[ FF ] - 250 Words ; 2 months Reddit Gold prize

The rain stopped, so Marty got off his fat ass and went into the backyard to water the flowers. 
 
 Stepped onto the patio, in his socks, no sandals. Wet soaked in fast. God damnit, he said, then whipped his head around to make sure nobody ’ d heard him. Taking the lord ’ s name in vain meant sofa time, and the sofa was in the living room, next to the kitchen, with the microwave, and the brightness of the clock always made sleep impossible. Marty ’ d been married for 20 years. 
 
 Stupid flowers. Black-eyed Susans. Or maybe irises. Gouged-out irises, by the look of it. Double you tee eff, Marty thought, since he didn ’ t like to curse in his mind either, if he could help it. Just in case. Had something dug up the irises? 
 
 Marty peered at the hole in the dirt. Wriggling inside it, the fattest dirtiest grossest worm ever invented. Marty felt his gorge rise, couldn ’ t tear his eyes away. The worm writhed. Mechanical, Marty reached for a hand spade. Robotic, he stabbed the worm. And stabbed and stabbed and stabbed. 
 
 The back door creaked, and terrible voice said “ What are you doing to my petunias! ” Marty looked up at his wife, her face ashen, angry, frown as flat as a 20-year-old sofa and eyes as bright as a microwave clock light at 3:43 in the morning. 
 
 Marty glanced at the hand spade, back at his wife, at the spade, at his wife. Suddenly he had an idea. 

