Tag: Prompt

Week 7 Post 1: Unintentional

On By MaryIn 2025, Random, WritingLeave a comment

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

Unintentional instances of law breaking usually include theft. In general, I’m very respectful of other people’s property (I might hide something though, that’s maybe not super respectful, I guess) and I’ve always been financially lucky or stable enough that I’ve never felt the need to steal. I don’t really get any sort of thrill from such things as other’s might. I think perhaps the most egregious intentional thefts were some food and drinks while working at a fast food place as a teenager, which if you have worked food service, you know is fairly rampant. So the list is small and accidental:

Once pocketed a silver mercury dime at work intending to switch it out with a normal one from my car, but completely forgot it was in my pocket until I got home. Later, I did the same with a buffalo head nickel.

One year I decided to buy a nice big pot to try to grow some flowers in. I was quite unsuccessful, but kept trying every other year. At the end of one such unsuccessful season, after having owned the pot for about 5ish years, I emptied it and went to go rinse it out and it appeared to fall apart in my hands. Upon further investigation, I discovered it was actually two pots stuck together. I had only needed one, been convinced it was one, so had only paid for one. The inner one still had the barcode on the bottom. Whoops?

Also a semi-intentional one: we had a girl working in the pharmacy that would grab the occasional toy and leave it without buying it in the pharmacy. It was during the time that fidget spinners were really popular, so she had brought a nice hefty metal one in. It hung out in the pharmacy so long and had been messed with so much that it no longer had a barcode and we no longer even sold the item. We had to do a deep clean and remove a lot of clutter, so we were going to just throw it away. I decided to take it home instead.

A hardened criminal, indeed.

Prophetic

On By MaryIn Prompts, WritingLeave a comment

The cards for this week are “reckless enthusiasm” and “homeless person.”

The homeless person that does show up isn’t the actual prompt one, because in my mind the main character is totally homeless after this (and is recklessly enthusiastic about his chances, though I guess I could have emphasized that more somehow). I had the idea almost immediately upon drawing the cards, but actually writing it was a bit boring. I like for things to get really dark and disturbing and this doesn’t quite scratch that, I guess.

Nonetheless…

          Gary woke from the dream with a feeling of absolute certainty. He was going to win the lottery one week from today. The dream was a prophecy, the word of God. He knew it for fact. He also knew that he had much to do in that week’s time. A sort of pre-imposed penance to prove his worthiness.

          He started by announcing to his family and friend’s that he was planning to move soon. He offered them first pick of his belongings. “Can I have your Playstation?” Carl from work joked.

          Gary nodded solemnly. “Anything, first come, first serve.” Carl had given him a strange look and declared bullshit. Gary brought the Playstation and all of its controllers and wires the next day. Carl accepted it, but shook his head in disbelief.

          His ex-wife studied him with concern as he dropped off photo albums and old memorabilia that he thought she would like. “You’re not going to off yourself, are you?” she asked when he enthusiastically offered anything she wanted. He shook his head and reassured her that wasn’t the case.

          Gary spent the weekend clearing out the rest of his belongings, every closet, every drawer, all the drawers themselves. He took everything he could to charity and second-hand shops, and the rest to the dump. He turned the keys to his apartment in. He made sizable cash transfers to his church from his bank accounts, leaving only the minimum amount.

          The day had come. He sat outside the gas station, staring placidly at the homeless man loitering outside. On his way in, he handed the man the title to his car and the keys. “It’s yours,” he told the weeping man, who thanked him profusely. And then he went in and bought his ticket.

          Gary sat in the park overnight. It was a warm night, and he felt calm and content knowing that the next day he would be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

          He found a paper to look up the lottery numbers the next morning, a wide smile on his face as he held his ticket up to compare.

          Not a single God damned match.

First Kiss

On By MaryIn Prompts, WritingLeave a comment

Prompt cards from Storymatic this time were “firefighter” and “first kiss.”

I kind of like the idea I came up with, but feel like it was too inexpertly plopped down. With a little research, it could probably be something longer and more touching. But the bare bones of the idea is nice, and as mentioned before, my goal with these was to force myself into flash fiction and quick stories.

          Justin stared down the aisle as the music began, feeling himself flush. The heat crept up his neck and was probably turning his ears red. Maggie always made fun of him for that, and when she did he’d call her by her full name – Magdalena – because she hated it. People were shifting to get a look at her as the procession of bridesmaids and grooms slowly made their way to the front.

          Their first meeting had been dramatic. He had been a new firefighter at that time, still quite fresh to the job. He could see Jim, her father, walking her down the aisle, and he reminisced over the first time he had seen the man. Soot covered, coughing, screaming that his daughter was still in the house.

Justin hadn’t been the one to save her from the fire, though he had helped bust out the window to the room she was in. She wasn’t breathing when she was passed into his arms through that window, and after carrying her a safe distance away, he had immediately begun CPR. In fact, she had been the first person he had to perform the kiss of life on – he had been that green around the gills, still bumbling and nervous and anxious. But his training always kicked in, thankfully, had kicked in at that moment.

          He could remember the way that time seemed to slow down for him. He didn’t think it was working, had a moment of panic wondering if she was too far gone. Her coughing groan, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal those sparkling emerald irises – everything about those few seconds was burned into his brain. The first life he had saved.

          The music faded as she stood in front of him. He reached forward, his hands strangely steady despite the thumping of his heart, to lift the veil away. His breath caught as he stared into those vividly green eyes, that knowing smile she always seemed to have. It all blurred from there.

          The vows were spoken. The rings exchanged. “You may kiss the bride.”

          He leaned forward and kissed her, his mind wheeling back to their first kiss when they started dating, and that first kiss of life when they had met. Here was another important first kiss, the moment emblazoning itself in his mind, as important as any of the others.

          The first kiss of their married life.

Bigfoot Part 2

On By MaryIn Prompts, WritingLeave a comment

The Storymatic cards for this week were “bigfoot” and “neighborhood is changing.” One pretty big neighborhood change is someone moving in, and I had written the little stupid bigfoot exchange before, so I decided to do a follow up on that. So here is another stupid conversation between Tim and Greg about Bigfoot.

“Hey, Tim. Remember that time bigfoot left his luggage behind here at the airport?”

“That wasn’t bigfoot. But I remember you bothering me about that, yes.”

“Well, the empty house across the street finally sold. And I’ve seen the guy that bought it recently, and…”

“You’re not going to tell me it’s bigfoot, are you, Greg?”

“Tim, I shit you not. It’s fucking bigfoot.”

“Shut the fuck up, Greg.”

“No, no look at this pic I took. He was walking his dog-“

“Bigfoot has a dog.”

“Yes, but look at the picture. Just look.”

“… Okay, so that is a very hairy dude. But it can’t be bigfoot.”

“Tim, it’s fucking bigfoot. Look at the size of those flip flops! He has to custom order shoes that big. They look like a fucking joke, they’re enormous.”

“That doesn’t mean-“

“And look at how fucking hairy his feet are. If he were tiny, I’d say hobbit, but he’s got to be about 7 or 8 feet tall…”

“Listen, Greg, you can’t go around taking pictures of your neighbors because you think they’re sasquatch.”

“What’s a sasquatch?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

“Tim… wait, Tim come back! I’ve got more pictures! Look!”

One Night

On By MaryIn Prompts, WritingLeave a comment

The prompt cards for this one were “recluse” and “blood.”

Typically my first thought with recluse is spider, and my first thought with blood is sacrifice. I had to sit and think through a few more associations trying to brainstorm a short tale, and I kind of like the result. The ending could be tied together a little better with a stronger line. Also I’m second guessing every comma this time.

Anyhow, the story.

Tara lived alone in the middle of nowhere.

It was hard sometimes. She had once been something of a social butterfly and loved to go to parties and special events hosted by her friends. And she was a wonderful hostess as well. There was nothing quite like the thrill of being the center of attention, being the one drawing all the admiring glances, the one to cause the raucous laughter. Tara had loved the dresses she had worn, the company that she kept.

And now she spent her time alone, far from anyone. She slept her days away and quietly whiled away the nights. She absently thought of happier times as she hunted for herself and attended to the chores and upkeep of her own little abode. The loneliness made time stretch eternal, and she found herself wishing for happier days. But she could never return to that. The world had moved on, turned without her, and it was for the better.

One night, as she sat by the fire, there was a knock at the door. She set her book down, a frown creasing her brow, as she stared apprehensively at the door. Was there really a person so far out here? In the middle of the night? Had she been hearing things?

Now whoever was there pounded on the door, the sound so loud it made her jump. “Please…!” a female voice called, high pitched with desperation and worry.

With a heavy sigh, knowing it was a bad idea, Tara stood and opened the door.

Standing outside was a young woman, her clothes disheveled and torn, her eyes wide with terror. She had leaves in her hair, and scratches on her skin, and she was shivering. Tears streamed down her face. “Please, help me…” she whimpered.

Tara hesitated before stepping back to let the younger woman in. “Is there someone after you?” she asked, as she closed the door.

The young woman looked dazed. She nodded briefly, but then paused and said, “I’m not sure. I got away, but I don’t know if he… he…” and then she burst into a fresh set of sobs.

Tara placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, feeling desperately sorry for her, for so many reasons. Not just for what had likely happened, but for what was going to happen. Tara stared at a smear of blood along the woman’s jawline, and found her eyes drawn further down to her neck. Already the hunger was starting to take hold…

“I’m sorry,” Tara said simply.

And then she sank her fangs into the young woman’s neck. The woman screamed – not that it mattered out here, in the middle of nowhere, far from anyone that could hear. Likely whoever had brought the poor thing out this far had thought the same – so secluded, there was no help.

Tara would never have chosen to live as a recluse, but when she had been turned, she had found her hunger insatiable. It hadn’t taken long for her vampiric nature to be outed, and for her to be ousted. She had left everything behind and come so far into the woods so she could not be tempted by the sweetness of human blood. She could feel the young woman grip her hair, desperately attempting to pull her head away, but her ordeal had left her weak and Tara enjoyed heightened strength since her turning.

The blood burst salty and then sweet into her mouth, invigorating her. Tara moaned in pleasure at the familiar flavor as she drank deeply. It was the first human she had glutted on in years. After a time, the unfortunate woman stilled in her grasp – her heartbeat slowed, slowed, and then stopped as she was drained of more blood than the body could bear to lose. Tara laid her down on the floor.

She tilted her head, staring down at the woman’s corpse, and then glanced at the time. She made her way to the door, ready to scour the woods in the hopes of finding the man that had been mentioned. She had a few hours to kill before dawn.