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 219: Elizabeth smiled.
Elizabeth smiled. “Personally I would have gone for the tropics at this time of year,” she said.
“I think most people did which is why the hotel wasn’t overbooked,” Sophie replied.
“I am very glad you ae back though,” Elizabeth said. She turned to her computer screen and Sophie opened her notebook. They went over Sophie’s post vacation progress and looked at what still needed to be done.
“If you could shift the Peterson files to the top of the stack that would help,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve got their execs coming in early Tuesday and it would be good to have everything in the system by then.”
Sophie nodded. “I can start on them this afternoon,” she replied making a note on the page. It was the only major adjustment and Sophie was sent back to her office. She took out the files and as requested shuffled the Peterson files to the top. Taking their measure Sophie was pretty sure she could get them done before she left for the weekend.
“I’d worry about them if I didn’t.” she muttered to herself. Then she stopped. Sophie looked at the files. ‘No I wouldn’t,’ she thought. ‘I would forget about them until Monday.’ She chewed her lip. ‘Maybe. I would try at least.’
She rolled her eyes and reached for the stack. “Better to just get them done before I leave,” she decided.
She was pushing the wire with the files but she did manage to finished the last of the Peterson files before everyone else cleared out of the office so she decided it counted as not staying late. There were always some who left their desk as soon as the minute hand ticked into place, especially on a Friday, but Sophie decided that as long as she wasn’t the last to leave, she would call it on time.
She took the elevator down with Henry, Linda and Petra both already gone and in the parking lot wished him a good weekend. The wind was kicking up and it had bite to it so neither of them asked the other about plans but merely huddled into their coats and hurried to their cars. As soon as Sophie was in her car she turned on the engine to let it warm up. It was warmer out of the wind but as the temperatures fell she was aware that this car was really nothing more than a metal box. She rubbed her hands together and let the engine run for a few minutes.
Sophie knew that the heater wouldn’t really warm up until she was turning into her apartment building so she didn’t bother turning on the heater. She figured that it would just take away from the engine. As soon ass the engine seemed to be running smoothly, Sophie pulled out of the lot and drove home. As she was turning into her parking lot there was a slight clunking sound.
‘’I need to take it in for a checkup anyway,” Sophie thought as she parked by her apartment. “I suppose when they change the oil and give everything a once over they can see about the clunk.”
The oil change was on her weekend list of things to do. She knew she should have gotten the oil changed before the weather turned, but she hadn’t gotten around to it.
Ten til Midnight 