Writing prompt #9

I got someone else to pick a number between 1-30, this time it was my Momma Moose. She picked nine, and so here we go.

9. A story in 250 words or less about your favorite city.

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I never lived in Rock Spring, but my boyfriend did for a time. I would constantly complain about the thirty minute drive through miles of dark woods on either side of the highway, deer crossing signs ominous in my headlights. I would see shadows in my peripheral vision and be convinced a deer was going to leap across the highway at me with no time to avoid the collision. Plus, every time I drove back home at night, there were always at least five cop cars on the route home, like that was all they did, patrol that one stretch of road from Rock Spring to Fort Oglethorpe. So, along with deer being on my list of fears, I also had the possibility of being pulled over to contend with.  This girl watched way too many episodes of Supermatural for driving in secluded darkness to be okay. I can only handle being away from city lights for a little bit at a time. Not because I just love the lights of Chattanooga so much, but because it only takes so long for me to freak out. Again, someone who has watched way too many scary movies. 

I hated it, but I would do it anyway because it was the only way I got to see him. But now, even though I live with him, I miss that drive. It gave me time to think, to listen to CDs, come up with great storylines or poems. It was therapeutic love. 

Writing prompt #29

Well I made my boyfriend pick a number 1-30 to decide what prompt to do next and this is what he picked. Here goes nothing.

29. Story about space.

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Carah stared at her laptop screen, hating Mr. DuMont and his ridiculous writing prompt assignments. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her French manicured nails tapping against the keys but not typing anything. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and she was still in her yoga pants from her morning workout. Sighing heavily, she propped her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands. Only seconds later, she dropped her arms back down, too frustrated to sit still. Pushing up the sleeves of her blue sweatshirt, she picked up a small piece of paper from the comforter. In neat capital letters was one word: SPACE. Every week, her English teacher, Mr. DuMont, would put twenty folded pieces of paper in a fishbowl. Each piece of paper would have a word or a phrase on it and the goal for the week was to write a story based around the subject you drew from the bowl. He claimed this would "broaden the horizons" of his students and make them better writers in the end. Carah thought it was just lazy.

So now, on a Sunday afternoon, with the deadline less than twenty four hours away, Carah was stuck trying to figure out how to write about SPACE. Her first and only thoughts on the subject were evidence of her generation. Space was "the final frontier," where stuff happened in "a galaxy far, far away" and the only purpose it served was to make pretty iPhone wallpapers. She was certain none of this speculation would fly with her teacher, but pop culture had invaded her subconscious and she could think of nothing else. "Stupid Vulcans and Jedis and hipsters. Ugh." She muttered to herself. Her boyfriend Daniel was the only reason she even knew half the stuff that was running through her head. Over four years, she sat through countless movie marathons and suffered through costumed conventions just to see the goofy smile on his face. Minimizing the Microsoft Word window where there were still no words, Carah stared at her desktop wallpaper. The picture was from Daniel and Carah's last anniversary. It was her favorite picture of the two of them because it was such a clear, professional-grade photo. Carah was wearing a silver party dress with her hair in elaborate curls and her blue eyes sparkling. Daniel was in a navy button down, his hazel eyes peeking from under black fringe. Their photographer friend Benji had taken the picture, which is why it was so good. Her head rested on Daniel's shoulder, his arm around her. She ran her hand across the screen lovingly. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the warmth of his hand on her arm.

Carah shoved her laptop away from her and hopped up from the bed. Raising her arms above her head she leaned to either side and twisted her torso until her back made a popping noise. Daniel hated it when she did that. She dropped her hands to her sides and glancing at the clock, decided it was time for a snack break. She made her way down the hall to the kitchen, but as she stepped over the threshold she felt her throat close. The kitchen was so wide and... empty. This whole house was empty. In her frenzy to finish her writing assignment, she completely forgot about her situation. Or maybe her brain made her focus on her assignment so she could be shielded from what was happening. She took a deep breath and eased herself into a wooden chair, one of six at the large dining room table. This was Daniel's grandmother's house, which he inherited three years ago after her peaceful passing. Carah had just moved in a month ago and the three story Victorian-style beauty still intimidated her. Looking around at a room twice as big as her living room growing up, she realized how alone she really was. Her friends Siera and Lexie thought she should not be alone, but Carah repeatedly denied their offers to stay with her. It was times like this that she wished she had just let them distract her. Daniel's well-worn brown leather jacket was draped over the edge of the marble island that separated the kitchen from the dining room. Hesitating for just a fraction of a second, she stood up and walked toward the jacket slowly, as if it were a living thing and she didn't want to frighten it. She ran her fingers over the leather, smooth and cool to the touch. She picked it up with both hands, bringing it up to her face to inhale the scent of his cologne.

She remembered everything, even though she had a notoriously bad memory and all this happened a week ago. Daniel kissed Carah on the cheek from her spot curled up on the couch and walked out the door. She was in the throes of a terrible cold and Daniel was going to the drugstore to get her some more medicine and soup. He walked because the distance was not very far and it was cloudy and cool outside, a plus in Daniel's eyes. But while he was inside, the rain started. He pulled his hood up over his head and stuck to the sidewalk. All at once the sky opened up and he tried to pick up his pace to hurry home. He thought he would be safe on the sidewalk, save for the growing puddles--- until he was blinded by the headlights. The police, knocking on Carah's door twenty minutes later, told her the driver hydroplaned, losing control of the vehicle. He swerved in a panic, then overcorrected, sending the car right into Daniel's path. Daniel was struck from the side and when he fell, his head hit the concrete curb with such force he was knocked out cold, his bag of soup and medicine spilling across the road. He had been in a coma since then, while Carah struggled on the other end to not slip into her own form of unconsciousness.

Shaking herself from the memory of what she was told that day, Carah felt the tears on her cheeks and hastily wiped them away. Hugging the jacket to her chest, she began to think of space in an entirely different way. It had not occurred to her to think of all the meanings the word could imply. She had only been thinking of what lay beyond the atmosphere. But she was surrounded by another version of space right here on Earth. With this realization, she had a starting point for her prompt now, but that did not make her feel any better about current events. She sighed at the hopelessness she suddenly felt weighing her down. The vastness of this house was nothing compared to the hole growing in her heart. Daniel had always been the gravity holding her down, keeping her sane. Now he might not wake up and without him, she would float off into orbit without a tether. But far worse than the dark recesses of the galaxy, she would face the darkness of her own making. Carah would become a victim of the worst kind of space, the kind that swallows you whole from the inside.



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Disclaimer: I don't own iPhones, Microsoft Word, or any of the famous sci-fi movies I alluded to in the second paragraph.

Writing prompt #10

It's a little long maybe, I got carried away.

10. Start story with"She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled..."

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She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled, imagining what the evening held in store for her and her two closest friends. Sliding the box out of her pocket, Lexie ran her fingers over the velvety texture before quietly popping it open to peek inside. A small diamond set in white gold sparkled in the afternoon sun, throwing rainbows across Lexie's hands. She gingerly pulled the ring up and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand. Perfect fit. Positively giddy, she put the ring back, snapped the box shut and dropped it safely back into her pockets. The ring was picked out by Lexie and her best guy friend Benji. Her best friend Siera was the lucky recipient, though she had no idea it was coming. When they moved to the big city, Siera for ballet and Lexie for writing, they never dreamed how much it would change their lives for the better. Siera was an accomplished ballerina, training at one of the best schools in the country. She had just gotten word that she was going to be the lead in the next production, which was when Benji called Lexie with the secret: after three years, he was going to propose to Siera, and he wanted Lexie's help to make it the best. Benji, the freelance photographer and Siera, the prima ballerina, didn't look like they would be together, but Lexie thought that was what made them work so well. Siera had brown hair and brown eyes, the All-American girl next door and Benji was, well... A bit more untamed. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lexie noticed her stop was coming up.

 Tightening her scarf against her throat, she stepped off the train onto the subway platform. The heels of her boots clicked against the concrete as she made her way up the steps to the busy street above. Lexie shoved her hands into her coat pockets, both to protect from the cold and to ensure the safety of the ring. She began thinking again, about how work was moving a little slower for her but it still felt good to be a part of everyone's excitement. Her recently acquired boyfriend, Ryan, also didn't hurt in the success department. He was a chivalrous businessman and Lexie was falling hard, but the past refused to let go and she was unsure how long it would last this time. The walk signal lit up as she reached the corner, allowing her to cross the street. Her thoughts flittered amongst the flow of busy New Yorkers, her feet leading her where she needed to go. A gust of wind blew her red hair in every direction as she reached the coffee shop and shut the door behind her.

"Lexie!!!" A delighted male voice rang out. Looking up from adjusting her scarf, Lexie saw Benji at the counter. He was a barista at this particular coffee shop and he was hard to miss, with his bright blue Mohawk and various facial piercings. He smiled affectionately at her and came around the counter to give her a hug that lifted her off her feet. "Benji!" She laughed his name, her green eyes alight. "Hey, Carah, I'm going on my break!" He yelled to the pretty blonde working the espresso machine. Her ponytail bobbed as she acknowledged him. "Let's sit over here," he said to Lexie, gesturing to a table by the window, pulling his black apron over his head, wadding it into a ball of cotton polyester on the table. Benji rolled up the sleeves on his shirt, revealing his colorful tattoos and smiled at Lexie across the table. "So, were you able to get it?" He was breathless with excitement. Lexie grinned and placed the small burgundy box on the table. She watched his eyes as he opened it, feeling a small sense of pride that she helped him pick it out.

"Oh, Lex." He breathed, staring down inside the box. "I forgot how beautiful it was. We did such a kickass job. And you're sure it's her size?" He looked up expectantly as Lexie nodded fervently. She wiggled her left hand at him. "We wear the same size. It's a perfect fit. Siera is going to adore it."

"I can't believe this is happening, Lex. Thank you so much for all your help."
"Benny, it was my pleasure. Thank you for including me. So what's the plan for tonight?"
"I made dinner reservations at Siera's favorite place--"
"Giovanni's?" Lexie interrupted.
"That's it! The waiter is going to put the ring into her glass of champagne, so when she goes to take a sip, she'll see it in the bottom of the glass. Then I'll get down on one knee and pop the question."
"That's so romantic, but..." Lexie bit her lip and looked up at him apologetically.
His face fell. "What? What is it?!"

Lexie clasped her hands together in front of her on the table. "It's just, if it were me, I don't know that I would want to put a sticky champagne ring on my finger?" She looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. He sighed and said "Yeah, I guess you're right. What do you suggest?" Lexie tapped her purple polished nails on the table, thinking. "What if..."

She snapped her fingers, "I got it! The Brownie Blitz is her favorite dessert there. They do all kinds of fancy patterns with chocolate syrup on the plate. Get them to use a bigger plate and have them write 'Will you marry me?' in chocolate on the plate!"

Benji grinned from ear to ear, "Lexie that's it! What would I do without you?!"
"That's easy, you'd be putting a sticky champagne ring on my best friend." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I think your break's up," she said, nodding towards a frazzled looking Carah. "Do you want me to hold on to this or you?"

Benji grabbed his apron off the table and slid it over his head, "You hold on to it. I'll meet you at the restaurant at six. You can give me the ring and then you can go help Siera get ready, because I know she'll want you to. Is Ryan coming?" Lexie gave Benji a tight hug and responded, "Yeah, he loves Italian food. I'll see you then."Lexie adjusted her newsboy cap as she opened the door to the cold autumn air, wondering when (and if) it was going to be her turn to be in the spotlight, rather than behind the scenes.

Writing prompt challenge + intro

Hey y'all. :)

I'm looking for a place to store all my fiction writing because I've really been slacking on it lately and I need to be less rusty. I'm going to start with a writing prompt challenge stolen from my friend Jany, who uses this site for the same reason.

So here are the prompts, and I may not go in order, just by which one strikes me the most at the moment:

1. Re-write a classic fairy tale
2. Write a fanfiction
3. A story that takes place pre-1950
4. A poem using the words "blue, mistrust, half, twang"
5. A story revolving around an object in your room
6. Start your story with "He glanced at his watch impatiently..."
7. Create a superhero. Have he/she save the day.
8. Write a prequel to that superhero. Pre-superhero life. Maybe their childhood.
9. A story in 250 words or less about your favorite city.
10. Start story with "She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled..."
11. A story where the characters go without power for a day.
12. Find 10 random words and create your own definitions.
13. Begin with "I thought I saw..."
14. Randomly find someone in your yearbook. Create a story about their life today.
15. Write about a stranger you see. Either their back-story or what they are thinking in the moment you see them.
16. Go to iTunes, put your music on random. Write a story about the first song that comes up. (250 words or less)
17. Use time travel in a story.
18. A story set in a ghost town.
19. Write an obituary for a historical figure.
20. Use these words in a story: Grandfather, photo album, post office, and folder.
21. He or she sees their crush in a library. Describe the incident.
22. Write a story based on a dream you had.
23. Describe/fictionalize a childhood memory.
24. Write a story that takes place 100 years in the future.
25. Write a story about a mythical creature.
26. Write about the 30th picture on your phone or computer. Write about the story behind it, or make up the story behind it.
27. Story taking place during a sporting event (any sport).
28. Story on a ship. Past, present, or future.
29. Story about space.
30. Story or poem about ice.

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Stand by, because I'm probably going to start right now haha.