Welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Each morning I spend fifteen minutes writing on a singular story line. Each morning starts with the last line of the previous day. The goal is to get a (very) rough draft out of the simple story idea and to avoid letting the story idea languish in limbo forever, actually writing it out. This is the third year I have done this writing experiment and each year I learn just a little bit about myself and the way I write as well as creating a framework for the story. But without further ado…
Day 93: ‘But a class on drawing could be fun,’ she thought.
‘But a class on drawing could be fun,’ she thought. As they were already dressed for running around, Margaret called the car company. Sebastian was available and would be by shortly. He had just dropped someone else off in the neighborhood luckily and it would be a very short wait. Soon enough, the front desk buzzed to let them know the car was waiting and Gwen and Margaret once again descended to the lobby and walked out of the building.
Despite the fact that Margaret had never shopped for items needed for any form of culinary lessons, Gwen found she treated the shopping trip much like she had the trip to secure toiletry items and a few new outfits for her to wear. The store was entered and every item inspected. While the items on the list were added to their shopping cart, a few additional items made their way in as well.
While the items on the list made sense and she knew what they were, there were many items Gwen found baffling. There were specialty items and decorative components. Some items looked designed for a professional kitchen and were clearly designed for heavy use. They were stacked up in bulk as though anyone purchasing would come in and request twenty of the same item. Other items were also stocked in bulk but they were clearly for the front of the restaurant.
There were various plates and platters, silverware and salt shakers. There decorative items like candles. The large boxes of tea lights were interesting. It was in the candle aisle but it was a very different candle aisle. The cardboard boxes were stamped with the style and the count and one item was set in front as an example. There was a bin underneath with individual candles of the style in case one didn’t want to buy one hundred at the same time. Gwen walked down many candle aisles but this one was different and it took her a moment to realize why.
‘All the candles are unscented,’ she realized. She nodded to herself. ‘I suppose that makes sense. You wouldn’t want the scent to mix badly with the food.’
In addition to the items clearly meant for bulk or working kitchens, there were a few aisles with single items that looked more for home use. There were gadgets galore and Gwen found Margaret picking various items up and studying them. Where there was explanatory text on the packaging she would read it, often seeming surprised buy it before putting it back on the shelf.
“So many clever little things,” Margaret said.
Gwen smiled. She didn’t know what even half of the items did, but wasn’t as fascinated as her grandmother. Margaret seemed to look at them as though they were relics from an alien culture.
‘It’s like she’s visiting a museum where she’s allowed to touch the objects,” Gwen thought. She didn’t point this out to her grandmother.
Ten til Midnight 