Wife Wanted

So I realized that I need to start writing again (partially thanks to Frankie and Chichi constantly reminding me that I should do what I'm passionate about). I dug up the book that Adam lent me that's filled with writing exercises, and decided to have a go at one.
So far it's just the intro, based on the fact that the prompt told me to use either a fish falling from the sky, or a sign that said Wife Wanted-Inquire Within. Can you guess which one I used?


Wife Wanted

Madeleine saw the sign, and at first she wasn't sure she had read it right. She slowed down as she approached the house, and saw that she had read the sign right. Judging by the line of cars parked outside the house, and the women standing on the lawn, she wasn't the only one who noticed the odd sign. The car in front of her pulled over to an open space by the curb and the driver, a woman, got out. She joined the growing crowd of woman on the lawn and Madeleine felt her interest pique.
Turning the corner, she parked on the street in front of a different house. She shut off her car and suddenly wondered what the hell she was doing. She should be headed home to cook dinner, but her curiosity really was getting the better of her. With a shrug, she got out of her car and headed for the house with the sign that read 'Wife Wanted-Inquire Within.'
As she approached, Madeleine could see the women were gathered in small groups, talking, while others waited in a line near the front door. She stood awkwardly near the women lined up at the door and listened to what everyone was talking about.
“Do you think he's got money?”
“Well, I mean, this house is pretty big, but it's no mansion.”
“Yes, but maybe he's going to inherit some.”
“Maybe he's got a terminal illness.”
Madeleine rolled her eyes and listened to another group.
“I heard from Emliy that he's been holding these auditions for a week now. So when I was over this way today, I knew I had to stop.”
“So it's like a casting call or something?”
“Oh no. She said he's really serious about finding a wife this way!”
“Did she go in?”
“No, she talked to a couple women who had gone in though. I guess he thinks this is the best way to meet women.”
It sure works, Madeliene thought. This man's got a group of twenty-something women gathered outside his house, waiting to see him like he's some hot shot director or something. And here I am, standing with them! She couldn't believe the local newspaper hadn't started a story about this...or maybe they had. She had a whole week's worth of papers piled just inside her front door. With work she hadn't had much time to read them.
The door opened and a young woman of about twenty three walked out. All the women gathered around, either to ply the young woman with questions about what happened inside, or to see inside the house. A man emerged, tall and gangly, with glasses and neatly styled hair. All the women hushed; clearly this guy was someone they recognized.
“Afternoon ladies. It's been a long day, and Mr.Ellis is only going to see five more ladies.” A collective “Aww” came from the women and some complained that they'd been waiting since morning. The man cleared his throat and the crowd quieted down. “I'm sorry ladies, but this is a tiring process. Now, as you know, each group is always picked at random, and arguing will not be tolerated.”
'As you know'? How long has this been going on? Do these women come here every day in hopes of being picked to go inside? This is ridiculous. But Madeleine stayed put to watch the rest anyway. She'd parked and walked over, she might as well see it through to the end.
“Gather around please,” the man scanned the crowd of eager women and began pointing. “You, yes, with the red hair. And you. You.” The three women he selected made their way to the door to stand by him while quiet grumbling spread through the crowd. The man picked one of the women who had been lined up by the door, and then scrutinized the crowd for his last pick. Madeleine was turning to walk away when he heard him say “You. Miss...with the blue sweater.”
She paused. She was wearing a blue sweater. She turned her head back towards the man to see that he was nodding and smiling at her.
“Me? I-”
“Yes, yes, I'm sure you're speechless. Come along please, let's not keep Mr. Ellis waiting.”
The women closest to Madeleine quickly began gossiping about how she was the last one to show up, and why would she get picked over everyone who had been waiting. Couldn't he see that clearly they were better picks? Madeleine really couldn't believe what a silly situation this was, nor could she get over the arrogance of this Mr. Ellis, thinking he could command her time. She was seriously considering walking away, when she heard one woman mumble to her friend.
“That last girl, she's not even really attractive. She's so plain!” The woman speaking was a leggy blonde with overly large breasts.
Suddenly, going inside seemed like it might be interesting. After all, she had been waiting on this man's lawn. Why not see what he was all about? Madeleine gave the blonde a large smile as she pushed her way through the crowd to front where the man with the glasses was waiting with the four other women. The man turned and opened the door, ushering the women inside. Madeleine turned right before she entered, give the blonde a small wave, and then stepped inside the house. She was the last in,and the man followed her in and closed the door.
Suddenly she realized what she was doing. Here she was, in a stranger's house, hand picked by another stranger. What if they were both weirdos? She could be in some serious danger. Suddenly nervous, she let out a squeak when the man spoke behind her.
'Welcome, ladies. As you may know, I'm Jeffrey, James' brother. I know this all seems like a very unorthodox way of finding a wife, but just think of it like an internet dating site, done in real life. Here's your chance to meet someone face to face, rather than on a blind date. Now, if you'll follow me down the hall, James will meet with all of you together, and after that if there's someone he finds particularly interesting, he'll meet with you one-on-one.” Jeffrey smiled before taking the lead down the hall.
Madeleine tried to relax a little. Jeffrey really was nice, and he had that nerdy charm working for him. She was with a group, and other women had left the house. She told herself that if the two brothers were really serial killers, surely the police would know by now. Women couldn't just go into this house and never come out without someone noticing...she hoped.


It's nothing special at the moment, but it felt good to write even a little something. Who knows, this might be an idea that I'll continue to work with.