Murder by Text: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 11 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Take the last text message you received and turn it into a horror story.
It was submitted by: Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog. Points for the creativity of this prompt, Rabia. And for giving me the opportunity to say IT'S OCTOBER! YAY.

All over the internet and social media I've been seeing Halloween projects and pumpkin recipe since August. August! Really. Not for me. No thanks. I LOVE Halloween season. I have so much fun making Halloween themed food. We still talk about College Boy's challenge a couple of years ago that I make a Billy the Puppet Cake, 

then there's my Bloody Fingers Halloween Dinner,

and my Witch's Caldron Giant Cookie.

What do they all have in common? I posted them in October. August is for enjoying the end of summer. September is for apple season and welcoming Fall. And October is all out no-holds-barred Halloween and pumpkin immersion. Break out the pumpkin, 'tis the season. 

Spice Thumbprints with Pumpkin Filling

And now that it really is October, what a perfect Secret Subject Swap prompt. 

Back in June I actually wrote a post that would have been perfect for this post, but it was done quite differently. Then I'd received scary texts and wrote the story. It's called I Know What You've Done and you should check it out. 

Today's prompt is more difficult, I need to take an innocuous text and turn it into a scary story. Actually, I took a few texts and wove them together. And I'm sure that having just finished making a new recipe, Chocolate Coffin Cookies (watch for this recipe in an upcoming post), had absolutely nothing to do with where my mind went when I saw these texts. It all started like this:

It was a cold rainy night in October. I was home alone, waiting for my family to arrive. I had just brought in the mail and was saddened to see that it was that time of year again, time to pay the premiums on Hubs' and my life insurance policy. The bill was higher than I'd expected, looks like Hubs upped the coverage on me. Good. 'Bout time he started to realize my worth.

The whole incident started with an innocent mistake. Or maybe it was fate. Either way I discovered it when my cell dinged indicating an incoming text. Actually a number of them. Hubs, College Boy and PurDude had started a group text conversation. At first I thought I'd been included on purpose, but as the conversation evolved it became clear that they were talking about me, not to me.

It seemed they were making plans, something they had all agreed to do together once home. Whatever it was, it sounded ominous. They agreed that it would be painful for me and that it would be hard for them to watch me suffer, but needed to be done. And they were apparently on a schedule, wanting to get it over with.

I was already concerned, trying to think of an alternative other than what was going through my mind. Life insurance. And my coverage had just gone up. They couldn't be planning to collect, could they? My loving family.

I looked down at the phone again. There would be another explanation, I just needed to follow the conversation. 

But it got worse. Their time frame was off, they were only going to have time to come home and find me, not do the work themselves. Really, they said that as they contemplated what they were calling Plan B, hiring someone. As if I couldn't get more mortified, it seems they'd done their research ahead of time, it was just a matter of who would make the arrangements. Yes, it had gone that far. And Hubs, the man I had married and built a family with, was telling my oldest to do it.

Apparently PurDude agreed with the choice.

There was a break in the conversation. I'd like to say that I spent the time wisely, but I was in shock, literally sitting at the table, staring. And shaking.

All too soon though, the texting picked up:

I gotta say, if it weren't my own death they were talking about, I'd be pretty impressed with those negotiating skills too. But it was the next text that got me to move.

If they were going to be home to find me soon, that means the hit had to be happening now. Terrified, I didn't even pack. Tears streaming down my face I grabbed my purse, jumped in my car and drove. 

Which is why I didn't see my family walk into the house 15 minutes later with a bonfire of candles lit atop a $35 birthday cake.

PS: You're probably thinking that a birthday may not be your idea of a horror story but for me, at just 4 days out, the number of candles on that cake may well be more terrifying than a murder plot.


Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Cognitive Script

The Blogging 911  

The Lieber Family Blog

 The Bergham Chronicles

Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Never Ever Give Up Hope 
TaylorLife
Sparkly Poetic Weirdo
Climaxed 

Spice Thumbprints with Pumpkin Filling          
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (makes 2 1/2 dozen):

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP molasses

1 egg, room temperature

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

*Cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the molasses and egg.

*Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Carefully beat into the butter mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to a day.

*Beat the 1/2 stick of butter with the pumpkin puree, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Carefully beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar, then the remaining powdered sugar. Place in a sealable bag and refrigerate.

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.

*Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on the baking sheets and using the bottom of a wooden spoon, form a circle into the center of each dough ball about the size of a thumbprint. Make sure not to press all the way through.

*Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Cool completely.

*Snip the corner of the bag of pumpkin filling and pipe into the center of the cookies.

Skin Deep. Chapter Three: In Control

Again today I'm sharing a chapter of our newest Progressive Story Project. This project is presented a few times a year and is a fiction writing collaboration among a group of bloggers. Each writer takes a turn adding their voice to a single story. No one knows what the story is about or what has been written before them until it's their turn to write.

Skin Deep started two weeks ago with Chapter One: Secrets. Be sure to go back and read the first two chapters before moving on.

Skin Deep

Chapter Three: In Control

Rena of The Blogging 911:

Isabelle woke up disoriented and in pain. Her eyes looked around trying to decipher the machines and the people. "Where am I? Where's my baby?" she croaked, her throat burning with every syllable. She looked down the length of her body and saw nothing but a sea of white gauze and her panic went into overdrive. "Where am I?" she said forcefully as her throat tried to claw out the sounds she was trying to make.

"Isabelle, over here. I'm Dr. Tangier and you are in the Houston Burn Center. We're taking very good care of you. How do you feel?" The doctor held onto her fingers because everywhere would have been intolerable for her.

"Hurts . . . a lot. Where's my little girl? Where's Catherine?" The stress of trying to get answers was adding to her pain and you could see it etched across her face.

"Relax, she'll be here in the morning. She's on her way. Your friend is having her flown in on a private plane," the doctor continued.

"Who? Who?" It was no use. She fell back onto the bed exhausted from the fear and agony. She was out a moment later.

"She should sleep until morning," the nurse said. I just gave her morphine to help with the pain. She'll need that and more in the coming days. Poor girl! It must have been terrifying. Have they found the cause of the explosion yet?"

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles:

Jack stared at Isabelle's sleeping form. Frowning as his eyes took in how tiny she seemed under the sea of bandages. The fire had burned her from shoulder to just below her knees. Most of the damage on her right side, the side that was facing out as he carried her. He had only suffered minor burns on his arms and hands. Nothing too bad. He would heal quickly. His thumb rubbed along his bandaged arm. Isabelle would heal too, he would see to it. All these years of watching over her. He should have stayed away, but he just couldn't go another day without being actively in her life.

Not too long after his cruise had ended, he looked up the woman who had stolen his heart, and had been surprised to find her to be pregnant. He immediately knew the baby was his, and a secret DNA test performed after her birth confirmed that he was a father. He had waited all these years, hoping she would look him up and tell him about their beautiful daughter. He had anonymously helped her in every way he could. He sent "clients" her way that were paid by him. Before that, he had awarded a scholarship to her that covered the unpaid balance of her tuition. He had given her real estate agent a large bonus to show her the houses he pre-selected, and then had her tell Isabelle the prices were hundreds of thousands less than the real prices. Yes, he had provided for them any way he could.

Now, thanks to him, she was laying here wounded, and this is one thing he could not fix.

The nurse's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"Have they figured out what caused the explosion yet, Mr. Collins?" she asked again.

"A bomb," he answered, his voice strained. "A bomb had been rigged up to my door and when she had fidgeted with the knob to leave, it activated it. Thankfully she didn't fully open the door and had walked away a few feet."

"I hope they find the person who caused this," the nurse said, squeezing his arm before leaving to care for other patients.

The person would be found. If the authorities could not figure it out, his people would definitely figure it out. As it stood his lead bodyguard had not stopped trying to find out any information he could. He was wracked by guilt. Had he done his early morning check rather than sleeping in, he would have seen the device attached to the door. Jack had told Dave not to feel bad, Jack had planned on having a late sleep in with Isabelle and had asked him to take the morning easy. If anyone was at fault it was Jack himself. The bomb had obviously been meant to harm him. He would fix this. Thankfully the device had not gone off as badly as it was intended to so the damage was not as extensive as it could have been. The doctors told him that Isabelle's burns weren't that bad, they would heal completely, and surgeries would be able to lessen the scarring. She would have the best care money could buy.

He would take care of her and their daughter, and not in secret any more. He would not reveal that he knew Cat was his daughter. He would give her more time, to tell him in her own way. He owed her that much.

The buzzing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. He saw Dave's name flashing on the screen and hit "talk".

~~~~~~~ Before you go, check out today's recipe. And be sure to stop by 2 weeks from today for the final chapter of Skin Deep ~~~~~~~

White and Dark Chocolate Pie

White and Dark Chocolate Pie        

                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pie crust, bottom only
1 TBSP flour

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 TBSP heavy cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP white chocolate liqueur

4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup white chocolate liqueur
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP flour 
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

chocolate shavings

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1 TBSP flour onto a pie crust, then turn upside down into a 10 inch pie plate. Pat down.
*In a microwave, melt the dark chocolate chips with the heavy cream until smooth. Set aside.
*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and 2 TBSP white chocolate liqueur. Beat until stiff peaks hold. Refrigerate.
*In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, eggs, 1/4 cup white chocolate liqueur, vanilla, sugar and flour until smooth. Mix in the white chocolate chips.
*Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and fold half into the cream cheese mixture. Place remaining whipped cream back into the fridge.
*Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. It should puff up and form a crust. Remove from oven and cool completely. 
*Top with remaining whipped cream. Decorate with chocolate shavings.
 

The Rules of Panic: Funny Friday

Today’s post is this month’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

 Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by Dawn of Cognitive Script.

1. See the size of the fortune that says "Look! Good fortune is around you" and the size of the panic button in comparison? Yeah, that's about right.

2. Me (to Hubs): Out of chocolate? What do you mean we're out of chocolate? Press that panic button and let me tell you now, some chocolate damn well better appear.

3. Me (to son): Hell yeah a spider in the house is an extreme emergency. You stay and press that panic button, I'll be halfway to China by the time you're done.

4. Me (to Hubs): It's Monday? That's your extreme emergency? Get away from that panic button and go to work, that button's for real emergencies, like when we're out of chocolate. Or there's a spider in the house.

5. Me: Do those panic buttons multiply? 'Cause I think I need one in every room. Oh, and one for my purse. And my car. And . . .

 And now for something yummy: 

Dark Chocolate Cookies and Creme Crunch Fudge

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen
   Cognitive Script 
 The Bergham Chronicles

Dark Chocolate Cookies and Creme Crunch Fudge

   ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme Crunchers

Directions:
*Line an 8 X 8 inch pan with plastic wrap, allowing it to fall over the sides for easy removal. Grease lightly.
*Put the sweetened condensed milk, the dark chocolate chips and a dash of salt into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium low while stirring until melted and smooth.
*Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
*Pour about half of this mixture into your prepared pan. spread out using a greased knife or spatula. 
*Sprinkle 1 cup Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme Crunchers over the top. Press gently and cover with the remaining fudge. Spread evenly.
*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Use the plastic wrap hanging over the sides of the pan to remove the fudge from the pan. 
*Cut into squares, cover tightly and store in refrigerator.