amonkie

Here's a little change of pace.... Good luck!


Your Challenge: Write a short story, and include this line :

" She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case"

somewhere in your story.




Have fun!

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Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

stonewallja

The sentence doesn't seem to make sense. What do I know. I had a notion to give it a go. But if she doesn't know what out there how can it be hid in a trunk. I'm I being too picky.

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Red beans and ricely,

stonewallja

amonkie

You're supposed to create a story in which that line DOES! make sense - now go work on it!

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Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

ngdawg

Marj got the call at 2am. Barely a whisper, the voice told her to go look in the other bedroom, come back and listen to instructions. Although she had been in deep sleep, the voice scared her enough to be completely awake now. She dropped the phone, ran to the room and turned on the light. He was gone. The window was open, screen missing. Marj tried to scream but clasped her hand over her mouth, muffling the gutteral sob eminating from deep within.
The phone back in her hand, Marj cried, "Anything you want, please. Just give him back to me."
"You know the cemetary behind First Baptist? There, 20 feet beyond the gate. Bring 400 hundred 100 dollar bills, unmarked, in a black backpack. Drop it 24 hours from this minute. Come alone or the deal is off and you will never see him again." The voice was gone.
She didn't sleep any more that night. Quickly making her way to her office, she opened a desk drawer. Four bank books, two different banks. She could go to each, take money out of each and do as instructed. She opened a second drawer. The shimmer hit her eyes as she lifted the weapon. It was a gift from her father, a .44 magnum with custome pearl handle and an engraving along the barrel. "For service above and beyond the call of duty. Sergeant Francis Murray. 4 August 1974." She checked. Yes, it's loaded.
Now to wait.
Two am could come not fast enough. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. She kept walking into the bedroom, as if to be assured this was all a bad dream. The bed, empty, seemed to cry out to her. Marj sobbed and slowly closed the door.
At twenty minutes to the hour, she took her backpack filled with the ransom and put it in the front seat. She went back to the office, took the gun out of the drawer, looked at it and for a second, thought to put it back. She thought again and put it in her purse and walked out. Starting the engine, she took a moment to compose herself. The gun, now next to the backpack, shown like a diamond. Would she even bother to use it? Marj took it in her hand, staring at it. Maybe she didn't need this-all they want is the money. She stepped out of the car for a moment, gun in hand. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case.
One minute after two and Marj stood in the cemetary. It was chilly, damp and pitch black. Clutching the backpack to her chest, she waited. "Drop it where you stand", the whisper told her. She looked around, but saw no one. The backpack dropped to her feet. "Good. Now, you will find him next to your car." Marj ran like hell to where she parked. Thank God, I put that in the trunk, she thought. She stopped suddenly, looked down. There he was, tied to the door handle. His big brown eyes looked up at her and his body shook with excitement. As she stooped down to pick him up, he jumped on her and whimpered.
"Oh, my sweet, sweet Sugarbear. Let's go home". She stroked his head, hugged him tight and headed home.

TexanAvenger

She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case

The phrase kept reverberating in her mind like a prompt from God. She hadn’t a clue as to the meaning, but began to repeat it like a mantra. She held the necklace close to her chest so tightly any outside observed would think that it melted at the idea of light, but she knew how important it was to protect this necklace from those that would take it from her. They tried to take it from her back at the… place. They kept saying something about it being too sharp to be safe, and it was indeed cutting into her hands, but that wasn’t it… She saw how they wouldn’t touch it themselves. They needed her to give it up herself. But now she feared they wouldn’t come themselves, but send… others to take the necklace from her. Others that could take it from her by themselves…

She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case

As she sat in the attic, rocking back and forth, the sound of a closing car door startled her back into realization of her present situation. Was it one of the people across the street? Was it one of… them? So few people around here owned cars… and those that did would hardly be so hard to such a precious possession as to slam the door closed like that… “This must be it,” she thought. “They’re here.”

She wasn't sure what was out there, but…

That was it! It was a message from God. She was being instructed where to hide it so that… they… would not find it. She looked around the attic quickly, the movement of her teeth gnawing on her lower lip almost insectile in its desperation, trying to find a trunk of any size. There! In the corner lay an old army chest, probably belonging to the currently… er, indisposed… owners. She dove across the floor for it, tore the lid open, and, after kissing the necklace goodbye and thanking it for all the light it had brought into her life (cutting her lips in the process), she laid it gently in the trunk and closed the lid again, with the proper reverence.

She didn’t know what to do now. She wasn’t sure what was out there, but she didn’t want it (them?) to find the necklace in the trunk. And, as quick and mysteriously as the first, another message from God came… She looked towards the huge arch window that all the old houses on this street had in the attic and began to sprint towards it.

As she broke the glass, she felt it cut her body, arms, and face, and was reminded of happier times when she could feel the necklace cutting into her, knowing it to be the most beautiful feeling in the world… a pleasure that could only be given by something as pure and angelic as the necklace. And, in the instant before the ground rose up to meet her, she believed that those that were searching for the necklace would never find it. That once they saw that she didn’t have it, they’d think George had it… Not knowing that she’d destroyed him weeks earlier for using the necklace in such an unholy manner…

She closed her eyes, and met oblivion with open arms… knowing the necklace to be safe.

-----

Carl Rowley walked straight to the trunk in the corner and opened it… Grinning in spite of the pain it caused him to be so close physically to the artifact. He called one of his… lessers… in to pick up the object and place it carefully in the padded briefcase he had brought along with him. Rowley walked over to the shattered window and stared down at the broken body lying on the pavement below. He sneered at what remained of the female. She should’ve known better… He had even tried to make a game out of it and tell her what she was going to do, but these people never play the game right…

Artifact safely acquired and put into the car, Rowley exited the building, ignoring the owners (the female had taken care of them nicely), climbed in behind the driver’s seat, and sped off into the night… leaving nothing behind but his worries and a slightly sulphuric smell.

tecoyah

Damn....both extremely good.


I may have to keep out of this one just to keep from looking bad

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Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

mrsandman

She always knew that some day she would hit the lottery. She once had hit for a couple of thousand dollars and therefore, she knew how it would go. It’s was just: “BOOM”, there they are, the numbers appear all at once, like magic. She liked to squeeze the numbers, like a poker player squeezing his cards slowly to see if he got that flush or straight.

Her habit was to write the numbers down on a special 3”x 5” scratch pad.
Then use that pad to hide the numbers on her ticket as she slowly squeezed each number, one by one. She even used a special pen to hide each individual number as she slowly squeezed them into view. A pen she had picked up as a souvenir from her favorite Las Vegas hotel/casino she always stayed at; Binion’s Horseshoe. That was the only purpose that pen was used for, checking lottery numbers. Not that she was superstitious.

To hit the big one, you have to get, not only the five regular numbers, but you also have to get the bonus number. The odds are astronomically high!

She always waited until the next day to read the winning lottery numbers. There was no logical reason for that, she just was in the habit of doing it that way. She always thought that it would be great to be a millionaire all night long and not know it. Wake up a multi-millionaire, what a way to start your day!

So, that morning she got up and made her usual cup of instant coffee. She then went outside and got her morning paper. She sat down, took a sip of her still hot coffee and immediately turned to the page that listed the previous nights winning lottery numbers. She usually bought five “quick pick” numbers. Then she started her ritual of writing the numbers down on her special lottery scratch pad, then hiding the numbers on her ticket with that pad and slowly squeezing the numbers into sight, one by one with her favorite casino pen.

So, on her third set of numbers, she squeezed it out and there it was…all five numbers AND the bonus ball! The prize that week was one hundred and two million dollars. She gasped! She caught her breath, and gasped again! Then she double-checked the numbers. She then triple-checked them, and then quadruple-checked them. “Son of a gun we’ll have great fun, on the bayou!”

Yes, they were all there. She wasn’t a screamer, for surely she would have screamed then. She then discovered that there was only one winner, which meant that she wouldn’t be sharing this unbelievable prize with anybody!

She had rehearsed this in her mind a thousand times, and she knew that the first thing she would do was sign that ticket. The chronology got kind of disoriented after that. Call a lawyer and put the ticket in a safe-deposit box? Call my boss and quit? Hire a body guard? Put it in a safe-deposit box, then call a lawyer? Call a realtor? Call for reservations…everywhere?

She suddenly became very paranoid. Here she was with a winning ticket worth millions. Having opted for the cash instead of the 25 year pay-out, she had quickly figured out that she would have, roughly, over 30 million dollars in cash in a very short period of time. She actually knew the exact financial advisor she would use. He was on the radio every day, and had quite a few clients who were lottery winners. She would be his newest client.

Then, rudely interrupting her scattered thoughts, she heard a loud knock on her door. Being alone, and totally paranoid about the millions she had in her possession, she hesitated before she opened the door. Her lottery ticket was her primary concern at that precise moment. Then her thoughts raced to her hope chest in her bedroom, which was basically a wooden trunk with a good lock. She wasn’t sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case.

It turned out to be her landlord wanting to know why she was behind on her rent. Relieved, she told the landlord that she would pay him later on that day, but that she would be moving very soon.

She then called her best friend and told her not to go to work, that she would be picking her up soon, in a limo, and that they were going to go to the state capital and claim her multi-million dollar jackpot. Then they were going to fly first class to Vegas, BABY!

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Hail to ALL the troops and shadow warriors.

tecoyah

Joan was concerned, she had only seen this once before and that time it didnt turn out well.Reading through the text on her computer terminal she noted the exact steps needed to clear this mess up, and keep her job. With beads of nervous sweat dripping into her eyes, she walked out of the office and into the infimary, hoping no one was there to see her do this.
Tha Baby was getting pale which was never a good sign, but breathing was at least less shallow, hopefully he was calming down as the sedatives took effect. Joan really didnt want to do this, but had literally no choice, and in the end it was best for both her and the baby. Taking the needle from her pocket.....she prepared to inject the little bundle of joy with a numbing agent before starting. Footsteps interupted her train of thought, and she wiped her forehead clear of blond strands of drenched hair. Commited now to this action she ignored the sounds, remembering what caused this problem in the first place, her mind wondered to earlier that day:

Taking out her crack pipe, Joan lit up in the yard......hoping to hide the stench of this place. A loud sound suddenly is heard from behind the watering hole. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case. The mind on drugs makes few good descisions.

Joan knew it was stupid....but she really needed to get her pipe back from that damn Elephant.

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Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

Hain

Today.

Ellen wakes up every day--six am, always--to ready herself for work. Outside she sees a normal New England day: gray overcast with high chance of rain.

Her breakfast consists of a bagel with light cream cheese, nothing spectacular. What could she expect on the salary of manager of a small store? Yet, she is riddled with an unseen fear and apprehension in her being. Some inexplicable knot enters her core. As she washes her plate, as she always does, she turned her attention to the television sitting on the counter. The fog outside is covering most of Bangor. She doesn't give it much thought. It would ruin her day to think that today was different.

An exact hour has passed between her waking and her standing next to her door. Through the peep hole of the oak door there was a faint light given by the porch lamp. As she began putting on her shoes that are faithfully waiting for her at the door, the light disappears. She breaks her routine, and peers out. Nothing, nothing is outside, as if something covered the peep hole. At first slightly worried, then terrified as whatever mass is out there passes away from the door. Not a sound, not a step, just a single light reappears through the peep hole from the porch lamp.

Not willing to let anything stop her from getting to work, she goes upstairs to a spare room that once her and her ex-husband slept in. In the spare closet, she pulled out a weapon that only the asshole that was her ex would make: a baseball bat with nails through it.

Carefully tip toeing back to the porch launch; she makes not a sound, like whatever stood at her door. Carefully she slides her hand around the knob like a serpent would do and like that serpent, unrolls her hand to open the door.

Fog there and nothing more. She exist the launch peers about looking for whatever may be there. The grass is wet from the rain and a great whiff of the ocean is present in the air. It is not uncommon but not frequent this far north in Maine. All she needs to do is get to the store near the Husson College and she'll be safe--

As she nears the car a bird caws loudly in the distance but it is muffled by the fog. Ellen turns towards the sound but sees nothing. A white mist only thickens as she looks further and further out. Infinity could be right before her and she'd only see thirty feet of it.

She briskly walks to her car, with a great feeling of terror in her. A thousand eyes hid in this fog and each eye's gaze pierced the fog filling her with the thousand bugs to make her skin crawl. Something of a crickets’ song enters the mist and dies just as suddenly.

One last turn she makes before entering her car, holding the terrible weapon in her hands. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case. She wasn't going to be late today, or any day.

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////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

Amnesia620

She remembered the phone call she'd had the night before as she said good-bye to her co-workers and stepped through the door out into the chilled air. This night was a bit cooler than any previous night during this week. She didn't enjoy cool nights, she preferred it warmer. 'Didn't everybody?' She thought, as she walked to her car, purse in hand. The phone call that changed her life...
In her purse, she knew, was the money. She had cashed the check just that morning before work and wondered if "he" was still watching her, even now. He had called her just two weeks ago, explaining how he loved watching her, how he knew her secrets and that if she didn't go along with everything he said, he would "have to punish her". She knew he meant death.
In a split-second, driven purely on instinct, she knew that she would do as he asked and that the moment that it went beyond her control, she would involve the police. She wasn't afraid of this "mystery-man" but merely curious as to what his true intentions were. She didn't fear much...some would call this ignorance, others would say she was smart. She did what she felt she must, when she must, and that was that.
Arriving to her car, finally, across the parking lot, she stopped at the rear of her car and looked around. The parking lot was dark, empty, and silent. She suddenly felt a chill - cold air or something else?? She didn't know. She quickly grabbed her keys out of her jacket pocket and looked around once more...the parking lot was still quiet, dark and empty. In a moment's time, she unlocked the trunk of the car and opened her purse. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary around her, or hear anything, either. However, she couldn't shake the chill. She worried someone knew she had the money. A lot of money. Opening the lid, she grabbed the wad of cash in her hand and followed her intuition. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case. Closing the trunk lid, hearing the click, she suddenly felt relieved. As she turned to her left to walk around the car, she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye...

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For example, I find that a lot of college girls are barbie doll carbon copies with few differences...Sadly, they're dumb, ditzy, immature, snotty, fake, or they are the gravitational center to orbiting drama. - Amnesia620

amonkie

Ashley sighed as she leaned against the sturdy tree, possibly for the last time. Dad had gotten a new job, and it was time to move into the city. Away from the house she was born in, away from the small creek that ran across the edge of their property. Already she could hear the last shouts of the moving van as the workers loaded and and the first truck pulled away. She didn't have much time before her mom came looking for her, meaning it really wasn't all just a bad dream she would wake up from.

The soft grass under her feet slightly tickled her legs, and she could feel the aged knots in the tree truck that were pressing against her back. For as long as she could remember, this had been HER tree. She'd discovered the little hole the knot left years ago, and it had been her hiding place for countless precious things she wanted to keep away from her older brothers.

Idly playing with the wildflowers at her feet while listening to the soft birds calling, she took the ribbon she'd found out of her pocket and tied the flowers together. She wondered if the family moving into their house had kids, and if they'd find all the hiding spots she and her brothers had used over the years. Maybe one of them would find this tree and hide things of their own. The small colorful bouquet in her hand was just the size of the hole, Ashley discovered. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case. If one of the kids did find the tree, maybe they'd see the bouquet and realize it was a special tree.

When her hands were empty, Ashley could see the top of her mother's blond head bobbing in and out of the trees. With a sigh and a last look around, she walked toward the car, to her new life.

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Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

Hain

^ That was really clever. I never thought about a tree trunk. Tecoyah, yours too. My style of writing sparingly uses elephants in it, but I did think "Can an elephant..?" and it stopped there. Cool though. Fun topic to work with here.

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////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

Yukimura

Her breathing was heavy and rapid as she carried her patient through the woods. Something was chasing her. This isn't what I became a vet for. In her arms, she carried a young penguin. It was incredibly calm for the desparate situation. The vet could hear leaves being crushed and sticks snapping as her persuer grew closer. She finally got to her car, and jumped in immediately. I should have listened to my mom. She always said, "Never take a penguin camping." She turned the key, and the car only whined in protest. It seemed unwilling to start. She tried over and over, turning the key harder, as though it made a difference. Frustrated, she finally quit. She knew this was the time to make her stand, but she still didn't even know if her persuer was human. She needed to hide her precious cargo, but where? If it's some sort of animal chasing her, she could simply lock herself in the car, but if it's some sort of weird arctic poacher thousands of miles from his usual hunting grounds, he could get in the car easily. She wasn't sure what was out there, but decided to hide it in the trunk just in case. Just as she slammed the trunk shut, she saw some branches moving at the edge of the brush. She held her breath as her persuer began to come into view.

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Maybe the answer is in the very light reflected off our blades. Maybe that's what it means to be this creature known as samurai.

ItWasMe

and...And....AND?? Where's the rest of the novel?

Very good. You had me on the edge of my seat from the start. (I'm still there...waiting)

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"Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez

I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe