My Words, My World
First drafts – A few pages in the large wilderness of the world of writing
Archive for the category “atmospheric writing”
Stop sign
The rain beat against the car roof and she gazed through the sweeping wipers. She hated the short, dark winter days. Traffic was heavy and the cars moved at walking pace.
She couldn’t remember getting in the car and her stomach rolled and tumbled when she thought about it. She had grabbed her keys, her bag and her phone but, despite the weather, she had left home with no coat.
She arrived at the stop sign. Ahead; under the low, grey, evening sky, everything was dark.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Behind her, everything was even darker.
99-word fiction: Return Ticket
The last of the boxes had been taken away – except one, sitting on the table in front of her.
A box full of items of no value: old letters, grandad’s cigarette case, a chipped cup, mum’s funeral service card.
One by one she laid them out on the table.
She pulled out an old purse and looked inside, not expecting to find money.
An old train ticket fell out, its edges worn between finger and thumb.
Her eyes widened and her chest felt heavy. She thought she’d thrown it away.
She stared at the words, “Return Ticket”. What if?
99-word story: Leaving
The two men sat at the bar. From the other room came the rattle of a fruit machine and the clink of dishes.
Their beers stood mostly full.
The older man stared at his hands. The younger one watched the traffic pass and shrink into the distance.
“You sure you’re ready?” the older man said.
The younger man rubbed his eyes with both hands.
“It’s not me that decides. The decision’s been made. Guess I’d better get used to taking orders.”
He paused.
“I just hope I make it back.”
The older man nodded.
“Me too. Your mother especially.”
With this story, I wanted to try what Hemingway called the ‘Iceberg theory”, to see how much can be conveyed with as few words as possible. I hope I succeeded, to some degree.
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part X
The Stranger didn’t need the mirror to know she was following. The rain beat a rhythm on the roof of the car that the windscreen wipers joined.
Only an old man in an older car stood between them — no obstacle for her at all.
Back at the bar, he’d called her bluff. His gun had been empty. He knew hers wasn’t.
After the curve, he floored it. A quick look behind showed him she hadn’t moved.
Half the money was hidden. Enough to vanish — but not for long.
Still, disappearing would be enough. For now.
He just needed time
If you haven’t read the previous stories, you can find them here:
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part IX
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VIII
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VII
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VI
99-word fiction: The stranger – part V
99-word fiction: The stranger – part IV | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part III | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part II | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part IX
The woman slammed her hands on the steering wheel as she watched the taillights grow smaller. She cursed her stupidity. And the man’s desperate cunning.
Her orders had been clear; all of the money or the story of his dead body in the newspapers.
She knew the consequences if she failed.
She looked at the bag on the seat next to her. Half of what he owed – and enough for her to disappear.
The engine roared as she accelerated out of the car park, the car fishtailing as she struggled to keep it under control.
She had decided.
If you haven’t read the previous stories, you can find them here:
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VIII
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VII
99-word fiction: The Stranger – part VI
99-word fiction: The stranger – part V
99-word fiction: The stranger – part IV | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part III | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part II | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part V
With one last look at the barman, the Stranger nodded and opened the door. His eyes adjusted. He scanned the car park — just darkness. He knew she hadn’t left. He knew she was waiting for him, out there.
She had his money and a gun. He had a hire car from a company that had all his details. Bad odds. Bad night. His sweat mixed with rain.
In her car, the woman watched, waiting to see which car he took, her telephone in hand. They had half already. They could do without the rest. They could do without him.
If you haven’t read the previous stories, you can find them here:
99-word fiction: The stranger – part IV | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part III | My Words, My World
99-word fiction: The stranger – part II | My Words, My World
99-word fiction – Dying for a drink
I dragged my feet over the outskirts of a dusty, run-down town. Silence, total and desolate, greeted me and my fear went before me like my shadow. I would have called out but my lips were cracked and my throat was dry. My tongue felt like leather. I fell and crawled towards the town square. No one stepped out to help me, nor did any curtain twitch. There was a water pump in the square. I looked around. I was alone. I winced as the metal pump screeched. I had to drink.
Then I heard the first shuffling footsteps.
Whereabouts
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