The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
Day 4: As evening traffic died down, Sophie had a relatively easy drive back to her apartment.
As evening traffic died down, Sophie had a relatively easy drive back to her apartment. The building where she worked was surrounded by other office buildings and on Fridays there was even less of a chance that anyone would stay late. ‘Except for me of course, and I guess Elizabeth.’
Sophie knew she heard the name Elizabeth Walker before but couldn’t place it. ‘Probably another department.’
Sophie didn’t think about it too long, more than willing to push thinking about anything work related off until Monday when she had to go back to the office. As the office complex where she worked was surrounded by other offices and cleared out quickly at the end of Friday, the apartment parking lot filled up quickly at this time of night. She was late enough that all her neighbors had more or less arrived home, but few of them had gone out for whatever fun activities they had planned for their Friday night.
Sophie never made plans for Friday night, or at least she hadn’t since leaving school. She always reached the end of the week with the desire to be alone to unwind and relax. Saturday nights she would go out with friends. But even that was rare these days. Most of her friends married and had children or moved away. There were gatherings once in a while when people could make it, but typically that happened only every few months. Life was just too busy.
‘Ah the world of the adults,’ Sophie thought. She found a parking space not too far from her building entrance and she parked. At the moment she was rather relieved she wouldn’t have to move it until Sunday when she went to stock up on groceries for the week. Tonight she just wanted to unwind and think of nothing but her own plans.
‘I’ll see Janine tomorrow,’ Sophie thought as she got out of the car. ‘But that’s all that’s planned and it is just a quick run down the hall.’
Sophie gathered her things and went upstairs, making sure her car door locked behind her. Not in the mood to wait for the elevator, Sophie climbed up the stairs to her apartment on the second floor. She let herself into her apartment and closed the door behind her, more than ready to block out the rest of the world. This apartment was more home than any place she had lived before and now more than ever it felt like a refuge.
After a childhood spent moving around, Sophie was happy to find a place she liked and to stay there. Others she knew were saving up for houses, and while she too built up her savings, the thought of a house never really appealed to her. She lived in apartments her whole life and she had no desire to figure out lawn care or whatever other extra tasks home ownership entailed.
She had a kitchen that was large enough to do everything she asked of it, which wasn’t all that onerous a set of duties when she got down to it. Sophie considered herself a competent cook which meant she didn’t have to eat every meal out. She enjoyed making the dishes she knew how to make, but had no desire to branch out. If she wanted something new, she would let someone much more talented than she was create it.
Her large living room held everything she wanted in a living space and the two bedrooms and one large bath were enough space for her to feel comfortable.
Ten til Midnight 