Dahlia checked her watch again. Half an hour late. It wasn’t unusual for Bjarne.

She had told no one about her older man. He had promised her he had told no one either. If her parents found out she was dating a man in his twenties they wouldn’t understand.

Families walked round the Viking ship. It was a beautiful day in Frogner Park. The sun finally had warmth to it. She had changed out of her school uniform into a skirt and vest top.

She fidgeted with her auburn hair. Her friends bragged about their exploits with boys. Dahlia had wanted to wait until she was sure. Today she would tell Bjarne she was ready.

A piercing scream cut through the calm day. Dahlia saw a woman running. She watched as a small crowd gathered, looking at something hidden behind a tree. Parents dragged their children away.

Dahlia walked over. A park warden was shepherding people away. She caught a glimpse of a body. It was lying on the ground in a star shape, covered in blood. Dahlia convulsed as she saw the gaping wound in the stomach.

A little closer. The head was detached from the body. The shock of blonde hair was familiar. The dead eyes of Bjarne stared vacantly at her.

Dahlia turned and ran.

Written as part of Sunday Photo Fiction. Write a story of around 200 words based on the photo prompt given (above). Hosted by Al Forbes. For more details visit HERE.

To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

I hadn’t intended to write another piece that supplemented the story I’m writing for the A TO Z CHALLENGE 2017, but as it’s set in Norway, when I saw the prompt photo I couldn’t resist. The characters of Dahlia and Bjarne feature in my story, which you can catch up on HERE.

The A to Z Challenge 2017 – a post each day based on the letters of the alphabet and theme. Find out more about it HERE. As this challenge will take up a lot of my blogging time I may not get round to commenting on everyone’s posts, but I hope to find time to read all your stories as usual, and still be able to participate in Sunday Photo Fiction each week.