Hemingway’s imitation:

Hemingway had a narrative technique called the iceberg theory. This simple writing style reveals minimal detail on the surface, with deeper meaning hiding below.

 Since there are more dialogues than actions in his stories, he doesn’t describe the mood of the scene and lets the audience guess who is speaking and their tone of speech.

The following story is Hemingway’s imitation.

Beth, George, and Edward sat on the balcony of the ostentatious Victorian mansion, which was perched on a hill. The valley beneath was bathed in the twilight rays of the setting sun.

“Twilight is painful. Everything comes to an end.” Said Beth.

“It’ll all begin again tomorrow,” said George, the eldest sibling of the three.

The butler arrived on the balcony.

“Gentlemen, my lady, I was asked to inform you that the lawyer will arrive with Mr. Stansbury’s final will within an hour.”

“Thank you, Sebastian,” Edward said, dismissing him.

“I can’t believe Father’s gone,” George said.

“You better believe it. Or I’m sure Martha will make sure you do”, said Beth.

“I don’t understand why you never liked her. She’s been a saint,” said George.

Martha had been their nanny when they were children, and now was their stepmother.

“Yes. Who could have put up with Father and still maintained her composure other than her?” asked Edward.

“Nobody asked her to put up with him,” Beth said.

“You know how adrift father was after mother died. Martha was a savior.”

“A very conveniently placed savior,” she said.

George looked at her sharply. “You know she was like a sister to mother. She adored our mother.”

“Oh, not just her surely,” she said.

There was an uncomfortable silence. “Father did marry her too soon after mother died,” conceded Edward.

A chill breeze ruffled the petunias in the garden.

“Martha was a nurse in the great war.”

“Of course, she was,” muttered Beth.

“I’ve never seen a person more suited for a profession requiring such enormous patience,” George said.

“She must have been named Patience.”

“Well, she did put up with our family since we were kids!”

“That is a long time.”

“I’m sorry father is gone. But I’m glad his suffering came to an end.”

“Yes, he was in great agony.”

“Just like mother.”

“What did you say?” asked George.

“Mother had severe stomach aches for so long before she died, too,” Beth said.

“I had completely forgotten about that,” Edward exclaimed.

“It is sad father had to go the same way too,” said George.

“Yes, exactly the same way,” Beth said.

Silence descended.

“Did either of you come and visit father after his health started deteriorating?” Beth asked.

“It all happened so fast. None of us thought he was going to die!”

“Maybe one of us should have visited.”

“We would have if we had known.”

“I know. But still,” Beth bit on her lower lip thoughtfully.

The fire crackled in the fireplace as the lawyer read the final will. Everything was left to Martha. And nothing was left to Beth, George, and Edward. The sun had set outside, and complete darkness had descended over the valley. A feline smile spread across Martha’s face.