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 161: He nodded and then removed the bracelet from her wrist.
He nodded and then removed the bracelet from her wrist. It was a relief to have it gone, but the movements jostled her arm. She could see the burn marks on her skin.
“Did you make this,” the man in street clothes asked. His voice was deep and rumbly.
“No,” Penelope said. “I got it in a junk shop with a load of other costume jewelry.”
He smiled. “Really?” He looked like he wanted to laugh. “How much did you pay for it?”
“I think each of the bags were five dollars,” Penelope said.
This time he did laugh.
“May I begin?” the doctor asked, his voice terse.
“Of course,” the other man said. Agent Michaelson stood silently by the door as the doctor began examining her wrist.
“Burns are minor, I’ll give you some cream to keep them from getting infected. It’s the bone I am worried about. We’ll need x-rays.”
Penelope nodded, but her acceptance wasn’t really needed. She was just along for the ride as her arm was taken care of. She just tried not to throw up. The x-rays were done and the doctor left her to wait with th other two. As she was taking the x-rays she noticed Michaelson sharing his phone with the other man. They seemed to be looking at a video of some sort.
‘Somehow I doubt it is a cute cat video,’ she thought.
With the doctor gone the other man sat down in front of her. “I would like you to tell me what happened from your perspective.”
“I was shopping,” Penelope said. “Peter Sinclair came over as I was picking out plants and after seeing them said I must be related to Jerome and that Jerome stole something from him. He didn’t say what. I think he thought if I knew what it was I would want to keep it. Then he told me he killed both my mom and Jerome and arranged the other incidents. He then lifted up his hands and they glowed amber.”
Penelope swallowed hard and felt herself tremble as she thought of that moment. The cold look in Peter’s eyes and the fact that he would later think of her death as distasteful.
“And then what happened?” the man asked.
Penelope blinked, not realizing she stopped talking as she thought about that moment.
She shook her head. “Sorry. I lifted my arms to kind of shield myself and then something slammed into me. I fell back and I think I might have passed out. Then I woke up covered in squashed strawberries. Peter was wrapped up in vines.”
Penelope shifted and sucked in air at the sharp pain.
“Sorry we can’t let the doctor give you anything until we have finished talking,” the man said.
Penelope nodded, making sure no part of her arm moved. That seemed to be the safest bet at the moment.
“Why were you wearing the bracelet?” he asked.
“It’s pretty,” Penelope said. “And when I looked them up several of the sigils on the back looked like they were protective. Since someone seemed to be trying to kill me, I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
“Well, that is certainly true,” the man said. Did that ring come in the bag as well?” She looked at her right hand.
Ten til Midnight 