Today’s Prompt: A man and a woman walk through the park together, holding hands. They pass an old woman sitting on a bench. The old woman is knitting a small, red sweater. The man begins to cry. Write this scene.
We encourage you to give fiction a try, even if that not what you normally do — it can be a fun way to stretch. If fiction feels like a bridge to far, take some element from the scene that speaks to you, and write a non-fiction piece about that. Perhaps you are drawn to the old woman, and will write a piece about your grandmother, or the crying man will inspire a story about the st time you cried joyful tears.
Today’s twist: write the scene from three different points of view: from the perspective of the man, then the woman, and finally the old woman.
Natalia was dressed in black from her black pearl earrings and Black Ray-Bans to the designer shoes she wore. Her platinum blond hair, coiffed with care set off the black and made her look striking and perhaps a shade overly dramatic. She thought it made her look wealthy and worldly wise. She was nervous as she stepped into the park with Steven. Nearby was an older woman. She was holding something red, it looked like she had been knitting a sweater. Her head drooped to the right side. Natalia thought she heard her snoring. Next to the woman was a black bag.
She could hardly contain her excitement. “We did it!” she said as she tried not to look at him. “Can you believe it?” She continued. “We’re rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Her companion, Steven was also well dressed. Tall and good looking with jet black hair, he was slim and toned. Proud of himself for his daily workouts, he was strong in body and had a steely determination. He was not going to live the hand- to – mouth life his parents had brought him up in. Never knowing if there would be food on the table. He’d hated it. As a little boy he’d comforted himself with dreams of a better life. Even now, he could cry thinking about the horror of his youth. He didn’t care what it took to be comfortable. “Hush now”, he said, trading his phony British accent for his normal southern drawl. He looked around. They were in the thick of the park, lush summer greenery obscured the benches. The park seemed empty or at least no one in sight. Sitting down for a moment, he was so happy he could cry. Actually, he was hoping the tear that coursed down his cheek went unnoticed by Natalia. This was his entitlement. He’d waited all his life for this. He stopped and looked around again.
It was the first time they’d done it and It’d all been so easy. Like kids let loose in a toy store, they stopped, and reached into her over sized handbag. First they looked at the diamond bracelets, then the cocktail rings. The diamonds were beautiful in the light of the sun. Quickly stuffing the jewels back in her bag, they walked on.
Natalia interrupted his thoughts. “Honey,” she cooed. ” This calls for a celebration. Where are we goin’ to dinner?”
Turning to Natalia he said, “let’s head to the airport. We’ll go back to the hotel and grab passports and our carry ons.” She smiled at him, took his hand, and they began to walk towards the street. There was a street fair going on as they exited the park. The food trucks nearby were too good to pass up, especially since dinner was a continent away. The weight of her bag was heavy, filled with the loot. She needed a rest. Steven went to get the street tacos. She set the bag down momentarily.
I saw my chance and took it. Quietly setting my black bag down I picked up Natalia’s and walked on. Disappearing into the crowd, I stole back into the park and dropped the my grey wig into the covered trash bin. Turned my reversible jacket to the plaid side and walked out. As I walked out again, I heard her screams, pausing to watch as she reached into her bag to pull out a half completed knitted red sweater.
REVolving 