Monday, April 21, 2014

Resolutions To The Story (A to Z Challenge) (250=1)

Resolutions To The Story.



So she shot him and walked away, leaving the stupid ring, the hot cocoa packets, and all $13 lying on his chest.

******

Their first child was born six months after the wedding, a development that was unexpected only by those who failed to perceive the slight bulge underneath her dress.

******

“No,” she said, but added, “But keep trying. Someday, I may say yes.”

******

“Why?” she asks.

“Why?” he echoes her question – not asking himself, the questioning in his voice merely wondering why she needs a reason beyond love.

“Why do you want to marry me?” she asks.

“Because it’s the only way they’ll let you onto the ship with me when it comes,” he tells her.

She stares at his face to see if he’s joking.

He’s clearly not, but that doesn’t prove anything to her.

“Prove it,” she says.

In the end, it took him showing her to his landing craft and pointing out the small glimmer of the mothership’s engines that seemed to limn the moon.

Her wedding dress was a spacesuit.

******

It was 2 a.m. when she awoke, the television late-night news softly telling of a train wreck somewhere, the wine glass knocked over on the end table, her phone devoid of any attempt to call her.  He hadn’t come over, and she never saw him again.

******

“What are you writing?” he asks.

“Things that could’ve been,” she laughs.

“Can I see them?” he wonders.

“Not the way I can,” she tells him.  

_____________________________________________________________________________

This is a 250=1 story -- a story that's exactly 250 words long, including the title. But not including the picture, because everyone knows that's worth 1,000 words.  So actually this is a 1,250 word story, and you are getting a LOT of extra value here. Here's a list of lots more stories like that.

FREE BOOK! Every day in April is free book day, and today's FREE book is Up So Down, the story of a brother and a sister in the year after the mysterious death of the sister's fiance, and the changes in their lives.  It's been compared (favorably) to Anne Tyler.  CLICK HERE to get it for FREE!





11 comments:

Robin said...

I'm not sure I get this one. I read it about five times and I am still uncertain. Is the first thing the ONLY thing that actually happened? Are all of the other things events she IMAGINED happening?

Briane said...

That's one way to look at it.

I usually don't try to interpret my own stories, but as I wrote this, I saw it as the writer/woman wanting her boyfriend to propose to her maybe, but working through her feelings about it in a variety of ways.

Silvia Writes said...

It's a visual piece, even if a little abstract, but I like that. Best to leave everything to the reader's imagination, even if we all imagine different things -- that's art. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
Silvia @
SilviaWrites

Andrew Leon said...

I think Robin needs to read Eclipse.

Briane said...

I think EVERYONE needs to read Eclipse.

Liz A. said...

I'm confused. Then again, that's my natural state.

Anonymous said...

I loved your take on resolutions.I was particularly fond of the last one - you said so much with few words. Hope to read more. Good luck with the A-Z!

Anonymous said...

I loved your take on resolutions.I was particularly fond of the last one - you said so much with few words. Hope to read more. Good luck with the A-Z!

Anonymous said...

I loved your take on resolutions.I was particularly fond of the last one - you said so much with few words. Hope to read more. Good luck with the A-Z!

Huntress said...

Can't beat free, LOL. Cool resolutions. It's amazing how intriguing they can be.

Jean Davis said...

Interesting resolutions. They got my brain creaking into motion wondering what the rest of their stories would be.