This was the tree alright, the dead one with no leaves.
Streetlight nearby, no need for the torch I had brought.
A night of hard labour ahead, best get to it.
Sweat and dirt, clanging metal on rocky, hard ground.
Takes longer than you think to dig a deep grave.
At three in the morning I stand back and stretch my aching back, take a drag on a refreshing smoke.
A car arrives. They make their delivery without a word.
Dawn is breaking as I pat down the replaced soil.
Easiest hundred bucks I’ll ever make, no questions asked.
Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
My first novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is available now
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Iain Kelly 
101 responses to “THE GRAVEDIGGER”
Great description in sound and sweat of the digging
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Thank you Neil
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Dear Iain,
So much story in those few words. Well done–no questions asked.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle, sometimes it’s best not to know too much…
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Ooo spooky. You really captured atmosphere with this one!
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Thank you
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A dark place, darkly described with your customary expertise..
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Much obliged.
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A dark and interesting snippet Iain, which spurred me into writing my response to this week’s prompt
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A clandestine burial. You wrote with such finesse, that was my first thought. Excellent write, Iain.
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Thank you so much Violet, much appreciated.
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Sounded like it wasn’t so easy 😉
Have to agree with all, very well written, Iain.
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Thank you so much Dale
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And this is how some people make easy bucks. No questions asked. Even – whether the “body” is alive/dead…
Great description.
The New Bride – Anita
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Nope, sometimes perhaps best not to know.
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Great descriptions, Iain. This was a common practice , especially before it was considered legal for doctors to study anatomy using cadavers.
Rather grisly work, that 🙂
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Thank you Linda
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Unnerving story! Great take on the prompt, Iain.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you Susan
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I wonder if the money was worth it. He’s in it now, can he refuse next time? Great atmospheric writing.
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Thank you – yes, you have seen how this could lead to trouble in the future
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All in a days work, I could sense his easy going attitude. Well written.
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Thanks James – he’s good at doing what he does.
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I like the structure of this piece.
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Thank you
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Very interesting! No A to Z this year for you or did I miss something?
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Thanks Janet. Afraid not this year, just not enough time to do it justice. On the plus side, using the time to start the next novel. Good luck to you achieving it again 😉
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Thanks Iain. Good luck with you on the next book. Looking forward to reading it!
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Leaves me with too many questions. Perhaps that’s intended? Well, done, my curiosity is wide awake.
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Definitely intended, and best not to ask 😉
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Quite a nasty night job.
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Dirty work for sure.
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Well done, as always.
Guys follow my blog 🙏🏽
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Thank you Joy
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oooh sinister, hard work mind! Number 1 spot too!!
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I was up early this morning!
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hopefully, it wasn’t a hidden treasure that he’d just buried. otherwise, he could be in deep trouble. those who paid him a hundred bucks would kill him at the first opportunity. 🙂
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I think he may be in more danger than he realises now.
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Wonderful the way you created the atmosphere for your horrific deed 🙂
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Thank you
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No questions asked, but what price your conscience my grave-digging friend…? 🙂
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Gradually eating away at his soul, or maybe he’s just cool with it!
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No questions asked!
But that breeds so many questions from my side! 😉
Nicely done! 😀
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Are you brave enough to ask them though? 🙂
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Hahaha.. probably not! 😉
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Great atmospheric writing. And all the best for the next novel (you mentioned it in a reply above) 🙂
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Thank you! Early stages at the moment 🙂
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Asking questions might not be a career-enhancing move, I guess.
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Unlike most jobs, staying silent and keeping your head down will lead to promotion here!
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All that risk for only a hundred bucks?
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A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks 🙂
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Back breaking indeed! So much work and only hundred bucks?
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Better than nothing!
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I like the way you use staccato sentences to convey the truncated nature of your narrator’s thoughts. He is a man of the senses, and the voice you have chosen makes this very clear.
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Thank you Penny, let’s hope his senses haven’t led him into trouble!
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Love your “reveal”: “Takes longer than you think to dig a deep grave.”
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Thank you
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Could almost picture it… So am not gonna ask any questions.
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For the best 😉
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Things are never as easy or simple as they appear. I sense a dark twist coming. Love the way you describe the scene and create the character. Excellent as always!
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He may be in a lot more trouble than he seems to realise! Thank you Brenda
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A terse piece of writing well reflecting the context.
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Thank you Patrick
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So creepy. Love it.
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Thank you Louise 🙂
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Short and creepy. The scary thing is that can happen.
Well done.
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Thank you Darnell
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Love the way I feel like I’m inside his head as he’s doing this dodgy job. Well-written.
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Thank you Eugenia, much appreciated
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And left with so many questions. Well written. Great take on the prompt.
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Thanks Laurie
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Interesting story. I can see freelance grave digger as a very interesting job for a character in a novel. 🙂
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Thank you – certainly would have some stories to tell!
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That’s a lot of work for a hundred bucks! Perhaps he was underpaid.
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I think his employers may not take too kindly to a pay dispute… 😉
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True. Pick your battles, I guess.
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Neatly simple!👌
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Thank you 🙂
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All that work for a hundred bucks! Seems he should ask for a tad bit more.
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I don’t thin k he gets a choice in the matter 😉
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I really like the creepy mood you create – the digger all alone in the dead of night – not your average graveyard. Wonderfully sinister in a subtle way.
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Thank you, much appreciated
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Superb — really liked the complete story. “Just my job, madam.”
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Very atmospheric piece. I could see him toiling away and then puffing away in the end. Luckily he has no grave concerns otherwise this could be tricky work.
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😉 Thank you
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The protagonist doesn’t seem bothered in the least by who’s getting killed, as long as he gets paid. I really like the matter-of-fact tone of the story.
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Thank you so much
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This was an extremely well-written story, Iain. As someone else mentioned, it has a matter of fact tone to it. It shows that the MC is emotionally detached which is why he was a logical choice for the job.
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He is good at his job! Thank you Deborah 🙂
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He’s happy to turn a blind eye for the payoff. I guess there are lots of people like that. The tone of your story captures his lack of conscience effectively. Well told.
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I suspect he is not even aware of what a conscience is. Thanks Margaret
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I liked this, thought it was written well, i just have one small criticism. I hope you don’t mind. $100.00 is not much money for this. Even if it was legal, it seems like it took him hours of work, hard, back breaking work. $100.00 would barely cover that kind of work let alone his silence. Maybe a $1000..too much…five hundred, though.
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Depends how desperate you are for a few bucks I guess, perhaps he has no choice in the matter… Thanks for reading Dawn
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I think I’d want more than $100 and ask a lot of questions. I might not be cut out to be an illicit gravedigger.
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I’m afraid you wouldn’t last long in their employee.
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I think I’d be all right with that.
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This was eerily familiar, Lain, and wonderfully done. Could definitely be a longer story, as we’re left wanting more!
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Thank you Dawn
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Ha! Loved it! No questions asked? I wonder who this guy is…
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Just a guy looking to make a buck or two 😉
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