Writing Prompt: Car and Fruit

Janessa sighed with boredom. She looked at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time. She still had ten minutes left of her shift. It was going to feel like it was dragging on forever. She was in a hurry to get off. The farmer’s market she adored was in town, but only for a couple more hours. She had to go stock up before they left again. She knew they would be back in a month, but that was just too long to wait. 

Josey’s Farmer’s Market had the best fruit and vegetables that existed. She knew for a fact that Josey made sure they were the best with a little enhancement in the magical department. She also knew that if any narrow minded townie found that out that they would quit buying from her all together. They were all a bunch of hypocrites. Don’t mind using the product and praising it as long as they don’t know too much about it. 

When the ten minutes were finally over and Janessa had clocked out, she all but ran to her car. Luckily, it didn’t give her any trouble starting up. The ride to the market was short and sweet. She got out of her car and hurried over to the market. Josey met her at the entrance with a hug and a smile.

“I was wondering when you were going to get here, gorgeous. I have some things set aside just for you.”

“Oh thank you so much! I’ve been in a mood all day! I asked for the day off but Manager Douche Rocket decided that Miss Does Nothing All Day deserved to have the day off more than I did.”

“Figures. He really must want to get in her pants badly.”

“Between us, I think he already is. I don’t know for sure. Just a suspicion I have.”

“You’re probably right, but that’s none of our concern. Come with me.”

Janessa followed Josey to her private section. Josey pilfered through the items on the table before finally finding the box she was looking for. With a smile she promptly handed everything over to Janessa. She also refused any offers of payment that Janessa tried to give her. She was practically dancing as she made her way back around the table.

“Shall we pursue the market a bit? I can’t wait to show you the new things that have been growing on my farm.”

“I’d love to. Thank you. Thank you again for all of this. A lot of this is going to come in handy.”

“I thought it would. Nobody knows you’re practicing?”

“Well Mal knows, but nobody else really. You know how the people in this town get. They know it exists, but they don’t want to see it.” 

“Yeah yeah. I’ll leave that alone. You know how I feel about their attitudes.”

“I do indeed. I love your feisty spirit. What would I do without it? You really should come and visit more than just two or three days a month.”

“I know you’d like that, but I have a business to run darlin’ It’s all I can do to visit all the towns I need to visit and spend time at home to get the resources I need to sell.”

“I know I know. I guess I’ll just have to go visit you when you’re at your home more often. Maybe even help with the product.”

“Now there’s an offer I can get behind. Maybe it will even help with your practicing.”

“That was the general idea. Yes. You wouldn’t mind?”

“I’d be honored.”

They made their way through the rest of the market in silence. They broke the silence here and there to discuss the products that were in front of them. Janessa wound up buying way more than she should have in goods. She was happy with what she got. She was especially happy to find her favorite big juicy peaches there. She bought a big box of them knowing that with the special spell that they would last for quite a while.

Writing Prompt: Necklace and ice Cream

Kaitlyn looked up at the clock. She was anxious for the bus to get there and pick her up. Today was show and tell day. She was wearing her favorite necklace that she wore at all her tea parties. Her mommy had given her special permission to take it to school with her. She was excited to tell the class the story of her necklace.

A car pulled up to the curb. She looked up to see Billy getting out of the car. Her mommy lowered the window to remind him to grab his lunch. He lunged back into the car long enough to grab it saying thank you as he shut the door again. His mommy blew him a kiss and drove away. 

“Hi, Billy.” Kaitlyn said as he walked up to the stop sign.

“Hi Kate.”

“Are you ready for show and tell day?”

“Duh! I even got my favorite dinosaur with me.”

“You like dinosaurs way too much. They are gross.”

“Your tea parties are gross!”

“No they aren’t! They are fun! Don’t be mean.”

“You started it!”

They stopped talking as they heard another car pull up. They watched as Jeanie and Jack hopped out of the car and waved at their dad as he pulled away. They walked up and waved without really talking. Jeanie moved to stand beside Kaitlyn as Jack moved next to Billy.

“Are you ready for ice cream day?” Jack asked.

“I forgot that was today!” Billy yelled.

“I wonder what kind of ice cream they will serve this time.” Kaitlyn pondered.

“I’m not allowed to participate in ice cream day.” Jeanie pouted. 

“Why not?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Because I called Trevor a big meanie head.”

“Trevor is a big meanie head! He yells at everybody and hits them when they don’t do what he says.”

“I told Miss Lacey that, but she said she can only act on what she saw. It’s not fair.”

The three nodded in agreement. Nobody liked Trever. There were three first grade classes in the entire school. Nobody in any of the classes liked Trevor. He was mean. He was rude. He hurt people when he felt like it. The teachers didn’t do anything because they never saw him do it. The kids thought it was also because his daddy was also mean.

A handful more children showed up before the bus finally got there. They all slowly filed in. They split up to go sit in their assigned seats. Kaitlyn pulled out her book and started reading after she was settled in. She liked to read on the way to school every morning. They had many more stops to make and wouldn’t be at school for a while.

The first part of the day went by quickly. She got to school in time to eat a biscuit in the cafeteria before heading to class. The first part of her day was full of lessons and play time. They would be having their show and tell after lunch. 

At lunch, they had pizza and ice cream once they were done with their pizza. They all had ice cream sundaes. Everybody was excited as they got to pick the toppings they wanted on their ice cream. It wasn’t until she got back into her classroom that she noticed that her necklace wasn’t on her neck anymore.

Writing Prompt: Hell and Tree

Bridget changed positions for what felt like the hundredth time. She had books with her to keep her entertained, but she was still bored. She had been given information that there would be activity around this area. She was excited. She hadn’t had any demon action in almost two months. Her life was beginning to grow a little too comfortable.

The informants seemed to be reliable. They were reformed demons that still had contacts in Hell. They kept up to date with what was going on. Mostly out of curiosity, but now and then they used the information they gained for their own personal gain. For most people, that gain was monetary. They went to the highest bidder with the information. For me, it was my protection. 

My services were well known. A lot of the demons constantly sought me out for protection. Some paid me in money and others paid me with information from the other world. I profited from both. 

The demons who came to me with the information had a major need for my protection. The information they had was that some of the big bosses had found an opening by the big tree in the central park. They were going to take advantage at the top of the day to get through it. Their first order of business was to execute all demons who had betrayed Hell. 

I had suspected something was going down before they told me. I had noticed that the demons that usually took pleasure in driving everybody nuts were suspiciously absent for a few days. It was like they wanted to minimize being seen at all costs. When the two demons approached me and told me everything, it all fit together like a puzzle.

Just as I was about to give up and go, I noticed a movement right by the biggest tree in the park. It was subtle, but I was sure it was there. I watched for what seemed like an eternity, but may have only been a few minutes. Without warning, a head popped out followed by the rest of the body. They turned around to help the demon behind them out. 

I didn’t hesitate. I pulled out my bow and arrow and fired them both. They went down without a sound. I knew the poison would take a minute to fully kick in, but I had to go closer to fully inspect the situation. The demons were just disappearing when I got to them. I was just casting the spell to close the portal when a face appeared.

Devon.

Writing Prompt: Rabbit and Wisdom

Gretchen walked around the woods slowly. She was enjoying the scenery around her. The woods were always so beautiful. Especially in the morning hours right before the sun started to rise. She had come to the woods every morning for years just to talk around and enjoy the scenery. She also enjoyed her lovely chats with the creatures that lived there. 

A rabbit hopped out of the bush next to her launching itself into her arms. She let out a startled gasp until she realized what had happened. She took a few moments to nuzzle the beautiful white rabbit and stroke his head and back. He nuzzled her showing how content he was. Feeling the connection in her mind, she greeted her favorite little rabbit.

Good morning, Peter. How are you feeling, today?

I am good, Mistress Gretchen. My paw is almost healed.

She took the moment to inspect his paw. It was still a little swollen and red, but she could see that the cut was almost completely closed. She kissed his nose to show how happy she was to see that. 

I am so glad to see that it’s healing. What will you do when you are all better?

I plan to stay here. With you. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you.

I can take care of myself just fine thank you very much.

Vera tells me that you come here every morning and you have been for years.

Yes. She’s quite right. This place has been a second home to me and has for a long time.

Mistress, you have to see how unsafe it is. Especially these days. Haven’t you noticed the darkness that grows increasingly every day? There’s not much wisdom being here when it’s not light out.

Oh, Peter. I try to ignore things because I think I’m just overreacting. You are here much more than I am. Will you please tell me what it is you see. 

I don’t want to. I want you to be cautious but I do not want to scare you away forever. You have to understand that as a human, you are in much danger here. 

Don’t you see how terrifying that is by itself? What do you know, Peter? 

There is a being that is like nothing I have ever seen. It is not animal. It is not human. For some reason, he can not see us. We see him though. We see the terror he causes and the horrible things he’s done to the humans he finds. You are important. He cannot find you. He also cannot come out in the day.

Writing Prompt: Passion and Apartment

Paige looked out her window. The city was bustling with activity. Vendors were trying to sell goods on the street. People were walking from one place to another as quickly as they could. Lovers were stealing quick kisses before parting ways and going about their day. It was a typical morning. 

Once she had seen her fill of the activity around her, she turned around and looked around her apartment. It was time to plan the day ahead of her. While she was fortunate to be able to make her own schedule every day, she was also plagued by it. She had the power to plan out a productive day or an absolutely disastrous day. It was all in how she felt each passing day.

With a sigh, she took her planner and computer and sat on the windowsill so that she could enjoy the scenery as she made the plans. She spent the better part of an hour checking her email and getting everything put into her planner that needed to be added. She also responded to any emails that needed to be responded to. 

Once she had finished that task, she decided to take a look at the to do list for today. She was surprised to find that she didn’t really have many tasks to do today. She could probably even take a good part of the day to work on the project that Ash hired her to do. After scheduling all the tasks to do through the day, she got up and stretched. She felt lighter now that she had a plan.

First thing on her list was to eat and take a shower. She didn’t really feel like fixing anything so she grabbed a pizza from the night before and ate it cold. After that, she hopped into the shower. The hot water on her skin instantly soothed her. She wanted to stay in the shower all day long, but knew she would regret it later if she did. Light day or not, she still had too much to do.

As she was getting dressed, she heard a sound. The sound had come from the hall. Instantly drawn to it, she made her way to the door and cracked the door to take a peak. She wasn’t really nosy, but sometimes her curiosity got the better of her. What she saw took her breath away.

Her neighbor Grace was making out heavily with a rugged looking man right there in front of her door. The passion was raw and intense. Paige felt like a voyeur even looking. As she was about to softly close the door again and finish dressing, Grace pushed the man off her. 

“Greg. Stop. We can’t do this. I told you this already.”

“You want it.  You know you do. You still love me. Stop fighting it.”

“I have moved on. I’m married now. Please accept that. I can’t keep doing this. Please. Stop.”

“Married? To a woman? Seriously? You and I both know that you belong with me. Stop fighting it.”

“Greg! No! I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to anybody. I am my own person. I am in therapy now. You can’t control me anymore.”

“The hell you say. You will not talk back to me. Ever.”

With that, he put his hands on her throat. The look of terror on her face was instant. Without thinking, I yanked the door open and rushed toward them tackling him to the ground. His head hit the floor, surprisingly knocking him out instantly. Grace looked at me in shock. 

“Don’t just stand there! Call the cops! Is this the asshole you told me you had a restraining order against?”

“Yes. I don’t know how he keeps finding me.”

“We’ll let the police figure that out. Go call them now!”

Without arguing, she rushed into her apartment. She came back out a few minutes later with her phone in her hand. Her whole body was trembling. I quickly remembered that I wasn’t fully dressed. This will be a story to tell the cops when they get here.

Writing Prompt: Piano and Football

Josie felt like screaming. She couldn’t believe he had done it to her again. She really got that football was important to him, but football wasn’t everything. How dare he blow her off. Didn’t he realize how important this audition was to her?

Luckily Lucy was able to go with her. She could have gone on her own, but she was nervous. She needed a familiar face with her so she didn’t completely mess up the audition. This audition could change her life as she knew it forever. It could get her into one of the most prestigious musical schools of the country. It may be the best in the entire world.

Josie had been a natural at the piano for as long as she could remember. Her mother said that she was drawn to the piano from the moment she could crawl. She told anybody that would listen that Josie barely even needed lessons because she was such a natural. Josie didn’t know if she believed that, but she was always so blessed to have her mother on her team. It encouraged her to always push to go further.

She looked up to see Lucy pulling into the parking lot. The weight on her shoulders instantly went away. The tension she felt while waiting since she called Lucy vanished instantly. She practically ran to the car to get to Lucy. Her audition wasn’t for another hour, but it may as well have been now.

Lucy stepped out of the car and was practically tackled by Josie. Josie immediately started talking her ear off. She was so relieved that Lucy was there that she was practically crying. Lucy chuckled and held Josie steady so that she didn’t fall as she rambled on. She wasn’t about to interrupt Josie when she was like this. She’d been there before.

“Josie, love. Calm down. You’re going to be fantastic.”

“Thanks to you! I’m so sorry if I pulled you away from anything important. Brad was supposed to have come. He was supposed to have met me at the hotel last night. He never showed. He texted me about five minutes before I called you. Not saying I wouldn’t want you to come. I just know how busy you are.”

“I know, but I cleared all my plans for today the moment you told me you were auditioning for a place at the school today.”

“I told you that weeks ago.”

“I know. I planned to be here to cheer you on. I also planned on taking you out to eat when you were done to celebrate.”

“I won’t know if I got in until tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

“Oh, you’ll get in. You are too talented not to.”

Writing Prompt: River and Tiger

River patrolled the woods. It had been a long time since his scouts had left and he was wondering why they hadn’t returned yet. He made one last round before returning back to the cave and his pack.

One look around told him that everybody was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb their sleep, he laid out on the entrance and pondered on things. He had heard that there was a threat from another tiger colony nearby. If his sources were correct, they would attempt to attack when everybody was asleep. He was startled by Alicia coming up behind him. 

What troubles you, my love?

The news of the attack.

We haven’t confirmed it yet. Is there a cause to worry about it?

My scouts have not returned yet. They should have been back hours ago. 

That is troubling. When did they leave?

They left two nights ago now. I’ve looked for their return every six hours since.

Let us pray to Zeus that they are safe and will return soon.

Yes, that’s all I want. Their safe return. Thank you for always being there to lend an ear.

It’s what I do. We are a team and will always be a team.

Yes, we will be. Aria is asleep, I hope?

Yes. She sleeps with her brothers.

Soon, she will have to start her training. I am not ready for it.

Neither am I my husband. 

They were distracted from their conversation by a movement in the distance. They saw a group of tigers heading their way. With a jolt of shock, River realized it was his scouts returning at last. He was excited at first, but also concerned. He noticed that at least half of them were limping and all of them looked wounded. 

Writing Prompt: Rose and Brooch

The field was moved by the breeze that shuffled through the sky. The silence that followed the breeze was deep. The field had not been tended to by any human for many years. It is a mystery what happened to them. One day, the town was full of life and the fields were constantly visited and tended to. The next, everything was completely silent. 

The fields continued to thrive despite the lack of care that the humans gave it. Some would even say that it grew more and more beautiful as the time went on. The flowers were bright and cheery. The grass was tall and strong. The only thing it lacked was somebody around to enjoy all the beauty it had to offer. The field was lonely. 

One night near Christmas, the field whispered a wish to the moon. It wished for people to come visit. Even just one person. The loneliness was too much. It feared the end of its existence if it didn’t have somebody come enjoy their time there. The beauty of the field meant nothing without the love and appreciation of a human. One they had admittedly taken for granted in the time before.

Three days after the desperate wish to the moon, something amazing happened. A single purple rose fell slowly from the sky. It was shortly followed by a rose shaped brooch. The field and flowers didn’t know what to make of the sudden addition. They were thinking about it so much they didn’t hear the soft footsteps along the walkway. They almost missed the beautiful little girl with the brown curls. 

Mary was lost. She had been with her family in a car when suddenly she vanished. She found herself in a field. The field was large and beautiful, but she was scared. She didn’t know where she was or why she was there. She was worried she had done something wrong and was now being punished for her bad behavior. Did her parents know she was gone? Were they here with her? 

Mary found herself drawn to the rose and brooch that were now lying ahead of her on the walkway. She walked over to them and picked them up. With a gasp, she realized the brooch was her mother’s. The flower was her mother’s favorite flower of all time.