HAPPILY EVER AFTER discussion

Hello everyone,

Just initiating another story for the "Let's Write A Story Together" activity. 

For further details, please click on the following link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thank you :-)

Once upon a time there lived two sisters named Jen and Jess.

They also had three brothers named Ted, Fred and Ed.

One bright sunny day, they all decided to have a picnic by the river.

Everyone arranged to meet at Ed's place and drive over to the picnic from there. Leaving all the arrangements to his siblings, Ed donned his Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts and flip flops. He settled himself in front of the TV to wait for the others. An image of a Mexican chilli sauce flashed across the TV screen. His mouth watered. He stood up and rushed outside to get the same sauce and chilled Beer from the grocery store across the street.

As soon as he reached his home, he sat on the couch in front of the TV and gulped down half the bottle of the chilled beer he'd bought. Feeling better, he switched on the TV and started flipping through the channels. His phone beeped with a message from his brother, Fred saying they'd all arrived, and he switched off the TV and walked out to join them.

Everyone settled themselves in Fred's van, and about an hour later, they reached their destination. Everyone unloaded their things and started walking towards the river bank. Just as Ed moved to follow the others, he caught sight of a black SUV with the same suspicious strangers he'd seen near his home. He frowned. Were these people following him?

Ed pulled out his sunglasses from his Hawaiian shirt's pocket and put it on. The suspicious strangers—two men and a woman—stood beside the black SUV and appeared to be having an earnest discussion. Ed walked around the cars parked between Fred's van and the SUV and sidled as close to them as he dared, trying to listen in on their conversation. All he could catch were three words: warn, angry, and money. He crouched next to the nearest car, straining his ears, and heard one more word: kill. The conversation stopped. Ed peeked over the car to see what was happening. One man tore up a piece of paper and threw it in a nearby dustbin while the other typed on his phone. The woman yanked open the SUV's door and her face turned in Ed's direction. Yikes. Ed ducked his head. Had she seen him?

Soon everyone was full. Jen and Jess stood up to take a stroll along the river. Ted and Fred went for a boat ride. Ed lounged on the grassy bank, thinking about the four words he had heard. What had the suspicious three—his name for the strangers—meant by them? His gaze drifted over to the plastic bag in which they had collected their empty paper plates and other rubbish. He sighed. They better throw the bag before they left—hey. His eyes narrowed. The piece of paper the man had torn and thrown in the bin. Maybe it contained some clue?

Ed throwing away his little angel and demon on his shoulders, decided to check the dustbin. He wore a mask, gloves and went whistling in order to ease his own state of mind.

But a woman wearing black outfit and dark glasses was already on the bin, checking it. And it was THAT woman, from before!

Ed had not forgotten her aetherial dark red hair.

Ed hurried back to the river bank, shoving the mask and the gloves into his pocket. He frowned. What should he do now? Seconds ticked by as he stood lost in thought. Ted and Fred returned from their boat ride, and Ed told them everything. Fred already knew most of the story and didn't say much, but Ted was keen to confront the woman and find out what was going on. Jen and Jess were still strolling along the river, and the three brothers took this opportunity to head towards the car park bin. The woman was gone, but a torn piece of paper was lying on the ground near the bin, and Ted bent to pick it up. 

Ted: "Hey, isn't this the name of Jen's new client? The one she was talking about while we ate?"

Fred: "Yes, it is. I've never seen her so excited about a project before."

Ted: "Ed, do you think it's part of the same paper that man tore and threw away? And maybe the woman came to retrieve it but left one of the pieces behind?"

Ed: "It's possible, but what could be the connection between Jen's new client and the suspicious three? And why were they outside my place and then here? Maybe they were following Jen and not me? Somehow they found out she planned to come over to my house, and they waited for her there and followed her here? But why?"