For those just tuning in, this challenge is about taking a story idea from bare bones idea into a fully fledged story by writing consistently every week day for fifteen minutes. The sentence I end with on one day, is the sentence I start with on the following. Part one was Bob’s story and has nothing whatsoever to do with the story below. Part Two follows a character named Penelope. I have a few basic sentences to act as road marks on her journey. I am loosely calling that an outline. We will see where she ends up by the time the story is done. For now, we start Part two of the 2025 Fifteen Minute Writing Challenge.
Day 8: Mike lifted up the device and read something from the screen.
Mike lifted up the device and read something from the screen. He blinked, looking surprised by what he read. “Impressive,” Was all he said. He looked to Alvis and nodded. “I’ll have a full report printed out but, yes.”
“Excellent,” Alvis said. He smiled wide. “Finally we can actually get to business.” Mike gathered up his empty box, nodded once to her and then stood up. He walked to the door without another word and let himself out of the room. He made certain the door closed behind him.
“I am so sorry for all of this, subterfuge but it was required,” He took a deep breath. Penelope remained quiet waiting to find out what all of this was about.
“Right,” he said. “You know magic is real,” he began. This time it Penelope’s turn to blink in surprise. This was not the turn she expected the conversation to take.
“Yes,” she replied.
“And that it is now being accepted.”
“Since a magician used magic to save the emperor’s life,” Penelope said.
She like every other citizen heard the story. About ten years prior there was an attack. The emperor was cut off from his guards and a group of assailants made it into the palace. A young advisor, or assistant to an advisor really, managed to stave off the attackers using magic until the palace guards could get there and take up the fight. The effort nearly killed the assistant. He recovered and everyone knew magic was real. The emperor made it legal to practice and magicians, some real and some charlatans started to come out of the woodwork.
“Exactly,” Alvis said. “Before that magic was practiced in secret.”
Penelope nodded, still uncertain what this had to do with her.
“Our law office has a history of working with those who possess magic. We make certain that certain things pass to the right hands. What do you know of your mother?” he asked.
Thinking of the emperor and magic, Penelope was not expecting this turn. She again blinked in surprise. “My mother?” she repeated. Alvis nodded. “She died when I was little.”
“She did,” Alvis said. “And I am sorry for your loss. “She was however gifted with magic and it seems that gift has passed to you.”
“To me?” she repeated. Penelope shook her head. “I’m not magical,” she told him. “You must be mistaken.”
“No that is what the blood test was for,” Alvis replied. “If there was no magic in your blood I would have just given you your inheritance now that you have reached twenty five as stipulated in the paperwork. But because the test came back positive we have other things to discuss.”
“Inheritance?” Penelope repeated. She frowned. “What sort of inheritance?”
Ten til Midnight 