Chekhov's Gun #2

All credit goes to Melissa Donovan at www.writingforward.com

"Chekhov's Gun is a literary device in which an element is mentioned in a story and its purpose or significance becomes clear later. For example, early in a story, the narrative mentions that the hero carries a knife. Later, he uses that knife to defend himself in a fight. If the knife hadn't been mentioned earlier, it might feel like an object of convenience. On the other hand, if the knife is mentioned but he never uses it, the reader might feel cheated after anticipating a good knife fight.

The real purpose of Chekhov's Gun is to remind writers that they have an obligation to fulfill all promises made to readers. If the narrative mentions that the hero carries a knife, the reader expects that he will, at some point, use it. If he doesn't, the writer has failed to fulfill a promise. In other words: don't pepper your story with unnecessary, insignificant, or meaningless elements. Make everything count!

The term "Chekhov's Gun" comes from a letter from Anton Chekhov to Aleksandr Semenovich Lazarev (also known as A.S. Gruzinsky) in which he said, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it."

There is this excellent essay which explains this further:

"https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/ask-writer/whats-this-business-about-chekhovs-gun"

Write a story of at least 500 words in which you use foreshadowing though an object. Remember, Chekhov's gun can be anything! You can make it as dull or exciting as you want. Don't mention it too obviously, just let the story flow. So for this swap, at least 500 words of fiction.