Writing Prompts

So, super agent Daphne Unfeasible (aka KT Literary) issued a holiday writing prompt on her fantastic blog yesterday. I’m not usually one who can do writing prompts because it kinda feels like an assignment/homework, and if you know me you know I HATED homework! So, I didn’t really think I’d do this, but one of the prompts stood out to me, and I thought of a brief scene. Of the three offered, I chose: I didn’t actually expect to go swimming….

Tell me what you think…hope I got all the typos :-o


My father was a total tyrant! Why he felt the need to make me re-mow the lawn and on the hottest day of the year was beyond me. Okay, so maybe I was grounded and maybe I took his car without permission, but this could be classified as child abuse. From inside the air-conditioned house, my mother peered out of the window giving me the, I’m sorry face—not a sweat bead in sight.

I had long since snatched off my shirt, and draped it over my head, trying to stave off the sun from frying my brain. The lawn mower barely spit out any cut grass, but enough that I’d still have to rake before I could even think about going inside.

Finished with the front, I shut off the motor to head around back. You’d think my dad would get a riding mower for the acres of land behind the house, but no, he had a young strapping son so why bother with that expense.

“Hey, Eric.”

I turned and had to struggle to keep my mouth from flopping open as Marianne Weeks stood in front of me clad in a stars and strips bikini. Her copper hair shimmered in the scorching sun and she squinted pale green eyes at me. I swallowed and fought to keep my eyes north of her bikini top. It was a struggle.

“H-hey Marianne. What brings you by?”

She sucked on a firecracker popsicle that was rapidly melting. “Well…” She smiled sweetly with red tinted lips. “It’s so hot out, thought I’d come by and see if I could take a quick dip in your pool.”

Marianne and I used to swim together all the time, back when we were like six. Fast forward ten years, and Marianne hung with the popular kids and I, well…didn’t. She was still nice to me even if her friends weren’t.

Popsicle juice dripped down her hand, somehow making me thirstier. As if reading my mind, or perhaps reacting to the ravenous way I was staring at her, she offered the red, white and blue popsicle. I took it and slurped it off the stick in a single suck.

“Wow, thirsty?” She giggled.

“Sorry," I said, chewing the ice cold popsicle and trying to ignore the brain-freeze stabbing its way through my head. "I’ve just been cutting this grass forever.”

“So come take a dip with me.” She reached out and took my hand.

I glanced down at the lawnmower, at our linked hands, and then over my shoulder at the patio doors. My parents were nowhere in sight, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t pop up soon. But it was Marianne Weeks for crying out loud! If I didn’t take this opportunity my friends would forever curse my name.

Drumming up my courage, I decided to go for it. Hell, I was already grounded, may as well have a good reason for being incarcerated.

“Okay,” I said, already moving toward the glistening pool, “but we can’t be long cause we’re having people over for the 4th.”

Now running, we dove into the pool, laughing and screaming. That first blast of cool water was like slicing into heaven. I hadn’t actually expected to go swimming today, but even if my father grounded me until the ice age returned, I would never regret splashing in the pool with Marianne.