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 136: Penelope slipped the shopping list into her back pocket.
Penelope slipped the shopping list into her back pocket. She moved through the main floor, making certain everything was put away. She had no plans to invite Agent Michaelson inside the house but if the last few days taught her anything it was that things did not always go to plan.
She dipped into the bathroom and picked up her hairbrush to give her hair a few strokes. The ring she put on the night before gleamed in the lights. She lowered her hand and looked at the ring. It was pretty ordinary if you didn’t look at the details. She didn’t think it looked like a magical talisman. She realized she was still wearing the bracelet on the left wrist. It too looked fairly ordinary unless you caught sight of the etched symbols.
Looking at the jewelry, she debated taking them off. She then thought about the protection each one was supposed to have. ‘Leave them on,” she decided. “If anyone asks I can say I’ve had them forever and treat them casually.’
She left the bathroom. As good as the thought was, she didn’t know how good her acting skills really were. ‘They have been in my jewelry box for ages,’ she corrected. ‘That’s true. The costume party I bought them for was a while ago.’
She knew if she could get herself to believe the words she used then she had a better chance of others believing them. ‘Maybe no one will notice.’
Checking the time, Penelope grabbed her purse, making sure her wallet, house keys and extra car key were all in the bag. She checked her cell phone and found that it was fully charged and almost ominously silent. While she didn’t want to go back to the tag team yelling from Jeanette and Trinity, the fact that there wasn’t a single missed call after they were so insistent the day before had her somewhat unnerved.
‘Maybe they just had to get it out of their systems,’ she thought as she went downstairs towards the door. It wasn’t how they usually operated, which was why she found the silence unnerving. Usually they kept the yelling and comments up until she gave in to whatever they wanted.
At the door, she slipped the phone into her bag, let herself out and made certain the door locked behind her. Looking up and down the street there were no people lingering in their patios. The day was gray and overcast so she wasn’t surprised. Drizzle seemed more in keeping with the day than sun and she doubted many would linger.
‘More importantly the neighbors weren’t out. She looked to the older woman’s house, remembering what she saw in the vision. If it was accurate, the house wasn’t hers and even though she was staying there it only gave her limited access to it. She wasn’t entirely certain what that meant and for a moment pictured doors refusing to open or books refusing to be read.
‘Maybe I can ask Mrs. Merriweather.’ She had already been leaning in the direction of trusting her before she saw the vision. Now, she was even more inclined to do so. ‘It’s just setting up a meeting,’ she thought. Penelope narrowed her eyes. ‘Inviting her to tea seems more appropriate than asking for a meeting actually.’ She let the thought go as she saw Agent Michaelson’s car turn the corner.
Ten til Midnight 