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 138: He nodded and again, she caught a flash of something that looked a little smug.
He nodded and again, she caught a flash of something that looked a little smug. “I don’t think that will be a problem,’ Michaelson said.
This time there was no mistaking it. He was smug about something.
“Because you have caught the person doing it or because you have done something to my car?” she asked.
He blinked in surprise. They pulled up to the light and stopped, waiting. “Good guess,” he said. “It wasn’t me of course, but someone with magic put a layer of protection on the car so it can’t be tampered with.”
For a brief second Penelope had the overwhelming desire to ask if the magic layer voided her warrantee. Before she could open her mouth she felt her belly clench. She felt the overwhelming desire to get out of the vehicle. To jump out while it was stationary at the light. She found herself reaching for the door handle.
“Something wrong?” Michaelson asked. His smug look disappeared as he took in her widened eyes.
“Pull over to the side slowly,” she said. “Don’t accelerate any faster than you need to.”
He studied her for a second and looked as though he wanted to protest. He saw her hand was gripping the door handle and instead of continuing when the light changed color, he eased the car to the cub. Luckily there was an open spot available.
Michaelson was driving slow. Penelope thought it was more because she looked freaked out than because he thought there was danger. She couldn’t help it. Every part of her was screaming to get out of the car. She held the door handle in a death grip. They coasted to the curb.
Michaelson opened his mouth.
“Out,” she said. “Out now.”
The words popped out of her mouth and her body was already in motion. Penelope had the door open even as her free hand was fumbling with the seat belt. It snapped open and she fairly leaped from the vehicle striding down the sidewalk and away from the car. She heard Michaelson curse behind her and call for her to wait, but her body would not stop.
‘Get away, get away, get away….’ The one thought kept repeating in her brain. It wouldn’t stop. Her feet wouldn’t stop. She had to move.
She turned her head and saw Michaelson ran to catch up with her. “Hey, slow down.” He said.
“Can’t,” she said. “Gotta get away,” she said.
“Away from what?” he asked.
“Don’t know,” Penelope said. “Just away.”
Michaelson sighed and pressed his lips together but he didn’t try to stop her. He just kept pace beside her. The reached the corner and Penelope stopped. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The impulse was gone. She no longer felt like she had to run away. For a second she could only breathe.
“Do you want to tell me…” Michaelson began. The explosion cut him off.
Ten til Midnight 