I'm happy to be able to present this post. It is my entry into Finish the Story Contest hosted by the @bananafish.
The Package
by @gaby-crb
Condensation clung to the window, occasionally releasing a surge that cleared a path making the outside world visible. The cold white light refracted in the tiny water droplets. It was pretty, Shannon thought, as her breath spread across the cold window.
She checked her phone, the bright screen dazzling her. Her eyes darted to the mirror. The baby didn’t stir, still sound asleep in his comfortable car seat. She checked the time, the numbers read 23:46. There was no message.
She slipped it back into her coat pocket, wrapping her fingers around each other in an attempt to bring them back to life.
The CD stopped playing, the story finished. She pressed replay. The kid would no doubt wake up if it went silent. The story started up from the beginning. It was one she had listened to herself as a child. The narrator had a soothing voice, Shannon felt calm despite her predicament.
She checked her phone again. Still no message. Her eyes darted back to the boy, his blond hair showing underneath his fluffy hat. His cheeks pink. His blue eyes hidden beneath heavy eyelids.
A gloved hand rapped against the window. Shannon jumped, she quickly rolled down the window.
A clean shaven man ducked his head down to look at her.
“You have the package?”
His eyes glanced around the car, resting a few moments on the sleeping boy before returning to her face.
She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. This was the first time she had done something like this.
She removed the key from the ignition and opened her door, the man stepped out of the way. She was not surprised to measure up as shorter than him. She fumbled with the key in her hand. She found it hard to swallow.
“How many times do I have to do this?”
Her voice shook. She wrapped her arms around herself, giving her hands something to grip onto.
“Until you’ve paid what you owe.”
His voice clawed at her insides. He stepped closer, a hungry look in his eye.
Shannon shivered. She was mentally kicking herself for getting into debt. But there was only one thing she could do now.
MY ENDING
The light moisture in the air got heavier with every step they took toward the building. She almost slipped from the mushy and slippery sticks and twigs beneath their feet. She tugged at the collar of her coat hoping to hide her shame from the glittering animals' eyes off in the distance. She told herself over and over that this was for her baby.
She looked at the building's glass. The different hues produced by the green and red neon lights on the inside of the building painted a Rorschach test through the droplets of water. Fear wanted to take her over as her mind caught glimpses of demons lashing and then she saw herself taking part in the beating of her baby. The image repulsed her and made her want to vomit.
A black umbrella next to a half-beaten up bench, the crowbars lying around, pressed up against the glass window as if pleading to escape the cold chill.
The man gripped the steel door handle and swung the door open.
She glanced back, hoping to see movement coming from inside the car. She desperately wanted him to wake up and start crying so that she could stall for time. A little snoring along with the story was all that she heard through her walkie-talkie.
"He'll be fine," said the man, his bulging neck covered with blue, think veins tighten as he spoke.
The knot tightened in her stomach.
She walked through the door into a revolving door that spat her out into a large, deteriorated room. Glancing around, she caught sight of a graffitied wall beside a rusty column that had a boy with glasses on and a pen in hand sitting on a crate with the written message, "One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings" - Diogenes.
How could you have been so stupid to get caught up in debt with a Hampton? she asked scorning herself.
Sounding like a robot behind a block of ice, the man said, "This way," as he gently tapped her shoulder.
She followed him to a pool, The pool was shallow and had a manikin floating in it, with a yellow wig and nails sticking out of its face. Around the pool was overgrown grass and another manikin, this one in the shape of a deer with a paper bullseye taped to its body.
The man pressed a hidden button behind a fake facet. Up out of the ground came Dr. Utopia in a white lab coat sitting in a comfy chair decorated with bikes, cars, and boats in various positions and colors. While his face remained emotionless, the man watched her face cringe slightly when the doctor's face was briefly illuminated by a sliver of light.
Collecting herself, she withdrew the small brown package from her inside pocket and held it out for the doctor to see.
"This is the serum you asked for."
"Leave it at your feet. Your next instructions will be delivered soon. Be gone now. ... oh, and take something for the baby on your way out."
THE END
| Previous | Finish the Story Contest | Entries | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Town That Changed | Even the Clouds Smile | The Border | Horror Vacui | |
| Black Star | Quitting Life | LER | It Awakens | |
| Apocalypse and Pretzels | Metallic Kisses | Curie upvoted The Battle of Bloodneck Valley | Awakening | |
| Curie Upvoted Obstinancy | The Last Will and Testament of Geralda Connors | Curie Upvoted Pirate Hunters | Spoon-fed Memories | Lucid Dream |
| The Taste of Chicken | Curie upvoted Hunt More Precious Than a Green Stone | Kayla | Curie Upvoted The story of Mr. Renhe Ren | Second Prize Winner Blue Inferno for Tres Culos |
| Leitner | Collaboration A Game in the Hall | Curie upvoted The Extraodrdinary Café |
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Tools:
- The Most Dangerous Writing App - Continue typing or get a red screen.
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- List of 21 sites. Photos that you can use freely in your blog posts.
twenty-four-hour short story - You gotta be quick to get this one posted in time. He posts the contest on Sunday (usually) and ends it about 48 hours later. This contest has a 2000 word limit.
Finish the Story Contest - The contest begins on Wednesday (usually) and ends 5 days later. This contest will test your write skills with something a little different each week. Plenty of time to write something around the 500 word mark.
Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! - Coming out roughly every week. If you enjoy card games like Magic, Yugio, and others like it, you might like this game. Write a fictional tale about the card they present in the contest and your entry just might be the one they choose to showcase.
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Haiku - These are coming out every couple days or so. If you struggle with rhymes, no worries. Haikus don't have to rhyme. All you need to make a haiku is five syllables on the first, seven syllables in the second line, and again back to five syllables for the last line. So easy it makes me think I'm being super productive. LOL
Mizu No Oto - Every Image Has Its Haiku Contest - By reading the title, you should be able to guess how this haiku contest works. You're given an image and you write. I've really enjoyed this contest because there are people here who've actually gone to classes to learn how to write haiku's; so if you want, you also can learn how to write quality haikus from reading the comments and critiques they and others give.
Micro-Fiction Writing Contest - This is a fun challenge. You get two-hundred and fifty words to tell a story or vignettes. Here is a great post that will explain the difference between the two concepts. Here is another post explanation of what a story is. Good luck, Brave Story Writer!
Vocab-Ability 1x1 - What happens is you are given a list of roots and the words they can be found in. You create a sentence using those words and post in the comment section of the post. Your upvote for your creative work will come soon. One of the best ways to increase your vocabulary is by doing these 10-15 minute exercises almost daily. What craziness will you create?