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 171: Penelope swallowed hard.
Penelope swallowed hard. She knew where this was going. “The investigation?” she asked.
“Oh yeah. Something with the business, maybe. I’m not sure. All I know is that Trinity tried to use her bank card and it wouldn’t work. I had to cover her at the restaurant.” Ellie snorted. “I haven’t seen her since. You certainly chose a lucky time to leave them behind.”
Penelope found herself relieved that not everyone seemed to know that the issues stemmed from the family pilfering her accounts. “I suppose so, but it was less my timing and more someone else’s.”
“At least you are out of there and finally free of them,” Ellie said. “And I heard a little rumor about you.”
“You did?” Penelope wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to be part of the rumor mill. ‘At least not with the sort of things currently going on.’
“Yes, my mom talked to Mrs. Wallace and she said that not only did you inherit your mother’s magic but you were strong enough that the Emperor assigned an agent specifically to you.”
“I don’t know Mrs. Wallace,” Penelope said. It was the first thing that came to mind.
Ellie sighed dramatically. “You wouldn’t want to she is terribly dull, but her husband does something with the government and she is terribly well connected. So is it true?”
“About the magic?” Penelope said. “Yes I suppose so.”
“I knew there was something special about you. I always told everyone that.”
Penelope remembered a rumor Ellie helped Trinity spread that involved her having a little pigs tail but she somehow thought that wasn’t the sort of special Ellie was referring to now.
“And the agent?” Ellie asked. “Are you really going to meet the emperor?”
“No one plans to take me to the Emperor,” Penelope said. She thought that with all of the accidents and explosions there were probably a lot of people who would be interested in keeping her far from Emperor Galas.
“Oh,” Ellie sounded disappointed. “I thought he saw all the important mages.”
“I don’t know anything about that, but I doubt I will be taken to see him anytime soon,” Penelope said. She suspected the rumor was the real reason for the call.
“Wel, if that changes you have to call me and we can go together. I know this really great shop that has the most exquisite dresses.”
“I don’t think it will come to that,” Penelope said.
“Oh well we can still go dress shopping or maybe shopping for magical paraphernalia. I bet those are some really interesting stores.”
“I am kind of busy right now,” Penelope said.
“With the learning all the magic?” Ellie asked.
“Something like that,” Penelope said. “There is a lot to learn.”
“And I bet once you do learn it you will end up on the list for one of the emperor’s soirees. Everyone says so.”
Penelope wondered who Ellie meant when she said everyone.
Ten til Midnight 