13 views
Forced Serendipity
#WritcoStoryPrompt
Write a short story using at least three from the five prompts given:
An empty suitcase full of memories.
The messages added salt to wounds.
The car accelerated before the signal turned green.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on.
A dust free bookcase could hide a lot of lies.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on. She was shopping for her vacation, that was going to start - finally!- in a week. She just couldn't wait for it to start! She had been planning this vacation, for the last one year, and all her clothes were picked out, itinerary fixed, tickets and hotels booked, in short, she was r-e-a-d-y-! She thought,"Just four days to go!", as she struck off, another date in her calendar (who uses a paper calendar anymore!). Finally, it was the vacation-eve, the night before the D-Day. She couldn't hold her her excitement, anymore. After dinner, while sipping her black mint tea, she was just browsing the television channels, when she chanced upon the breaking news chyron. All the news channels were broadcasting the same news, 'India to be under her first lockdown to combat the novel Corona virus', or "Coronavirus: India enters 'total lockdown' after spike in cases". As she watched with mounting horror, and then Googled more, she realised the much awaited vacation was going to remain a pipe dream, after all. No travel, and all modes of travel were closed! She had been hearing about the virus for ages, every water cooler conversation, every train or bus conversation, whether one was involved in it or overheard - was all about the virus. And, some of the inane methods that, apparently, made us immune to it. But she thought, it would tide over and after the Janta curfew, the still-in-denial heart, felt that it would not be denied her day in paradise. But the truth and reality - and the realization - hurt. She moved to her bedroom, where an empty suitcase full of memories, lay on her bed. She put it back in the lift, where it lay. She threw her yet-to-be-packed-and-never-will-now clothes on the floor, where they lay in a forlorn pile She didn't bother with her nightly ablutions and rituals but just crept in her bed, pulled the covers up, and tried to silence her disappointment in to sleep. As Scarlet O'Hara said, "After all, tomorrow is another day.". Her alarm woke her up at five, and she saw she had a few notifications on her phone, Google informed her that her train was about to depart in a few hours. The messages added salt to wounds. She wanted to fling her phone, on the floor, but it was an expensive gadget, so common sense prevailed.. She, instead cursed Google with a few choicest words. Screaming out her frustration, she fell asleep, again, dreaming of her vacation.
After her breakfast, and uplifting call with her BFF, she curled up on her reading chair, overlooking the window. She picked up a random book from her vacation stash, and atarted to read, with a hot cup of tea,by her side. Soon, she was engrossed in her book, and when the horn blared, her attention was drawn to her window. The car accelerated before the signal turned green. and crashed in to a water hydrant, which surprise, surprise, didn't burst. Not a drop of water was shed, "Maybe, like me, it is also all cried up. ", she thought morosely. The crash was loud, and she expected that it would most definitely generate a crowd, who would mouth well meaning but absolutely ridiculous and obvious statements. But much to her surprise, in the Corona fuelled fear versus gawking-and-judging, the fear won over. The driver came out, examined his dry, yet damaged, bumper, muttered, and drove off. Amazed, she smiled her first smile of the day, and it felt like the thawing of snow, She smiled some more, and sipped her tea, thinking, "Not the ideal vacation that I wanted, or hoped for! But then I was looking for some peace, and me-time. Could it be that this forced lockdown turtle could actually be turned over its shell?". With that thought in her mind, she left her book,and picked up her notebook, and started to make a list of what she would do -at home. As someone famous oncw said "Serendipity always rewards the prepared.".
© Natasha Sharma
Write a short story using at least three from the five prompts given:
An empty suitcase full of memories.
The messages added salt to wounds.
The car accelerated before the signal turned green.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on.
A dust free bookcase could hide a lot of lies.
A wardrobe full of clothes that still had their tags on. She was shopping for her vacation, that was going to start - finally!- in a week. She just couldn't wait for it to start! She had been planning this vacation, for the last one year, and all her clothes were picked out, itinerary fixed, tickets and hotels booked, in short, she was r-e-a-d-y-! She thought,"Just four days to go!", as she struck off, another date in her calendar (who uses a paper calendar anymore!). Finally, it was the vacation-eve, the night before the D-Day. She couldn't hold her her excitement, anymore. After dinner, while sipping her black mint tea, she was just browsing the television channels, when she chanced upon the breaking news chyron. All the news channels were broadcasting the same news, 'India to be under her first lockdown to combat the novel Corona virus', or "Coronavirus: India enters 'total lockdown' after spike in cases". As she watched with mounting horror, and then Googled more, she realised the much awaited vacation was going to remain a pipe dream, after all. No travel, and all modes of travel were closed! She had been hearing about the virus for ages, every water cooler conversation, every train or bus conversation, whether one was involved in it or overheard - was all about the virus. And, some of the inane methods that, apparently, made us immune to it. But she thought, it would tide over and after the Janta curfew, the still-in-denial heart, felt that it would not be denied her day in paradise. But the truth and reality - and the realization - hurt. She moved to her bedroom, where an empty suitcase full of memories, lay on her bed. She put it back in the lift, where it lay. She threw her yet-to-be-packed-and-never-will-now clothes on the floor, where they lay in a forlorn pile She didn't bother with her nightly ablutions and rituals but just crept in her bed, pulled the covers up, and tried to silence her disappointment in to sleep. As Scarlet O'Hara said, "After all, tomorrow is another day.". Her alarm woke her up at five, and she saw she had a few notifications on her phone, Google informed her that her train was about to depart in a few hours. The messages added salt to wounds. She wanted to fling her phone, on the floor, but it was an expensive gadget, so common sense prevailed.. She, instead cursed Google with a few choicest words. Screaming out her frustration, she fell asleep, again, dreaming of her vacation.
After her breakfast, and uplifting call with her BFF, she curled up on her reading chair, overlooking the window. She picked up a random book from her vacation stash, and atarted to read, with a hot cup of tea,by her side. Soon, she was engrossed in her book, and when the horn blared, her attention was drawn to her window. The car accelerated before the signal turned green. and crashed in to a water hydrant, which surprise, surprise, didn't burst. Not a drop of water was shed, "Maybe, like me, it is also all cried up. ", she thought morosely. The crash was loud, and she expected that it would most definitely generate a crowd, who would mouth well meaning but absolutely ridiculous and obvious statements. But much to her surprise, in the Corona fuelled fear versus gawking-and-judging, the fear won over. The driver came out, examined his dry, yet damaged, bumper, muttered, and drove off. Amazed, she smiled her first smile of the day, and it felt like the thawing of snow, She smiled some more, and sipped her tea, thinking, "Not the ideal vacation that I wanted, or hoped for! But then I was looking for some peace, and me-time. Could it be that this forced lockdown turtle could actually be turned over its shell?". With that thought in her mind, she left her book,and picked up her notebook, and started to make a list of what she would do -at home. As someone famous oncw said "Serendipity always rewards the prepared.".
© Natasha Sharma
Related Stories
