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 65: It seemed anytime she learned something she realized how little she actually knew.
It seemed anytime she learned something she realized how little she actually knew. “Which is the point of learning, I suppose,” Penelope decided. She poured her tea and sipped slowly.
The reading went quickly and while interesting and amusing, Penelope learned nothing of who was attacking or what the strange ability heralded. It wasn’t until some months later, when Amelia found herself sent to the capitol for study that more information became available.
Penelope smiled as she learned of the cover used, since learning magic wasn’t an acceptable answer as to why Amelia was sent to town. She was sent to a ladies finishing school. There she would perfect the graces a lady required. There would be lessons of course so that she could do the things required of a lady of her station. She would need to learn how to balance the accounts and manage the finances of an estate. She would learn household budgeting and staff management. There were dancing and deportment lessons as well.
All those lessons Amelia had to go through. In addition, she was provided access to a large library with magical reference books so she could study the magic of her bloodlines and not only become proficient but learn the peculiarities of it so she would more easily be able to hide it from those who didn’t know magic was real.
“It seems to me,” Amelia wrote. “That it is much easier to learn the required lessons quickly, like crossing an unpleasant item off a to do list. Then once the clutter is cleared away, focus on the more important matters.”
Which according to her journal was what she did. As many of the lessons she had already had, in greater detail at home, she breezed through them. She learned the arts of household management and diligently practiced her dance steps. When everyone was happy with her progress she buried herself in research, reading any topic she could come across. It was in her third week of study that she came across something promising.
“There are two ancestors of mine who I find quite interesting,” Amelia wrote. “One was always able to tell when someone wished him ill and another was abnormally gifted in avoiding perilous dangers. I did not read their journals in our library although I am sure they are both there and will of course seek them out upon my return, however the mentions of them are clear. Andrew knew who wished him ill, even if everyone, both those who knew of magic and otherwise, seem to believe it is just a gift for reading people. George was believed by all and sundry to simply be lucky. They come from different bloodlines, but it seems to me that both of their lines were poured into the main line, so to speak. Surely the mixing and churning through the years has to accomplish something.”
As it was similar to Penelope’s own thoughts she felt vindicated and lifted a ginger snap up in victory before taking a bit.
Unfortunately, Amelia’s thought was put down a few paragraphs later. She was informed that wasn’t the way the abilities functioned. She hadn’t mentioned the knowing of ill intent or luck, but she had asked about mixing of abilities.
“One may carry both abilities, or indeed all the abilities of a singular bloodline, but it seems one only manifests the abilities of one line, at least according to Mr. Abernathy. I pressed for more details but he considered the matter closed. I do not.”
“Nor do I,” Penelope said.
Ten til Midnight 