Portrait Of Words #2

Jeff (A Word in Edgewise) has started up this monthly challenge, derived from a previous challenge from R.E.H.'s "Picture Fiction Challenge".

Each month Jeff gives FOUR pictures which represent THE CATEGORIES and THREE pictures which represent THE WILD CARDS.

The object is to:

Write a story of any length or style. Long or short, comedy or tragedy, fact or fiction, etc,etc... it's up to you.

Use each of the picture representations in your story. (one from the wild card options)


Here are the guidelines:

THE CATEGORIES:
Main Character(s): Your story can be told through or about this person(s), i.e. first or third person. Either way you go, their involvement in the story should be a focal point. Have as many or as few additional characters as you wish, but at least one of the ones pictured should be central to the overall story.

Backdrop: This will create the setting for your story. It can take place at the location depicted, be a destination to it, or be a journey from it.

Purpose: This is what drives or motivates the main character(s) to action. It can also be viewed as the objective of the story.

Item(s): The object(s) should have a significant value to the main character, backdrop or purpose of the story.

Wild Cards: Writers choice here. Choose one of the three options to use in your story anyway you see fit.
Here are the portraits for the basis of the story.

Here's my story.  In case you don't realise I used Wild Card 1.

Taking the key from her handbag, Marie placed it carefully in the locker at the airport, it would be safe there until they were able to return. Turning to look at Brian she nodded and they took hold of the handles on their suitcases and wheeled them towards the departure gate for the 3.30 flight to Spain.

This flight was the gateway to a new life. Sitting waiting for the gate to open Brian and Marie talked about what they’d do in Spain for the next four months. They’d hired a private villa in the mountains and a car so they could tour the area looking for a property to buy. They had decided that’s where they wanted to live permanently. Money wasn’t a problem they could afford to buy the best and live in luxury. They were so looking forward to the rest of their lives.

At first Marie had been shocked when she’d found out about Brian’s plan. She had always been a model citizen, working at the housing department of the local council since she’d left school. Brian had somehow got involved with a gang who were going to highjack a security van delivering gems to a jewellers. They’d be rich, Brian told her, they’d stash the gems in an unoccupied house that she could get the keys for, the police would never find it. She could fix it so that it looked as though the house was occupied on the system, pack her job in and they could spend a few months in Spain then, once the heat had died down, come back to retrieve the gems.

As they reached the aircraft they offered the stewardess their boarding passes. Suddenly they were surrounded by police and in a flurry of activity they were handcuffed and found themselves in separate interview rooms.

They were questioned for hours. Both refused to say anything but it seemed that the police knew everything there was to know. They had found the jewels in the house, but how?

One of Marie’s colleagues had done a bit of investigating when she thought Marie had been acting suspiciously. She realised that a key to an empty house was missing but couldn’t find out which house it belonged to because Marie had covered it up so well on the system. The woman thought Marie had fiddled the system to get a house for a friend, but became even more suspicious when Marie submitted her resignation.

Suddenly it hit Marie, she recognised the balding copper, he was her colleague’s husband and he’d been sitting reading a paper near the locker when she had deposited the key for the house.

He was off duty and giving a friend a lift to the airport when he spotted Marie and her husband, who he recognised as a face the police thought was connected to the security van highjack. He telephoned his boss with his suspicions and got permission to open the locker. Dopey Marie had left a tag attached to the key showing the address of the house!