The clanking and stomping didn't stop all night. Up the stairs, down the stairs - all she wanted was sleep. "Inconsiderate Neighbors." She fluffed her pillow to no avail.
The sun started to cling to the window one colorless dewdrop at a time. The alarm went off. She felt the hanging bags that formed under her eyes - tough as a stack of sandbags. Not meaning to, she slammed her hand down on alarm clock and it fell to the floor. The clock broke into two pieces and, before the alarm went silent, made the sound of a dying yak.
"Grace," said Andrew, who slept soundly. He rolled over. "Grace, were you unable to get any sleep again for another night?"
Could she tell him about the clanking and stomping on the stairs she had heard in the middle of the night? She looked herself and saw nothing but dust flung about.
She placed her feet on the ground and said, "Must be late-night meals." She didn't look at him. With enormous effort, she pushed herself off the bed. Her feet started to tingle, feeling like tiny needles were being inserted into every pore.
"Hun," Andrew said with a concerned tone, "I think it best you relax for a day or two. I can take care of the horse, take the truck in for repairs, and get the kids ready for school."
"No. ... Some people say why do I keep going?"
"Is that what has been really on your mind?"
Glad that he took the bait, she said, "Yeah and it won't happen if I'm here. Let's go soon."
Stretching and growning, Andrew got up to get ready. "Well, if they have their way at the lab, you'll be looking like a cooked Thanksgiving turkey."
She knew it was meant to be a joke but it landed the way a falling man would. Flat.
Clanking again. This time it came from the tub and still she did not see a thing. The fossett started dripping. The shower curtain waved back and forth hastily. Steam came out the drain.
"Andrew," she cried out, "come here!"
Andrew came rushing over and looked where she was pointing. Confused and worried, he asked, "What seems to be the matter in here?"
Through her nervous laughter, she said, "I shouldn't be silly but I thought I saw a mouse right there."
"Are you sure you can't take the day off because you're not acting right?"
She scolded herself for not being able to say the words I'm being haunted by something in this house aloud. "I think I need the fresh morning air that is available outside."
"He comes with baggage," said a voice from within the walls. At the same exact moment, her phone began to ring and she took it out of her pocket. Andrew's face, covered with bruises and blood, was plastered on her phone's screen with a message that said, "He's the one." Next, video footage of him played, showing him kissing his mother on the lips.
She didn't want to look at the signs that she purposely ignored because she liked her life in order.
Andrew moved closer to see if he could see what she stared at. The phone was blank when he saw the screen. "That is it. You're staying in today." While reaching for the phone, she smacked his hand away.
"There is something that you have refused to let me in on and I need to know."
"You," said Andrew caressing his hand, "name it so we can get back to our life."
"Look." She held up the screen.
"There is nothing to see," he said trying to touch her hair.
She backed away and looked at the screen. There was nothing showing on the screen.
"How much more can she take?"
"As long as Andrew is paying us well, it can take until Christmas next year."
"Pure evil."
So, this was an interesting challenge, as recommended by John Taylor Gatto, that I gave myself to do. If you take notice, each section of the 3 prompts has 21 sentences each that are 1 word in length, 2 words in length, 3 words in length, etc, all the way up to 21 in random order. This was a tough exercise but a fun one. - Do let me know if you try this exercise. I would love to read it.
Also, I decided to start a contest called The 31 Sentence Contest that utilises this method of writing. Please, come stop by and write something or just pop in and read the entries.
Freewrite brought to you by @mariannewest and @freewritehouse
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Old list of completed freewrites
New list:
| Non-Fiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dachshund |
| Fiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncertain Future | Screeching Tires | No Panic | Dirt Bike | Law and Order |
| Pecan | Stone Wall | Inappropriately Dressed | Community Garden | Nail-biting |
| I Sold My Soul to the Devil |
| Ongoing Stories | Numbered in Order of Story's Progression | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Poems | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider Web |
| Weekend Freewrites: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ferris Wheel | Lion by the River | The Feeding | Space Ring | Witchy Things |
| That Fishy Smell | The Light | The Little Ghouls | The Contest | The Blue Envelope |
| The Vomitorium |
| We-writes (collaborations with community members) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Maze |
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TrufflePigWow! Putting in the math in words, I didn’t even know that’s doable. Your writing flows effortlessly. Any tips for beginners? 😊
Many times you will count! haha.
I'd say let the words come as they do. You will have to edit sentences later on for a smoother experience. Don't make editing your work to make it make sense your top priority right of the bat. Once you see how things are developing, going back and changing the words in sentences to go with what you are aiming for will be much easier.
I have started a weekly contest (round one is about to wrap up). It is slightly different than what you read here. I'd go read the works the contestants put out because there work was simply awesome.
I'll be posting round two shortly and the results for round one will be out when the timer hits reaches payout (7 hours to go yet if you want to squeeze one in).
Thanks for sharing the tips!! Wow I’ll be reading many great posts here! 👍🏽
You may start with round 2! https://steempeak.com/@tristancarax/the-31-sentence-contest-round-2