Nancy pushed the drapes gently apart and watched Mr. Diedrich from across the road step out of his home.
First, he fished out a hanky and wiped the doorknob. Then he stepped back two paces and bowed to an invisible person. Next, he bent to the ground and touched it with his index finger. Finally, he adjusted his coat lapels, laughed, clicked his heels and skipped down the street.
Nancy pursed her lips. ‘That man’s touched in the head. He does this everyday!’
Her husband smiled indulgently. ‘Just because he has an unusual routine you can’t label him as mental.’
***
Welcome to The Moving Quill!
For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I’ve taken up the theme of
An Oxymoron rendered in micro-fiction.
Each day’s title will have one half of the oxymoron while the second half will be revealed towards the end of the post.
Follow me as I unravel each tale in exactly 100 words.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter to keep track of my updates
***
I wonder why he wiped the doorknob. That is an unusual behavior. 🙂
Rajlakshmi recently penned this post Travel Tales: Zig Zag Zoom #atozchallenge
Nancy reminded me of Hyacinth Bucket…although you’ve got to admit, it’s unusual behaviour! 😛
Sanch @ Sanch Writes recently penned this post Unwreathed Sestet: Weigh-in day #atozchallenge
Unusual routine! That’s going to be my rule for the vacations 😛
I’m loving the way you’re piecing together words that could have alternative meanings, into a perfectly meaningful oxymoron! You are the best, Shailaja ❤
Mithila Menezes recently penned this post No Xerox copies, please! #AtoZChallenge
LOL 😀 Now, that’s truly an unusual routine!! And I agree with the lady’s observation 😀
Shilpa Garg recently penned this post Vitiating Acts #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z
You wove your story so smoothly, I didn’t even pick up on the oxymoron until the second reading.
That’s great! So it worked , I guess 🙂
There is always something a little unusual in all of us but that doesn’t make us all mad 😛 Interesting piece of fiction
Exactly. Our quirks make us unique 😉
I find him cute too. Unusual, yeah, but cute! 😀
Am sure he will be most glad to hear that!
Wow!! This one was really smart!
Cheers
Thank you Geetika!
Hahaha! Mr. Diedrich seems to have a bit of OCD. 😀 I bet if people were watching our every move, we’d be considered strange by many. Happy last week of the A to Z, Shailaja!
Debbie D. recently penned this post UNTIL ITS TIME FOR YOU TO GO | #AtoZCHALLENGE (U) #MusicalMemories
Right? We just think we’re normal 😉 Happy last week to you too, Debbie!
hehe… again, never thought of the oddity of the words ‘unusual routine’ until you highlighted it here. Of course, this story is unrealistic… I mean, nobody can touch the ground with their fingers. Not with that big belly.
*looks around and realizes for the first time the difference between one’s own belly and that of other human beings*
*puts hamburger and fries back inside shirt pocket*
Roshan Radhakrishnan recently penned this post A Uruguayan named Jose #AtoZChallenge
Ha ha ha, trust you to bring in that quirky sense of humour even in the comments, Roshan!
Hahaha! 😀
Kaddu recently penned this post A to Z of Happiness: U – Unplug #atozchallenge @AprilA2Z ~ Ten On Tuesday
I admire unusual routines and people who follow them. God only knows how many must be feeling that I have some!!!!
Prasanna.
We all do 😉 Takes another person to notice it 😀
Am I the only one who finds this cute? Yeah, I can be weird at times.
Soumya recently penned this post U: Unread Books On My Shelf #AToZChallenge
You are always cute 🙂
I’m with Lalita. Sounds like Hercule Poirot. That made me giggle.
Suzy recently penned this post Umbrellas can … #atozchallenge letter U @AprilA2Z
He he glad to hear it 🙂
We are all someone’s unusual
Indeed we are, Pooja 🙂
Shailaja recently penned this post Vegetarian- #FlashFiction #AtoZChallenge
Thats sounds like Poirot, if he had an imaginary friend.
Ah, the master detective. C’est magnifique, non?
Bowing to an invisible person is definitely more than just “unusual” I’d say… I’m with Nancy on this one.
Sreesha recently penned this post Unfinished | #AtoZChallenge
Of course you would be 😉
Interesting post, I love the freeness of the strange fellow’s routine.
Stopping by from A to Z: Up the Nose
Shari
Thank you, Shari!
Shailaja recently penned this post Vegetarian- #FlashFiction #AtoZChallenge