire for children get ahead of her love for Trevor. If I were Mark, I’d run from this at top speed!
pax,
dora
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Thank you for your kind comment, Dora. You’re right about Fiona, I’m sure. She desperately wants children. I disagree with you about Mark, though. Men take risks to have sex with attractive women, and love doesn’t necessarily enter into it. I think many men would go ahead under the circumstances. However, it’s certainly going to lead to difficulties for both of them. I’ve just started planning a novel around the situation which will work out some of the complications! Mark will find himself obliged to confront his moment of weakness, I think.
Pax
Penny
xx
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Sounds like the kernel of a great novel, Penny, the characters very much alive in your mind and the tensions/conflicts inherent in Fiona’s “solution” driving the plot. Great fun, for the novelist, I mean, and layers of truth/human nature/moral choices to be explored, the kind of novel Tolstoy would say is worth writing.
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Dear Dora
Thank you for such an encouraging comment!
Pax
Penny
xx
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You’re welcome. :>)
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Bad idea! I’m glad the mystery is solved, but… Yet still! It’s not 100% certain her hub is not the daddy. DNA testing must be done to settle everyone’s mind. Not ideal, but maybe things will work out…
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Lisa. I agree that DNA testing would bring things into the open, but I’m not sure not everybody would want that. Sometimes it’s easier to remain ignorant of certain inconvenient facts!
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That’s a can of worms opening there! One wonders how many..throughout history…..I only have to look as far as the GB royal family to ask that…
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