VIPER'S NEST OF LIES
Mystery Scene|Fall #169, 2021
A slip of the tongue is a dangerous thing. Not only does it expose indiscretions, it also can lead to murder. The latter especially applies to me.
Daniella Bernett
VIPER'S NEST OF LIES

Like other authors, particularly women, I’m a very good listener. My smile encourages and emboldens my interlocutor to chunter on with innocent abandon. Although I’m not inherently patient (far from it, I must confess), when it comes to telling a story I can bide my time until that tempting little idea insinuates itself into the conversation. Then, I pounce with covetous glee. The poor layman would be shocked and scramble to understand this phenomenon, at last settling on the term “inspiration.” But it is even more simplistic. My Muse and I shamelessly justify this as necessary for the sake of art and, more importantly, my dear readers.

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