We all have one—a treasured toy retained from childhood. In some, it’s cute—on display together with the fairground goldfish bowl and the kiss-me-quick hat. But not for me. Mr. Bumps is shameful, hidden deep in a drawer.
I could warn you, I suppose, that if you touch Mr. Bumps, I would have to kill you. From as early as I can remember, my dream was to be a hit-man. Sadly, it turned out I wasn’t very good at violence. Accountancy suited better.
Another solution to the problem beckoned. Nobody is allowed to cross my threshold, ever.
.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
Beautifully written….
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Thanks so much, Sunil
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Dear Neil,
A chilling little story. There’s more to the mild-mannered accountant than meets the eye.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much. Rochelle
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So…. he’s all talk and no action and lives vicariously through his coulda been thoughts with his Mr. Bumps.
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That’s pretty much it. I couldn’t come up with an action hero to fit that prompt
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Kinda hard to imagine, for sure 🙂
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Killer accountant. Chilling.
Beware of his threshold!
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Thanks so much, Anita
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Sort of creepy and evil but innocent too!
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Like people, huh?
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Too much alone time can twist a mind, and I think he’s been alone for a very long time. Funny yet creepy too.
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Thanks so much, Jade. Funny with creepy was pretty much what I was going for
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You’re very welcome, Neil.
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Chilling tale. One wonders about somebody who’s dream was to be a hit man.
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I know one such person. He’s now something in the city
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Sounds like there’s a whole lot of pent-up hostility. Just saying.
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Anxiety, certainly
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An accountant who kills people softly with numbers…?
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He likes to think of himself as a gentle man
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Accountancy, if you work for the HMRC (inland revenue) then you are a financial hit man. Boyhood dream achieved.
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A very fair point. James
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Oooooo creepy
I’m not sure I would enter either! Accountants know where all the secrets are
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Thanks so much, Laurie. And they know where the people with the money buried the bodies.
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Mr Bumps! Great name. Hit man or accountant – interesting plan A and plan B. Your narrator seems to me like a man I couldn’t trust. Probably well suited to accountancy.
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Thanks so much, Margaret
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does it mean one can look but not touch? 🙂
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I suspect he wouldn’t be well inclined to looking either
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Don’t worry, I’m not gonna cross your threshold! Creepy story.
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Thanks so much, Angela
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Well that explains much, Neil.
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But raises new questions
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Creepy for sure, but beautifully written as always. Made me smile. You in accountancy. Hard to imagine and I can imagine since I was in finance. I would have thought a poet or a play write.
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Thanks so much. Full disclosure: I was never an accountant. nor do I guard my threshold
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Oh my, what a dark character.
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I’m afraid so
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Behind closed doors, terror resides,
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Absolutely. Thanks, Michael
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I think most accountants eventually reach the breaking point and become assassins, but this guy took the opposite route but still ended up there. He just needed that accountant life to push him over the edge.
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It’s a dangerous job, but somebody has to do it
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Very well said .❤️
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Thanks so much
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