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 52: Both sets of neighbors had refreshments out on their tables.
Both sets of neighbors had refreshments out on their tables. “I’ll just go up and get something and be back down,” Penelope said.
She stepped back into the house, closing the door behind her. Penelope quickly walked to the stairs, her mind thinking through what she picked up. She had planned to hole up and study to hopefully find out who might be a threat and who might not be.
“At least with my own food and drink no one is poisoning me,” Penelope told her self.
In the kitchen she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of fizzy lemonade. “I suppose if I put it in a fancy glass it can be considered cocktail like,” she decided. The snacks were a little trickier. She had a wheel of brie and a block of cheddar but after the somewhat heavy alfredo sauce she wasn’t looking for anything creamy. Penelope closed the fridge and looked over the pantry items. The cookies she ate while reading seemed slightly childish.
“Honey roasted peanuts,” she decided. She took the jar out and set it on the counter. Penelope then rummaged through the cabinets, choosing a fancy glass for her lemonade and a small cut crystal bowl for her peanuts. She poured some of the peanuts into the bowl and put the lid back on the container. Penelope grabbed her keys from the counter and slipped them into her back pocket so she wouldn’t accidentally lock herself out. She put the bottle of lemonade under her arm, deciding opening it after managing stairs and door would be a good idea. She then picked up the empty glass and bowl of nuts and went back down stairs.
At the door, she had to set the bowl of nuts down so she didn’t spill them while opening the door. Once the door was open, she picked them up and stepped outside. The bowl, glass and bottle went on the table and after checking that her keys were still in her back pocket, she closed the front door.
Marla retreated to her patio area and was sipping from a glass of wine, a plate containing cheese and crackers in front of her. Thomas and Faith were seated at their table, Faith was sipping on a drink in a tall ice filled glass while Thomas drank a beer. There was a bowl of pretzels and a bowl of grapes to go along with their drinks. The patios were only as wide as the front of the houses and with the table placements, everyone had their own distinct space but could easily talk to the neighbors.
Penelope took a seat at her own table. “Going to need to find a tray to bring things down,” she told the others. She opened the bottle of lemonade and poured it into the glass.
“So you just moved in?” Marlene asked when Penelope seemed settled.
“Today actually,” Penelope replied. “Have you lived here long?”
“Since I came of age an inherited,” Marlene replied. She made a sweeping gesture encompassing the rest of the street. “All of these are family homes passed down. Who did you inherit from?”
“My mother,” Penelope said. She let her eyes scan the rest of the street taking in the neighbors all celebrating happy hour and chatting to themselves. She wondered if all of these people had magic or came from magic families.
‘Likely,’ Penelope thought. She wondered what that meant in terms of trusting them.
Ten til Midnight 