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The Life & Ramblings Of A Zillennial

The One Rule (A Short Story)

One Sentence Story, bloody handprint, The One Rule | Don't Trust Her

She lay on the ground weeping hysterically, covered in blood. Some people just never learn. I had made it clear that not cheating was the one rule I had for this marriage. If only he had taken my words more seriously. Two lives could have been saved.

About The One Rule:

I’m not going to lie, I may or may not have come up with this story while using the bathroom… I can’t help it. Sometimes inspiration for your writing comes at random times… Anyway, let’s just pretend I never said that and move on…

Embarrassed Exit Strategy GIF

I am constantly editing old posts to keep them SEO friendly and reader friendly according to new Search Engine guidelines which change every now and then. So I have been reading a lot of my past posts. Many of them are short stories, poems and six word stories. And I love horror so a lot of them are pretty dark. Rereading these is probably what inspired todays short story. Although this was much shorter than my usual stories since it started out as a one sentence story but evolved to something more.

I also noticed a theme where more of the villains in my stories are women than men. I guess I enjoy writing women as darker characters because that’s something I don’t see much of and they are usually just the victims.

What did you think of this short story? Are you a fan of horror/murder movies/tv shows/books? Let me know in the comments section below because I would love to hear from you. Or simply stop by and say hi!

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Posted by:

P. J. Gudka

115 responses to “The One Rule (A Short Story)”

  1. Akshay daudani Avatar
    Akshay daudani

    Deep 💯

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks 😊

      Reply
  2. John Avatar
    John

    They have a very odd marriage…

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      One could argue all marriages are odd 😂

      Reply
      1. John Avatar
        John

        Marriage sucks. 🤙🏻😎🍻

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          You can say that again 😑

          Reply
          1. John Avatar
            John

            I guess we ain’t getting married! 😂😂😂🤬🤬

            Reply
            1. Pooja G Avatar
              Pooja G

              We’ll be single and happy instead 😂😜

              Reply
              1. John Avatar
                John

                🤙🏻☺️❤️❤️

                Reply
  3. Rita Avatar
    Rita

    Love it! I don’t know what that says about me or my relationships, but let’s just not unpack that, shall we?

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks! Lol, we’ll just sidestep that.

      Reply
  4. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Hi! Good story… that protagonist is a tough one! I did notice that your villains are primarily women. (Note to self: never cross Pooja! 😅) I’ve never been much into horror movies/gore but I do like suspenseful crime dramas.

    Reply
    1. Feets Avatar
      Feets

      Pooja could be writing from the psyche or whatever Freudian thing it is.😳 (😂)

      Reply
    2. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thank you! Crime dramas are always fun, I generally prefer those too but also enjoy horror occasionally. Haha my villains do tend to be women, maybe they’re living out the intrusive thoughts I don’t 😅

      Reply
  5. Milena Alien Avatar
    Milena Alien

    It’s true that some people just never learn… it reminded me of a story by E. Shafak “Bastard of Istanbul” I am not mush into horror / murder, I find it too simplistic most of the time…

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      True, horror/murder plots all have very similar premises. I haven’t heard of that story but will definitely check it out.

      Reply
  6. Chelle B. Avatar
    Chelle B.

    Well, I hate to victim blame but I think she made it pretty clear what her boundaries were from the beginning so……. 😄

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      I mean, technically it’s just the consequences of his own actions 😅

      Reply
  7. Feets Avatar
    Feets

    I like thriller stories with women as villains so I get it. It adds a new layer of how society affects gender roles and then individual.

    I’m very afraid of slasher stuff (if not afraid, disgusted).

    I like writing characters to be more psychologically disrupted than physical. It’s easier…but you know, if you read my one reason post, it’s a hint that I could and can write both.

    Reply
    1. Feets Avatar
      Feets

      What I really would like to see is how would you write something like You but with a woman as Joe.🤷🏾🤔 I wonder how different the crimes and backstories would be.

      Reply
      1. drtanya@saltedcaramel Avatar
        drtanya@saltedcaramel

        Yes, I would love to see that too.
        Great idea.

        Reply
      2. Pooja G Avatar
        Pooja G

        Ooh, I would love to write a female version of Joe. I think that would be interesting. And I wonder if people would sympathise more with her character than Joe’s. Even though people really sympathise with him and make excuses for him.

        Reply
        1. Feets Avatar
          Feets

          Maybe? Do people sympathize with women more? I have no idea. I guess it would depend on your writing, how traumatized the character is, and how you appeal to others. If you give her, say, an s abuse background, it probably make people more likely to sympathize than say…she just is weird. But, it would be interesting to have a character with a bad relationship with their mother. Might be relatable?🤷🏾

          Reply
          1. Pooja G Avatar
            Pooja G

            Yeah, women can typically get away with more because their crimes are usually crimes of passion rather than mindless murder. I think Joe’s appeal is that he is a narcissist and since we see/read everything from his perspective he is always the victim and the “good guy.” Yeah, a bad relationship with their mother is a classic way to make psychos more relatable. And maybe her mother was abusive or had an addiction.

            Reply
            1. Feets Avatar
              Feets

              Crimes of calculated murder too—ID channel shows some of them from the past and oh my are some of them good at hiding.

              Have you seen the theatre production/movie, Chicago?? It’s not a thriller (depending on how you view it) but it’s right up your alley (and it has some catchy music too) I recommend.

              Making the MC good looking (making an “ugly” relatable woman helps too) always makes them more sympathetic to people. People can see good morals where there are none with beauty.

              Reply
              1. Pooja G Avatar
                Pooja G

                I’ll definitely check out Chicago. I just Googled it and you’re right, it’s right up my alley.

                True, having a very good looking MC or an average looking but relatable MC helps connect for sure. I think a lot of TV characters that are thought to be “iconic” are seen as iconic because of that.

                Reply
    2. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      I absolutely agree. I also find that female murderers are often smarter with their plans so that makes it more fun for me to write.

      I find some slasher stuff disturbing too. It’s not for me. I’m more of a psycho thriller/murder mystery kind of person most of the time. But sometimes I like horror lol.

      Yeah, I think psychologically disturbed characters are easier to write because often they seem just like us until we get to know the real them 😶

      Reply
      1. Feets Avatar
        Feets

        😂 Not only that, they (psychologically disturbed) can be like writing pent up emotions. Sometimes it’s exhausting, but sometimes it’s interesting what you can come up with.

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          Lol true 😅

          Reply
  8. drtanya@saltedcaramel Avatar
    drtanya@saltedcaramel

    I’m not a fan of horror, but I am an ardent fan of murder mysteries mainly of the cosy Agatha Christie type. Although I have started enjoying the current trend of psychological thrillers.
    What are your favourite authors, shows?

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      I love Agatha Christie too. One book in this genre I loved was The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. For TV shows, I love Only Murders In The Building, You, Wednesday and Sherlock. What about you?

      Reply
      1. drtanya@saltedcaramel Avatar
        drtanya@saltedcaramel

        I’ve been an ardent Agatha Christie fan since I was 12.
        I’ve seen all these shows except Wednesday.
        Only Murders was a little too convoluted for me. I loved the main characters and the lovely Autumn colours.

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          Agatha Christie is a master when it comes to murder mysteries. I started reading her books as a teen and loved them.
          I like Wednesday since it has a fantasy/supernatural element to it. And Only Murder is definitely a bit more complex but a fun watch nonetheless. I really like the autumn vibes too.

          Reply
          1. drtanya@saltedcaramel Avatar
            drtanya@saltedcaramel

            We have shared interests 😍

            Reply
            1. Pooja G Avatar
              Pooja G

              It seems do 😊

              Reply
  9. Destiny Avatar
    Destiny

    breaking rules comes with consequences…. delightful story, Pooja. 😉🤍

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Haha thanks 😊

      Reply
      1. Destiny Avatar
        Destiny

        most welcome 🤍

        Reply
  10. Lebogang Shazzygal Malatji Avatar
    Lebogang Shazzygal Malatji

    Beautiful post lovely one. Your posts are always up to date. Been a minute

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks so much, happy to see you back here.

      Reply
      1. Lebogang Shazzygal Malatji Avatar
        Lebogang Shazzygal Malatji

        I’m back sis💖💖

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          Yay 😊

          Reply
  11. Vidah Avatar
    Vidah

    A good read!!🙌

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Geoff Stamper Avatar
    Geoff Stamper

    I loved this short story. Get back in the bathroom and come up with some more ideas!

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Lol, I’m on it!

      Reply
  13. Sadje Avatar
    Sadje

    A chilling story Pooja.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thank you so much 😊

      Reply
      1. Sadje Avatar
        Sadje

        You’re most welcome

        Reply
  14. cheryloreglia Avatar
    cheryloreglia

    It’s all about expectations! Hugs, C

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Haha agreed, thanks!

      Reply
  15. Joseph Glidden Avatar
    Joseph Glidden

    The woman in this story might be tough to have as an editor 🙂

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Yes, you may want to stir clear of her 😅

      Reply
  16. byngnigel Avatar
    byngnigel

    I do love the horror genre. It’s nice to come across a story with a female protagonist, who’s a little dark. And you’re right, inspiration hits you wherever it chooses to. It don’t matter where you are or what you’re doing. 💪

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Yeah, I always like a female protagonist for whatever reason. Haha exactly, inspiration hits at random times.

      Reply
      1. byngnigel Avatar
        byngnigel

        Worst times for me is when I’m driving to work. I send myself so many voice notes.

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          I don’t drive but I can imagine how annoying that must be.

          Reply
          1. byngnigel Avatar
            byngnigel

            Lol… It alright.. sometimes I just recite the ideas like a mantra until I hit a traffic light. Creativity never books an appointment. Keep writing Pooja. You’re entertaining…and I appreciate you.

            Reply
            1. Pooja G Avatar
              Pooja G

              Thanks so much, that’s really kind of you to say.

              Reply
              1. byngnigel Avatar
                byngnigel

                I’m not very good at BS.. so it’s a straight up compliment and encouragement… Keep doing your thing.. 💙💙

                Reply
                1. Pooja G Avatar
                  Pooja G

                  Thank you 😊

                  Reply
  17. DEVANG UPADHYAYA Avatar
    DEVANG UPADHYAYA

    Many ideas come there…. there’s no shame about it.

    Who doesn’t love who short stories…. always some unexpected. Well yes, you kill a man always…. they always betray in your stories. Haha

    Tell me more about updating old blogs, how that works? I am interested to know. You know I can learn that from Google. But, I wanted to know what my favorite blogger does. Yes, I want to learn more
    Do you want me to main regarding this?

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Haha yeah. That’s another common theme. Lots of dead men in my stories.

      I use the Yoast SEO plugin to update posts, let me know when you get the Business Plan and I can tell you how I do it.

      Reply
      1. DEVANG UPADHYAYA Avatar
        DEVANG UPADHYAYA

        Okay then

        Reply
  18. Stella Reddy Avatar
    Stella Reddy

    Awesome… I am not much into horror, but I enjoy true crime, which I find shows the horror of human nature… I enjoy reading your posts…

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks you so much. I’m not that into true crime because it scares me too much knowing that it really happened.

      Reply
      1. Stella Reddy Avatar
        Stella Reddy

        I can appreciate that. It is hard to see what a human being can do to another, no matter the reason. There is a lot of cruelty out there unfortunately

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          Absolutely, it’s sad how inhumane people can be.

          Reply
  19. Brian, Snarebox Avatar
    Brian, Snarebox

    Reminds me of some lyrics from one of my favorite songs: “It was noon in the summer when the police shot him
    “Stagger Lee, reincarnate” is what the cops called him
    A trembling hand with big ideas, which killed his wife and her man
    Stagger Lee in the Flesh in Southern California” (Trophy Scars – Messengers). Didn’t realize the first few times I listened to it that “his wife and her man” meant he killed his wife and someone she was having an affair with haha.

    With search engines slowly rolling out AI chat, what do you think will happen with SEO? I’ve read some sources that said it won’t exist in a few years. I think that could be good and bad. It’s certainly easy to abuse SEO to the point that you can’t find anything useful on Google anymore, but then how do you get AI to notice your page? Lol

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Will definitely listen to that song. Sounds right up my alley lol.

      Yeah, I’ve heard about that and I feel like you’re right. It’s going to be both good and bad. I don’t know about everyone else but I’ve been baking AI cookies and it seems to be going well so far… 🍪

      Reply
  20. Maryanne Avatar
    Maryanne

    I LOVE dark. Knowing me, one would never imagine as I’m a happy go lucky kind of person. One time someone said to me, “It’s good to know you have a dark side.”
    My two fiction books “Love Cats” and “The Gypsy Smiled” have the woman as the darker character. There are way too many books about guys being jerks and I wanted to show that women can be terrible too. Through these books I wanted to illustrate selfishness — to the extreme; though not horror stories.
    My husband doesn’t like dark stuff, so when he’s not around I’ll indulge in dark movies and I won’t tell him about it because he doesn’t like to hear it.
    I also listen to dark music like Nick Cave’s “Murder Ballads.”
    And I love the real Pinochio story, before it was Disney-ized. It’s so creepy and scary.
    But all that said, it’s like loving darkness from afar. I refuse to go in an amusement park spook house. I am a chicken, ha-ha!

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      I would definitely never have guessed that you love dark stuff so much!
      That’s awesome. I’m glad you wrote women as darker characters. We don’t have enough of that.
      I’m the same way, I don’t like haunted houses or anything scary in real life lol. I just like watching from afar.

      Reply
  21. dumbestblogger Avatar
    dumbestblogger

    Always follow the rules.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Exactly, that’s the real moral of the story.

      Reply
  22. debdebtig Avatar
    debdebtig

    I love it, you never know when inspiration will strike. For me, it’s usually just as my eyes are closing and I’m finally ready for sleep and BOOM an idea pops into my head. Those are the worst as now I have to wake back up and find a way to write it down or document it so I don’t lose it.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      That happens to me too and then you end up not sleeping for like an hour because you’re writing lol.

      Reply
      1. debdebtig Avatar
        debdebtig

        I usually grab my phone rather than turning on the light and tell Siri to create a note with all the details that just came to mind so that it will re-trigger when I look at it the next day or whenever I get back to it.

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          That’s a good idea, I usually do that but the idea just keeps flowing and I know it won’t come back so I start typing until I get everything out.

          Reply
  23. Ranjana Avatar
    Ranjana

    Interesting choice of words like ‘weeping hysterically’. This story makes me think that not every woman who looks fragile is weak and not every woman who looks stronger, taking care of family is strong. Sometimes life’s situation changes a person and brings out the best or the worst from them.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Yes, you’re right. Some situations will make people change and act different from their normal selves.

      Reply
  24. Eugi Avatar
    Eugi

    I’m not a fan of horror but a story that is compelling and dark can be intriguing. Good job, Pooja!

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
      1. Eugi Avatar
        Eugi

        Most welcome!

        Reply
  25. Cindy Georgakas Avatar
    Cindy Georgakas

    on the pot, off the pot, in the loo or in lieu of.. that was horrifying lol 😂

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Lolll 😅

      Reply
      1. Cindy Georgakas Avatar
        Cindy Georgakas

        😂

        Reply
  26. Shaunelius Sterns Avatar
    Shaunelius Sterns

    Great story. I was looking for the next paragraph. I think there should be a part two to see what happens to her.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks so much and I’ll think about a part two.

      Reply
  27. Opher Avatar
    Opher

    Said a lot in a little!

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks!

      Reply
  28. dustyreviewer Avatar
    dustyreviewer

    This is an excellent over-dramatization of how I feel when someone tries to make me talk more than my 500 word daily limit.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Lol, I mean I get it as someone who also doesn’t like to talk much…

      Reply
  29. marouabourni Avatar
    marouabourni

    Love itt

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks so much 😊

      Reply
  30. Anjali Avatar
    Anjali

    I liked your concept of women as villains. We don’t have to be always a good girl/ woman; we can be villains as well….😂

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks and yeah of course sometimes we’re the villain too 😉

      Reply
      1. Anjali Avatar
        Anjali

        Lol! 😂

        Reply
  31. haoyando Avatar
    haoyando

    Love the twist in your stories. Always. I don’t have a preference for horror stories, probably because I grew up in a horror narcissistic family and watched bloodless tortures every day. After escaping such a never ending horror show, I want something different. However, I love your stories and the horror-thriller book you recommended. You are so good with surprise ending, reversal of fortune or logic, and the strong women characters. I love strong women, good or bad, heroes or villains, in a story.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Yeah, when you face a lot of horrors in life you want to stir clear of them when you watch or read stuff. Thanks so much, so glad you enjoy my stories. I prefer to have strong women as the main characters since I feel not enough books/stories have that.

      Reply
      1. haoyando Avatar
        haoyando

        You are so right that so few strong women characters. I mean so many books have been published and very few are about strong women we would like to read.

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          Ironically, even the books written by women often have mostly male characters. Luckily things are better now but back in the day it was almost just male characters as the main characters. And if there were women they were just “damsels in distress.”

          Reply
          1. haoyando Avatar
            haoyando

            So true. If one was brought up–a man or a woman– in such a fake atmosphere, one just thinks in the way one was told. Also the readers and the audience probably enjoy the same fake images. There are so much work to be done just to tell a little bit of what really happened.

            Reply
            1. Pooja G Avatar
              Pooja G

              Absolutely, a lot of it is because of the way the writer is brought up and their connections to societal norms.

              Reply
  32. Pennize Pics Avatar
    Pennize Pics

    I loved this flash fiction story. And as you know I love horror stuff too. Your story even though short made a huge statement that I could picture fully. Nice job Pooja.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Thanks so much, that’s a big compliment.

      Reply
      1. Pennize Pics Avatar
        Pennize Pics

        It’s my pleasure and I hope that you are feeling better?

        Reply
        1. Pooja G Avatar
          Pooja G

          I am, thanks. I’m pretty much recovered now.

          Reply
          1. Pennize Pics Avatar
            Pennize Pics

            That’s good to hear.

            Reply
  33. Tamara Kulish from https://tamarakulish.com/ Avatar
    Tamara Kulish from https://tamarakulish.com/

    Hmmm, you do go to some dark places don’t you?! I suppose better to express them through writing than in real life actions…!!!

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Lol absolutely, I think I just use writing as a way to get the negative stuff out!

      Reply
  34. Never Mind Avatar
    Never Mind

    Shoulda been honest, right? All it takes to not be a cheater. “Hey wife, I’m curious about this person and want to… Can I?”

    Looks more like a writing prompt or a short true evil confession though, if I’m going to use my MKULTRA psi powers and make a judgment on your writing.

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Yeah, I guess it could be a writing prompt.

      Reply
  35. vesnab7 Avatar
    vesnab7

    I have really enjoyed reading this short story! You have the power to say a lot in just a few words! Excellent, as always! 🌸

    Reply
  36. SHALOM JAPHET Avatar
    SHALOM JAPHET

    I’m a huge fan of horror and crime movies😂

    Reply
    1. Pooja G Avatar
      Pooja G

      Me too 😅

      Reply

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