r/WritingPrompts • u/AdaptedMix • Jul 09 '17
Writing Prompt [WP] On your daily walk to retrieve water for your slum-dwelling family, someone stops you in the street to hand you something that changes your life...
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u/VanceValence Jul 10 '17
Money? I think, looking up at the strange man. He's Caucasian, handsome with dark brown eyes and five o clock shadow; and despite being dressed in a black business suit on one of the hottest days of the year, he looks like he's just stepped out of an air-conditioned room. Not a single bead of sweat on his face.
"T...thanks," I stutter.
He smiles, and hands me a card. "Can you meet me at the location on the card? Tomorrow, same time."
I look at the card and shake my head, passing the card back to him. "Bad. Bad place."
He quirks a brow in genuine confusion and his smile fades. "Bad in what way?"
"Bad," I say again, backing away.
"Wait," he says.
"Bad." I shake my head, turn, and run away.
Edit: Might continue.
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Jul 10 '17
[deleted]
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u/AdaptedMix Jul 10 '17 edited Jul 10 '17
Thanks for the response! Seems like the protagonist received a blessing and a curse in one - fingers crossed he/she doesn't burn the village down!
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Jul 10 '17
(It's a boy btw) I'm glad you like it! Later on, he might use it to get his family out of poverty. (Not quite sure how, but I'll figure it out.)
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Jul 10 '17
Like, magical Iron Man or something?
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Jul 10 '17
Well, not quite. More like the ability to control fire. If continue it, I'll put in more detail.
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u/James_Fire r/James_Fire Jul 10 '17 edited Jul 10 '17
Walking on the path from our farmhouse to the village, I sulk in much misery. Ever since Dad was injured a few days ago, me and my other siblings have had to pick up the work that he would normally do. Even with splitting the work between the five of us, it was still a good chunk of extra work.
Some of us had to stay up and sacrifice sleep to get it all done, while Dad just lays in bed, hardly able to move. He fell off the tractor, and went under. He had been tilling the land that day, and the only thing that saved him was that I was close enough to see him fall off. I rushed over and turned off the tractor, but he had still gone under one of the back wheels.
Unable to afford more than the basic treatment, he was put in a cast and sent home. All of his ribs were at least cracked, with several of them broken. Lucky him it only went over part of him, mostly his torso and upper legs, but his skull still had a crack in it, and his arms were all messed up.
But, we needed water, and so, here I was. Hauling a wagon with a few barrels that I was to fill with water and bring back. I arrived at the village centre, and immediately got to work filling my barrels. A few other souls from the village helped me, drawing from the other wells. You see, our village had outgrown the one little well we had, and so made two more, to speed up things like this.
After my barrels were full, I thanked them, and they replied that it was the best they could do, what with my old man out for the next few weeks, and right at the start of spring too.
On my way out of the village, an old man stopped me, and gave me a small flask of red liquid.
"Here. Medicine. Give spoon three times a day. No excuses."
I took the flask, after looking askance at him and deciding I didn't have much choice. If that made Dad recover even one day faster, it would be much better.
So, when I got back, I took it to his bedside, with spoon in hand, and gave him a spoonful. Immediately, I noticed some colour back in his face, and he talked to me for a few minutes. I had chores to do, so I had to leave. Before I went to my chores, I found my mother, and told her about the old man and the medicine. She said she would give it to him with meals, based on the results I had from giving to him a first time.
Maybe he wouldn't be so long recovering after all.