Welcome to Week 10 of the #WeekendWritercize competition!
Join in and spread the word!
(and follow me on Twitter for updates: @alanagarrigues)
For the month of April, the #WeekendWritercize is linked up with the A to Z Challenge, so the first letter of the #WeekendWritercize title will follow the A to Z schedule. If you are visiting via A to Z, I encourage you to join in this fun #FlashFiction challenge!
writercize: Write a scene in which a character opens the front door to find a box. It is labeled like a gift, but it is unexpected and the exterior of the box does not indicate the giver.
To enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and Facebook fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.
Since this blog is used by teachers and students, I kindly request that you abstain from profanity and gratuitous violence. (In other words, keep it PG-13.) If your story can't be told without, just provide a link to your post on your own website along with a disclaimer.
Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time). Winner announced sometime Monday, often knocking on midnight's door.
This week's winner and honorable mention(s) will receive a #WeekendWritercize Winner badge to proudly display on their website.
LOL! I had to laugh at your Blog name & photo, because I'm a writer (playwright) and just started Jazzercise! I never thought to put those two words together - very clever!
ReplyDeleteTexas Playwright Chick
Thanks! The name came to me in the shower, the birthplace of all good ideas.m;)
DeleteMy best ideas come in the shower & during traffic jams. If I could figure out how to shower while driving, I could probably take over the world! ;-)
DeleteI am knee deep in edits or I'd love to enter this. I know you'll get a lot of interesting entries. Cool prize. Love the G word. Gifted. We are ya know! *waving and smiling*
ReplyDeleteIndeed we are! I do one every weekend and they are always changing. Would love to have you enter one in the future, and thanks for another visit. :)
DeleteTerrific blog! I'm visiting and now a GFC follower through the A to Z Challenge. My plate is full with Easter preparations, but I'll be back to visit!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Happy Easter and hope to see you again soon! :)
DeleteHi Alana, Great prompt today! Here's mine.
ReplyDeleteThe box was wrapped in satiny chocolate brown paper and tied with pink ribbons. It sat on my front door mat, right in the center.
I looked both ways to the other identical townhouse doorways. Nothing. There were some kids playing four doors down, so I walked over.
“Excuse me, kids. Did you see who put that present there?”
One of them looked over and said, “Nope” and then went back to his Hot Wheels cars.
I went back to the present, bit my lip, and picked it up. Maybe it was delivered to the wrong door. There was no note or card. I shrugged and took it inside. I set down my purse, kicked off my flip flops, and grabbed the scissors. Then I sat down on the couch with the present.
Who could have sent me a present and why? It wasn’t my birthday or a holiday. Should I open it? What if it wasn’t for me?
I cut the ribbon and opened an end of the paper. I carefully slid out a wooden box with a hinged lid. The top had the initials R.H. carved on it. I was obviously opening someone else’s package, but I didn’t want to stop. The box was not new. It was worn and smooth. I opened the lid and gasped.
Shaking, I lifted out an old black and white photo of my grandparents that would have been from the 1940’s with Pap-Pap in his uniform. Then it hit me. R.H. was Pap-Pap’s initials. This was his box!
Under the photo were other things; the metal bracelet Pap-Pap had made Gram during the war, the silk rose he presented to Gram at their 60th wedding anniversary, the washcloth that I had cross-stitched for Gram. There were some other photos, a ring, and a little mirror. Then I saw the lipstick tube. Tears slid down my face as I opened the tube. It was Gram’s lipstick for sure. It was bright red and worn down at a steep angle.
It had been 14 years since Gram died and 10 since Pap-Pap had. Where had this box come from?
Then, as quickly as I could, I grabbed a piece of paper and a marker. I taped a note to my front door. It said, “THANK YOU!” in big letters. It didn’t matter who had brought it, it just mattered that I thanked them for this priceless treasure.
The Write Soil
1st Writes
Twitter @DawnMHamsher
A bit of language this week, and it's a bit long again. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.caramichaels.com/defiantlyliterate/2012/04/07/weekendwritercize-040712-an-unexpected-gift/
Lovely challenge. I did not write a story specifically for one, but I think I've written one for the A to Z Challenge that would (loosely) fit.
ReplyDeletehttp://amloki.blogspot.com/2012/04/f-for-first-i-thought-it-was-joke.html
Look forward to your challenge run…
--Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
The knock at the door was unexpected.
ReplyDelete"I'll get it," yelled Tom.
When he opened the door, nobody was there. All he found was single box, almost as big as he was. It was wrapped in bright paper and tied up with a large bow. The only label on it had his name but no indication of the sender.
"That's weird," thought Tom. "It's not my birthday. It's not Christmas. It's not an anniversary. It's not ANY special kind of day. Why would someone send me a present and why didn't they put their name on it so I could know who sent it?"
Discovering that it wasn't heavy - just bulky, he dragged it into the house and pushed it into the living room. When he opened it, however, there was nothing inside!
"Why would somebody send a box that looked like a gift but not have anything IN the box?" he wondered.
"Maybe it's a trick." He felt all around inside the box, looking for something hidden, but didn't find anything.
"I know: it's an igloo!" He turned it upside down and crawled into it from underneath.
"No! It's a tunnel!" He turned it on its side and crawled into it that way.
"A time machine!" He turned it upright again, climbed in and began steering with the side flaps.
The phone rang. Tom continued exploring his present.
"Hello? Oh, hi, Melanie. Fine. How about you? Tommy is playing with a gift I gave him earlier, only he doesn't know I was the one who sent it. What did I give him? The gift of imagination."
267 Words
@LupusAnthropos
OK here's something; it needs some massaging but I have no time left. Hope you enjoy it =)
ReplyDeleteThere was a Knock on the door. As she went to answer it, through the window she saw the delivery truck speed away with great urgency. Passing in front of the mirror by the door she caught a glimpse of herself.
Her long white silky hair was streaked with a few strands of dark brown hair, which remained as souvenirs of younger days.
Expression lines of joy, sadness, and every day life adorned her face as the passing of time left its imprint on her face
Upon opening the door, she saw a small, velvet red box sitting on the mat on the porch. She looked down at it, wondering who would be thoughtful enough to send her something in such a pretty box. The only person who would do something like that was her husband but he had passed away four years ago. Perhaps it was from one of her grown kids but very unlikely as they were always busy with their own fast-paced lives. Her close friends were not in the habit of mailing packages to her, especially not on an such an ordinary day. With the grace only a former ballet intructor could posses, she bent to pick the red box and shut the door behind her. To her surprise, she felt her heart race in anticipation to see the contents of such a mystrious little box. Why was there no sender? The box was addressed to her; the handwriting looked familiar but she couldn't remember whose handwriting it was. She undid the ribbon and lifted the lid.
Inside was a single, silver hoop earing with a silver rhino dangling from it.
With trembling hands she picked up the earring and closed her eyes. For a long time she remained with her eyes shut and tears streaming down her cheeks. She rubbed the thin, cold silouette of the rhino between her index finger and thumb. After a good crying session she noticed there was an envelope folded in half sitting at the bottom of the box. The envelope contained an airplane ticket. At that very instant, she knew exactly what she had to do next. Two days following the arrival of the box, she packed her suitcase and rode a taxi to the airport.
----continuation, I guess I wrote too much!-----
ReplyDeleteHe anxiously waited for her at the airport. White-haired like her, but his hazel eyes sparkled just as they did 40 years ago at the farmer's market. When she came through the gate, their eyes found one another, like magnets. He cocked his head to the right and smiled as he watched the distance between them get smaller. They quietly embrased for a long time. Finally he broke the silence, "Angel. I've kept my promise".
With the back of his hand, he brushed away a strand of hair from her face and and tucked it behind her ear. Her earlobe, now hanging a little lower and less plump than a few decades earlier was exposed. He reached into his jean's left pocket and drew out a rhino hoop earing, just like the one she had received in the box. Carefully, he inserted the peg of the earing through the pierced earlobe and secured it with its sanp. They kissed. Hand-in-hand they joyfully walked out of the airport, fore they knew their lives were just about to start.
It was a warm day at Abbey Ave. Farmer's Market. It was June 29, 2001. In front of a handmade jewelry stand, stood a handsome twenty year old with the most beautiful hazel-colored eyes. He was just done putting a pair of rihno hoop earings on his 19 year old girlfiend. "They look perfect on you!" he said as he stood back to get a better look, like an artist stepping back to analyze the brush strokes on canvas. Not believeing him she said "You think so? They are a little too big!" With a great big blinding smile he said, "They are unique! You make them look good, Angel!" That was enough to convice her. She accepted his gift and wore them all day and into the evening. After dinner, they proceded to their favorite ritual: light candles, listen to music, and talk about philosophy, life, current events, or whatever piqued their interest. However, on this particular night, not much was said. The only communication came through their eyes, and touch. Then she heard him speak. He made her a promise. A promise he swore he would never ever break.
WeekendWritercize is now closed! Thanks for your entries. Results will be up by midnight Monday!
ReplyDeleteAlana, it was a great prompt. Glad to be on your blog, enjoying the stroll around. Blessings for the week. Amanda
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog through the A-Z Challenge. I'm busy with the challenge, but I'm excited to come back and visit your blog in the future!
ReplyDeleteChristine
Coffee in the Garden