Written by John Davis Frain

Zipline

Happily Ever After…

Their life insurance agent had grown suspicious in the waning days of April. It would take a few months, maybe a year, to find a new agent. But she was patient. For now, she’d set the precedent of Frain enjoying dangerous activities.

He was leery, but agreed to the zipline she suggested. It had been a rough month, but it was vacation.

They chose the double zipline where they could hold each other’s hand as they traipsed above the canopy of palm trees, wending their way toward Earth.

Somehow Frain unlocked his harness. One moment she held his hand, the next she listened to his fading scream. She couldn’t get to the ground fast enough, but there was no quicker method than ziplining the maze of wires.

At last reaching the bottom, Frain’s wife rushed to an ambulance. Two paramedics stood with the zipline manager. She tried to disguise the hope in her voice. “Is he…”

The manager turned. “He’s unreal. One small scratch from a needle. Craziest thing I ever saw. He landed in a big haystack. Your husband? He’s a resilient guy.”

“You have no idea.”

Z

The End. Or is it?

46 thoughts on “Zipline”

    1. It’s so funny how things turn out. When I came up with the idea, I didn’t even give a thought to my wife murdering me. Then, when I wrote one that way it was kinda funny. All of a sudden, she was killing me letter by letter. But in the end, we survived together … sorta.

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  2. {Announcers voice over} Frain has survived the A-to-Z Month of Murder, but will his luck continue to hold? Will the Three Fates demand a substantial increase in the protection money Frain has been secretly paying them?
    Stay tuned to Murder Mayhem ….

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      1. … she would step onto the stage to international acclaim …

        {Announcer’s voice over again} … and then she tripped over her own foot, thus making her grand entrance with a spectacular face plant centre stage.

        … and the audience goes wild …

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    1. There’s always other chances, of course there are. If memory serves (unlikely, but play along), this was the first entry where Frain survived. In all the others, he passed on … only to come bouncing back like his hero Wile E Coyote.

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  4. YYEEESSSS! You survived! A fitting and brilliant end to a wonderful month. Give yourself a pat on the back, an excellent month of stories, thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Happy recovery and look forward to continuing to read your blog.

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    1. Thank you, Iain. It was an exhausting month as you can well imagine. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, you’re exhausting yourself in a whole other way. It was great fun putting them together.

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  5. >>He’s a resilient guy.”
    >>“You have no idea.”

    Love this ending! Congratulations on dying 25 times but living the 26th. Sort of like Groundhog Day. What would have happened if the cycle had ended early, after Phil killed himself?

    Congratulations on finishing A to Z and living through it!

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    1. Thank you, Celia, very kind words. It’s amazing sometimes how things all come together. I’d like to act like I planned it that way from the beginning, but of course we all know better! It’s the way so many stories flesh out.

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  9. Well done. I enjoyed your repeated demise, and I don’t even know you. Great way to end it, but be careful, the day is not done yet and I’d worry about catching some ZZZ’s.

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  12. Well I’m saving my praises for Mrs Frain who must be an angel with a very good sense of humour! Congrats on finishing the A to Z and a super idea. Will have to come over and check out the murders I missed later:)

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  13. Lol! This is the PERFECT ending story! 😀 I love the last lines – they really don’t have any clue hehe.

    Annnddd…. YAY! *high five* we’ve both murdered our way through the alphabet! This was such a fun challenge, I’m definitely going to jump in next year too. 🙂 How about you?

    Here’s my “Z” post 🙂 (my husband said to call it Ze End hehe) http://nataliewestgate.com/2017/05/zealous-secret-diary-of-a-serial-killer

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    1. I’m gonna wait to decide about next year. I have to forget how exhausting this year was before I can convince myself to make the commitment. It nearly killed me … if you know what I mean.

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  15. Congratulations on another A-Z challenge met, and completed. I stand in awe of your dedication!

    As to Z death. (Haha) Which was not a death, but almost a death. Brilliant!

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    1. Thank you, Madame Best Seller. Ya know, it does take a little dedication to complete this thing. Add a dose of persistence and a pinch of crazy and pretty soon you’ve made it to May 1. But you know all about those ingredients!

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    1. OMG! Not sure I can even think about next season until I take some time off. And I can’t do that yet — I have some serious editing to do on my manuscript that is (over)due.

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    1. I’m leaning toward Z, only because it was the only time I survived. You know what they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I should be pretty strong for May.

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  19. Having returned to binge the last several deaths, I applaud you, John! Congratulations on surviving the A to Z Challenge (and the final installment) with a style all your own. These were everything they promised to be — creative, entertaining, and satisfying. Enjoy your recovery and your editing.

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  22. Input on THIS one? C’mon, Frans, this is the first one I finally survived! Why don’t you ask for input about my wife and her ability to kill me over and over again. Like that frying pan of hers … how about some input on that, huh!

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