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 145: “Usually, I go to lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays and eat in the office the rest of the time. Maybe someone knows my schedule and assumed that I did go to lunch,” Sophie said.
“Usually, I go to lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays and eat in the office the rest of the time. Maybe someone knows my schedule and assumed that I did go to lunch,” Sophie said.
“Possibly, Elizabeth said. “Either way it will be handled, I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Okay,” Sophie said. “If its any help, I am going to be eating lunch at my desk for the next few weeks,” Sophie said.
“I hate that,” Elizabeth said with a frown. She sighed. “But it might just be best, given the situation.”
Elizabeth let herself out of the office and Sophie frowned. She wondered what had been said about her. ‘I suppose I could have asked,’ she thought. It had just been so surprising that asking for details hadn’t occurred to her. ‘Probably better off not knowing anything,’ she decided as she put her ear buds back in.
‘Not knowing means I can let it go,’ she decided. ‘And lets me think more about my designs.’
While her thoughts kept flickering back to what might be going on elsewhere, by the time the work day was over, Sophie was once again anticipating working on her designs. She closed down her work station for the day and locked away the files. When she left her office she found not only Petra and Linda waiting for her but Henry too.
“You all right? he asked.
Sophie nodded. “Apparently there were some rumors about what I cot up to at lunch despite the fact that I didn’t actually leave for lunch.” She shrugged.
“Maybe they thought you were someone else,” Henry said.
“Maybe,” Sophie said.
“Mmm hmm,” Linda said frowning.
“I’m hoping it will resolve itself.”
The group of them left the office and traveled down to the parking lot. It was mercifully free of people and Sophie was soon on her way home, thoughts of fashion dancing in her head.
Friday passed with quiet normality and Sophie felt a great deal of relief a she went into her weekend. She eagerly let everything else go as she worked on her designs. There were just a few more that she needed to complete the collection and she was eager to see the items done so she could see the entire collection in its entirety. ‘Not sure what I will do then,’ she thought. ‘Besides show it to Janine and think about creating a second collection.’
Despite not knowing what steps came next, Sophie was thrilled that this collection was nearing completion. as the weekend ended, she gathered her groceries for the week, reminding herself that she was eating at her desk and increasing her lunch time supplies accordingly. Monday she went to work feeling cautions.
Nothing untoward happened and she made it through her day quietly. The offices around her were still working feverishly but according to Petra this was the last week of processing the Quarterly Evaluations and normality would soon resume. Monday night she finished another one of her items and hung it on the rack before getting out her sketch pad to work on the final item she wanted included in the collection.
Tuesday, Sophie braced when she went to work as it was a day she normally went out for lunch. Shortly before lunch she saw Sean go into a meeting with the HR supervisor. His gaze flicked to her but he looked away and didn’t come over. She continued working. By the time he left the supervisor’s office Sophie was eating her sandwich. Again, his gaze flicked towards her as he exited the area. Sophie wondered if he was there to check up on her. ‘Not everything is about me,’ she told herself.
Ten til Midnight 