The Third Red Line

Short story about college kids taking a writing class and their thoughts and opinions on endings and resolution.

"All narratives have an ending, but they don't always have resolution."

Amelia Ross slipped into the lecture hall and sat, unnoticed, toward the back of the expansive room.

"Resolution occurs when story conflicts and mysteries are revealed, unraveled or addressed, and the protagonist has a personal or emotional response to them."

Squinting at the Power Point presentation displayed on the screen at the front of the classroom, Amelia frowned. She had forgotten her notebook just as she had the week before. What was wrong with her lately? Why was she so scatterbrained?

"Some stories have hints and bits of resolution intermixed throughout the plot but they don't always provide a sense of closure."

Professor Gavin Herrington looked up into the group of young college students. Amelia felt as if the man was looking right through her. Did he detect her unease? She hadn't turned in her last assignment and she had no explanation.

Leaning forward, the petite blonde placed a pale hand on the broad shoulder before her. "Excuse me," she asked politely, "Can I borrow some paper and a pen, please?

The young man waved a strong hand near his left ear as if swatting away a pesky fly. He did not respond or turn in Amelia's direction.

Clearing her throat, Amelia repeated a little more loudly, "Excuse me?"

Waving his hand again, Amelia noticed a small tattoo on the inside of her classmate's wrist. A black heart, its edges jagged and ominous and three bright red lines beneath it jumped out at her like a slap in the face. Where had she seen that tattoo before? Amelia was certain it wasn't just in this room but she couldn't remember. She had been so forgetful the past few weeks.

"With an open-plot ending, there is no final conflict resolution and the reader is left hanging; a closed plot has a definitive ending." Professor Herrington's booming voice snapped Amelia from her thoughts. "Which do you prefer?" Tilting his silver head beneath the fluorescent lights, the professor arced his thin arm in a wide circle; welcoming answers.

A tall red-head with black-framed glasses and pigtails raised her hand. "I believe an open-plot ending works best because with no resolution you can use your imagination and decide for yourself how it ends."

"This is your belief, Miss ... uh?" Bloodshot eyes scanning over his Student Roster, Professor Herrington continued. "Ms. Ford?"

"Umm, yes, sir," the red-head confirmed weakly. "Nikita, please, call me Nikita."

Ignoring the girl's request, silence ensued.

Amelia raised her hand. Perhaps she could get back on the educator's good side by voicing her opinion; participating in the discussion. Waving her hand desperately in stale air, Amelia's brows knit together dejectedly as she was overlooked.

Pushing wisps of blonde hair from her freckled face, Amelia muttered under her breath, "I just wanted to explain how I think a closed plot is better because it has a definitive ending. It's like closure and you don't have to guess at what happened. Geez."

Tattoo Boy raised his hand tentatively. "I just wanted to explain how I think a closed plot is better because it has a definitive ending. It's like closure and you don't have to guess at what happened."

"And this is your thought, Mr. Jones? Delaney Jones?"

"Oh, Hell no!" Amelia stood, anger creeping up her neck and into her face. "That's MY thought; MY answer. He stole it!"

"Yes, sir," Delaney replied without flinching.

"Neither opinion is incorrect," Professor Herrington trudged on. "Writing styles are all different, just as people are all different. It's what the author or reader prefers."

"I prefer to be acknowledged!" Amelia screamed.

"Would you agree with this statement, Nikita and Delaney?" the professor prompted.

"Yes," Nikita replied shyly.

"I suppose," Delaney shrugged.

Placing a stack of folders on the table beside his podium, Gavin Herrington, well into his fourteenth year of teaching English, Journalism and Creative Writing, grinned. He felt certain this experiment would work.

"When I call your name, come pick up your assignment folder. I have taken the time to put your assignments for the year into book form. Your final assignment is to write a resolution to your story." The man picked up his Student Roster. "Oh, and it must be a closed plot with a definitive ending."

The students stepped forward, one by one, as their names were called.

Carson Williams. Michael Jenkins. Christina Hall. Natalie Holt.

Each name was called except one. Amelia Ross.

Why? She had only missed one assignment. Why was she being shunned? What had she done to be ignored so?

Turning toward the door to leave, Amelia noticed Nikita rise from her seat and walk the stairs. Was she leaving too?

Flicking a long, slender finger toward Delaney, Nikita waited as he moved down a seat, making room for her.

"What did you write about? Please tell me you didn't ..."

Cutting her off, Delaney waved his hand. Amelia studied the tattoo on his wrist once more. The lines blurred, the black heart seemed to morph, twist and pulsate of its own volition.

"He said to write about something exciting, something powerful," the young man whispered. "It was my third kill. I think that's pretty exciting." He rubbed one of the bright red lines on his tattoo with his thumb as he grinned and winked at Nikita.

"Del, how could you? Professor Herrington is a really smart man. He's going to figure this out!" Nikita spoke a little too loudly and quickly covered her trembling lips as tears leaped into her green eyes.

"Don't worry, babe," Delaney winked again. "I changed the names to protect the innocent and, remember, it is fiction after all."

Nikita slowly expelled warm air from her lungs. "Maybe he'll see it that way," she said. "That girl deserved to die, flirting with you like that." She grabbed her boyfriend's hand and began tracing the lines and creases in his palm.

Amelia stared at the tattoo. She began to feel dizzy and then a jolt of electricity seemed to course through her veins as a vague memory played at the edges of her mind.

Screaming. Struggling. Arms and legs flailing. Excruciating pain around her left temple. A woman dressed in black. A low, guttural, maniacal laugh.

"What were the other girls' names?" Nikita asked nonchalantly.

"Lauren and Susan," Delaney replied as he began to flip through his assignment folder.

Amelia watched intently as the computer-generated words swam across the stark white paper. She felt like she was drowning in a black, black sea.

Professor Herrington's voice droned on but Amelia barely registered the words.

"... or you might write about existential experiences that stress feelings and emotions over resolution."

Trying to focus on her classmate's story, Amelia's eyes widened as one single drop of blood landed with a splatter onto the manuscript.

"I think it's cool that her name was Amelia," Nikita flashed a seductive smile. "She's just disappeared; vanished from the face of the earth like Amelia Earhart."

A tinkling giggle filled Amelia's ears as she bent forward and held her aching head in both hands.

Another scene, like a slow-motion, black-and-white movie presented itself; clear, bright, disturbingly real: The black heart tattoo slammed into her face over and over and over again. Two bright red lines danced before her dull brown eyes briefly, before everything turned ... silent.

Two lines? Why were there three on the tattoo now?

Amelia gazed over the expansive room. No one looked her way. No one spoke to her. Her name had not been called.

SHE was the third red line.

"This story must be changed," she thought aloud. Closing her eyes tightly, Amelia Ross willed herself into Delaney Jones' manuscript. Her spirit would find justice, her spirit was determined there would be no more victims.

As she pulled herself between the lines she had just read, she heard Professor Herrington's last words:

"Sometimes resolution coincides with the ending; the revelation or the 'twist' might be the end to your story."

Author's Note

Please give an overall review on this short story. Thank you!

Reviews

[wordman]

a great chapter,creative,believable.great write

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, wordman.

[Celie Rose]

I found your story very interesting. Especially when Professor says, "Sometimes resolution coincides with the ending; the revelation or the 'twist' might be the end to your story." Gives another way of viewing endings. Well written

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Celie Rose!

[Samuel Dickens]

This is clever, imaginative, and skillfully written, but I had some trouble forming a visual picture of it all in places. (Probably just me again, needing to "see" everything) A story like this might make a great short movie.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you for reading and commenting, Sam. I always value your opinion.

[alifeacoustic]

Great write Melissa. I hope Amelia squeezed herself into a twist :)
Poor Amelie. Maybe she will end up being more than just the third red line.
Clever idea to situate it in a writing class. It works really well.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you very much! I am glad you enjoyed this!