The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 32: Anya thought the matron might see more than she felt comfortable revealing.
Anya thought the matron might see more than she felt comfortable revealing. The older woman left and Anya was alone with the matron. “Settling in well?” she asked as she led Anya to a door in the side of the room.
“Yes, Matron,” Anya replied.
“Good,” she said. “You look like you’ve caught up on a lot of the sleep you missed on your journey.” The doors opened onto a set of stairs and Anya followed the matron on to them, pleased that conversation ceased as the narrow stairs forced her to walk behind the matron. The stairs let out into a hallway. It was wide enough that Anya didn’t have to walk behind the matron.
“There are other doors leading to this floor,” the matron said. “This was just the easiest access. The library is not forbidden but very few here use it. You have been taught your letters.”
“The basics,” Anya said.
The matron nodded. “Well if you have an inclination to expand your basics while you are here, you are welcome to use the library. Take no more than one volume at a time and leave a slip with your room number in place of the book you borrow. I’ll show you where the slips are should you need them.“ She turned and fixed Anya with a stern eye. “We expect all volumes to be returned in the same condition in which they were taken.”
“Yes, Matron,” Anya replied. “But there are maps?” she asked, feeling slightly confused.
“There are,” the Matron said.
Talk ceased as they walked. Anya wasn’t entirely certain why the matron thought she would be borrowing books when she asked to see a map. ‘Perhaps its just because we are going to see a library,’ Anya thought.
“You see this door,” the matron said, pointing to a door on their left. It was wider than others and the door frame looked as though something large had smashed into it leaving a deep scar in the wood.
“Yes Matron,” Anya replied.
“If you go through it you will find a set of stairs at the end that will lead you to the floor with your room. It will be the easiest access for you.”
Anya nodded. They reached the end of the corridor. At the end of the corridor was a large double door that stood fifteen feet in height. The matron pushed one side of the door open. They stepped into the room. After the well-lit corridor where light spilled in through the windows, the room looked dark. It also had the scent of a space that was not often used.
“We’ll need to get the curtains,” the matron said. “There should still be enough light to see by, but of you come after dark you will need to being a lamp. As it can be a confusing space I wouldn’t recommend doing so until you are more familiar with the space.”
The matron walked over to one of the covered windows and pulled the curtain to the side, letting in a stream of light.
Ten til Midnight 