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 159: She had half risen when Agent Michaelson came crashing through the leafy blockade.
She had half risen when Agent Michaelson came crashing through the leafy blockade. He had his gun drawn and he was bleeding in several places. He also had some sort of medallion around his neck. It was glowing with a greenish hue.
He saw her and raced over, nearly losing his footing as he slipped on some of the squashed strawberries.
“There,” she pointed before he could ask. “He attacked and the vines got him.”
Michaelson nodded. “Strawberry or blood,” he asked.
Penelope looked at the red splotches all over her. “Strawberries.” She told him. When she winced as she moved her arm. “And possibly a burn.”
“We will deal with it, but it is not life threatening. Stay there.”
Penelope nodded, more than willing to let someone else deal with things. Still she felt she ought to get to her feet. She stood slowly, feeling unsteady. As she stood, her stomach growled. She flushed. She knew she probably used a lot of energy in her panic magic but a growing stomach seemed an inappropriate response to a life-threatening attack.
‘I suppose screaming would be more natural,’ she thought as Michaelson approached the vine wrapped Peter Sinclar.
“His name is Peter Sinclair,” Penelope said. “He killed my mother and Jerome and was responsible for the grocery store, my brake line and the bomb.”
Michaelson frowned and Penelope shrugged. “He told me before he tried to kill me.”
“Ah,” the agent said. He looked down at Peter and shifted him around a bit. He then straightened and smiled at Penelope. “He is fine. Your vines wrapped him up and gagged him but otherwise he is unharmed.”
The vine wrapped bundle began to wiggle.
“He said Jerome stole something from him. He wouldn’t say what. He thinks Jerome gave it to my mother and she left it to me.”
“We will be sure to ask him what it was that he was looking for.”
Penelope nodded and looked around. This section of the greenhouse was an absolute mess. Overgrown plants took over filling every section of space and trees were loaded down with fruit, nuts or simply tall enough to threaten the roof above them.
She frowned as she realized something. “Where is everyone?” she asked. “Surely a noise and mess like this would have brought people running.”
“He did some sort of spell to keep everyone away. The detector in my car went off which is how I knew. Luckily we have these medallions loaded with counters for things like this to use in emergencies.”
“So no one noticed I trashed the greenhouse?” Penelope asked.
Michaelson smiled. “Nope,” he said. “We have a team on the way. They will take Sinclair away, put things to rights and dismantle any spell he has used. They will be reimbursed for any damaged or missing plants.”
“Oh,” Penelope said. “Somehow this wasn’t how I thought my shopping would go.”
She looked around.
Ten til Midnight 