When the hurlyburly’s done

Copyright – Connie Gayer

The racket from a nearby excavation infiltrated the heavy boardroom silence as they counted votes.

Mack was rapt, at the start, when Beth told him what they’d said: she was chairman material.

Strategic gossip was enough to assassinate her predecessor, but when things got tough, they all deserted her – even Mack, her own husband. He pushed her on, then lost his nerve. He should have covered her back.

She’d persevered, buoyed by assurances that she was unassailable. The ground would open before she’d be toppled, they’d said.

Beth braced herself. Outside, the machines stopped; someone shouted – “Cables …”? Then the lights went out.

****

This is for Friday Fictioneers once again – my 100 word story in response to the photo above. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, who posts a weekly prompt and manages to respond to all the contributions so encouragingly.

I’ve just been to see the 2015 film version of ‘the Scottish play’, and the phrase ‘untimely ripped’ came to mind when I looked at the picture. In the end I didn’t use the phrase itself, but the play was lodged in my mind, and this is the outcome. I’m crossing my fingers that it can stand alone.

Here’s a brief trailer for the  film, which really covers the main stages of the story surprisingly well. 

Here’s another clip – from the Polanski version. Look at how they dig, and the coiled rope they handle. Echoes of our prompt?