NO KIDDING

      Carol enjoyed playing practical jokes but she didn't like being the butt of them.
We'd all been her victims and when she didn't turn up for our monthly girls' night out we, as girls do, talked about her.

It was Jeannie who came up with the idea. We would get our own back.

It took us the whole evening to work out the intricate plot. Maureen would direct and Susie offered to be our star player.

Next day I phoned Carol and, sounding treacherous, told her she was going to get tricked. I said “But we could turn it around and make Susie the patsy.”
She loved the idea and promised to play the innocent.
It was three weeks later that Carol invited us to her house. She would cook dinner for our girlie night.
We all met up and took a taxi to Carol's. When we arrived, the house was in darkness, but the door was ajar. We called out, but there was no reply. In stage whispers, we told Susie to go in and see what was what. She grinned and opened the kitchen door. There was Carol, on the floor with a carving knife handle sticking out of her chest. Susie gave a loud scream and fell into a dramatic faint.
We rushed in and all crowded round Susie, ignoring Carol completely. Maureen gasped, “She's dead! Susie's dead! She must have cracked her head when she fell!”
At this, Carol suddenly sat up. “What! What? It was a joke!” she cried.
We turned and looked at her, our mouths open dramatically. Then we burst out laughing. Carol looked stunned “You bitches!”

The we looked round and Susie was still lying there, blood pooling around her head.

© Avril King