Understatement

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Fran Hart

“I have a small obsession with owls,” she confessed, ushering me into her home.

I’d already noted her sweater (owls knitted into the rib pattern with buttons stitched on for eyes) and jewelry (small, copper owl pendants with tiny turquoise eyes).

Yet nothing prepared me for the onslaught of sights and sounds pervading my client’s house: a large oil painting on the wall facing the front door, a throw rug covering the entry’s tiled floor, a stuffed bird poised on a small table to my right, a hooting soundtrack adding ambiance. On and on, owls everywhere!

“Indeed,” I responded.

(Inspired by VelvetVerbosity.com 100 word challenge: “Obsession“)

(This particular entry is also inspired by the darling and delightful @PettyMagic, Camille DeAngelis)

About Fran Hart

Disciple of Christ, earning a living as the director of US-based operations for a Taiwanese company, managing an engineering organization while carving out time to write. Wife, Mother, Grandmother.
This entry was posted in 100 words, Fiction, Writing. Bookmark the permalink.

11 Responses to Understatement

  1. Camille says:
    February 17, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    Hahaha, awesome! I'm not THAT obsessed.

    And you are so nice!! <3

  2. TherExtras says:
    February 17, 2011 at 7:36 pm

    Gives new meaning to the word: denial – in terms of self assessment of the client – eh? Well done. Barbara

  3. June B. Anderson says:
    February 17, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    My mother-in-law liked owls back in the '70's…but not THAT much! Thankfully. Good one. Funny. (I deleted my first attempt at posting this because I misspelled a word. It's an OBSESSION!) 🙂

  4. Tara R. says:
    February 18, 2011 at 12:18 am

    I've known a few people like this, owls and all. Wonderful imagery.

  5. Mama Zen says:
    February 18, 2011 at 2:34 am

    Excellent!

  6. anthropoet says:
    February 18, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    Nicely done–I really got a good sense of her obsession.

  7. barbara says:
    February 19, 2011 at 8:38 pm

    hahahahaha – just posted mine before reading everyone else's. If you read mine you'll understand why I am laughing.

    Also – I have the pattern to that sweater – and even went through my time with owls. Now it is something different.

    Maybe I need an intervention.

    hahahahaha
    >..<

  8. Bo says:
    February 20, 2011 at 12:14 am

    Working at an animal hospital I see alot of people with Cat obsessions. I can totally picture them while reading this. well done.

  9. evenstarwen says:
    February 20, 2011 at 9:42 am

    A "small obsession"? LOL. Love your understated response to that understatement. I'm surprised there wasn't a live owl there somewhere.

  10. Velvet Verbosity says:
    February 21, 2011 at 6:24 am

    Ah. I see you've opened comments to non-Google accounts. Nice.

    That's quite an obsession!

  11. Ms. Marsha says:
    February 21, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    This sounds like a house I showed a client when I was in real estate!

Comments are closed.