One month in and I am going to start a new series called Fiction Fridays. Here I will post a writing prompt in hopes to kick start our weekends of writing related fun. Posts will be light hearted and I will post mine within the blog post but I can’t wait to read what fun stories we can come up with!
Don’t put too much pressure on it, use these prompts to simply kick start your creativity. Keep them as short or long as you please. Tag me on social if you’d prefer to share there!
Frigid snow crunches beneath me as I take in my surroundings. Palming the top of my head, I sigh as I roll back onto my knees before shifting my weight to stand.
“Hey!” a voice travels on the light breeze. A man approaches me hesitantly, no doubt eyeing my inappropriate outfit. He shrugs off his jacket and tosses it at me. “It’s twenty degrees out here and this is private property. If you’re trying to freeze to death, you’re well on your way.”
I could tell him I don’t need the jacket, that my metabolism keeps the numbing effects of hot and cold to a minimum, but I’m not in the mood for explanations that will no doubt get him killed so I pull the oversized coat on and shrug.
He smirks. “Not one for words, eh?”
“Where exactly is here?”
“You don’t know where you are?”
His suspicion is growing and I roll my eyes. “I was knocked out and obviously dropped here as some sort of sick joke. I have places to be so if you could be so kind as to direct me to the nearest city, I will take it from there.”
The mysterious man shivers as I shift my eyes to clarify my point. He motions behind him and I follow him back towards a small cottage. His jacket weighs on me but I keep with the act until we reach our destination and I toss it back to him and cross my arms while he offers to grab the keys to take me into town.
Dimitri had no reason to do this and I will get even.
My mystery hero is named Tyler and he’s married with two small children, one of which is only a few months old. He drives a beat up Chevrolet because it’s the last thing he has that belonged to his dad who passed of cancer about three years ago. In true Michigan hospitality, he’s offered to drive me the entire hour to the nearest town and hasn’t shut up since we started driving.
“Leila is a pretty name,” he’s going on. “When my daughter was born, Care and I couldn’t think of the perfect name for her, but now two years in, there is no doubt she’s a Quinn, you know? Do you have kids?”
“No,” I answer cooly. “Where are you taking me again?”
“Iron Mountain,” he replies, unphased. “A buddy of mine owns a dealership there. I’m not sure how you ended up so far from home though.”
Shrugging, I pick at my tank. “The less you know the better. But if your buddy has a phone I will have to use that to wire him money since I have nothing on me.”
“It’s all highly suspicious. When my dog started going crazy this morning and I figured out what he was barking at I couldn’t really fathom. We live in a pretty isolated area and you’re just lucky you didn’t end up with hypothermia.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, patience is thinning with each passing second. “Look. I appreciate the ride, I really do, but I think it’s best you let me out here.” He starts to protest but I silence him with a glare. I get out and before shutting the door, I sigh. “Go home. Take care of your wife and kids. Family is a blessing and you should never have to lose them the way I lost mine. Your generosity today has not gone unnoticed but it’s not safe to be caught with me. Trust me on that.”
He fixes his hat and nods. “I will trust you if you do one thing for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Life can get pretty lonely when you spend it pushing every single person you come across away out of fear. Trust that everything has a price. There is no single thing on this planet that comes for free and it’s a matter of finding out what is worth that price we pay. Open up to others again and maybe that will help.”
I offer him a small smile before backing up as I shut the door. Waiting until he turns and heads the way we came, I let out a small puff of air. “While what you say is true Tyler, it simply is too late for me.”
Leila is the MC of my fantasy trilogy I am hoping to start querying later this year once final edits are done. She’s a bit of a hot head and tends to be impulsive but under it all she has a huge heart and goes out of her way to keep those she cares about out of harm’s way. I find these types of prompts allow for me to dive into Leila’s personality and bring that out more in the writing project. I hope it helps you too! Share your short stories with me in the comments or on social media! Can’t wait to read them all!
With love, as always,
Am