I wasn’t thinking about writing this afternoon, zipping on the highway to pick up my oldest son from school. I was just enjoying the drive and the quiet cocoon of my car. My littlest was happily looking at books in the backseat, and I was breathing in the brief, golden silence. But then I caught a flash of color out of the corner of my eye.
It was a bright red baseball cap (we are in Cards country, after all) that had blown up against a fence line. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.
Since I’m writing and reading mystery lately, the sight automatically got the gears turning in my mind. Who did the hat belong to? A runaway teen? An aspiring pro ball player who’d just had his dreams crushed? A mom with no time for anything but a messy ponytail? A middle-aged man who decided to stop being self-conscious about his thinning hair? Someone on medications that make him sun-sensitive? Someone trying to disguise herself after a recent run-in with the law?
Did the owner know the hat was missing? Was it a sentimental favorite, the only reminder of a beloved relative? Or an ill-fitting gift from someone’s ex? Had the owner purposefully let the hat sail through an open window to litter the countryside? Or was it just accidental refuse, blown from the back of a trash-filled pickup?
How had the hat gotten lost? Had it fallen off in a struggle? Was the owner a missing person? Had someone purposefully planted the hat along a public route to draw attention? Was it a calling card- or a clue?
In reality, I’m pretty sure that the story behind the missing baseball cap was simple and straight-forward (my bet’s on the trash-filled pickup), but the sight sure proved to be good fodder for my creative engine.
Have you seen any “little mysteries” in your corner of the world lately?
Keep reading!
Shaen
2 comments
Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I’m giving it my best shot 🙂
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