Prompt: 078. umbrella

1. It was pouring rain and he’d forgotten his umbrella.

A. It was pouring rain and he’d forgotten his umbrella. It seemed par for the course. The last week had been horrible and now it was Friday, so of course he would have to walk home in the drenching rain. If his luck held true, he was probably going to spend his whole weekend sick in bed.

Mentally girding his loins, he drew in a deep breath and made to step off the curb.

“Excuse me. Did you forget your umbrella? We’re headed in the same direction so you can share mine at least part of the way home. If you wanted.”

2. The fuchsia pink drink had a yellow paper umbrella in it and smelled fruity. It also had a nearly 75% alcohol content.

A. The fuchsia pink drink had a yellow paper umbrella in it and smelled fruity. It also had a nearly 75% alcohol content.

By the time she realized how strong the fishbowl-sized drink was, she could barely stand upright. Her vision was a blur of confusion and her knees kept trying to fold under her, but she held her feet. The last thing she needed was someone trying to take advantage of her inebriated state.

“I’m going home,” she announced to the bartender. Then thought a second, her brain taking a little longer than usual to put things together—namely the fact that she was too drunk to drive and hadn’t brought her car with her in the first place. “Can you call me a cab?”

3. Resting on a lounge chair beneath a wide umbrella on the beach. It was a beautiful day.

A. Resting on a lounge chair beneath a wide umbrella on the beach. It was a beautiful day, the kind he’d only dreamed of as a kid in the slums.

Seeing his children frolic on the sand and swim in the sea felt like a proof that he’d done well in his life. He’d forged financial stability out of nothing and his children had no concept of the depravities he’d suffered. And if it was up to him, all they would know was happiness and the peace inherent with a life of plenty.

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1. The black ink smeared the instant she turned the page. The cheap gel ink refused to stick to the paper.

A. The black ink smeared the instant she turned the page. The cheap gel ink refused to stick to the paper. All of the notes she’d taken so far were useless and the professor was still talking. He’d said that all of this material would be on the test.

She bit back a curse and fumbled in her bag for a pen that would work. She really didn’t want to have to look up everything from today online. Especially as she was already struggling to keep up in class.

2. It was easy to change some of the information on the forms as she’d used a gel ink pen instead of the recommended ball point pen.

A. It was easy to change some of the information on the forms as she’d used a gel ink pen instead of the recommended ball point pen. With a few extra smears and ink blobs here and there, suddenly the information began looking a bit different. Hopefully the bureaucrats that processed the forms would just figure she’d used a messy pen and not that anyone had tampered with her answers. Because why would anyone?

She had a clean criminal record and had been instilled with a firm sense of right and wrong. Nobody would ever suspect her.

If she’d still been alive.

3. Chewing on a gel ink pen hadn’t been the best idea. Now there was ink all down his chin and the front of his shirt.

A. Chewing on a gel ink pen hadn’t been the best idea. Now there was ink all down his chin and the front of his shirt.

He hunched his shoulders and pretended not to hear the girl in the seat across from him laugh. He wanted to believe that she was laughing at something else, but he accidentally caught her eye in passing, and she was definitely laughing at his predicament. It made his ears burn.

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Prompt: 076. rubber boots

1. It was only the rubber boots that saved her life when the lightning struck.

A. It was only the rubber boots that saved her life when the lightning struck. Not because the rubber absorbed the electricity or anything, but because she stopped to pour the water out of her right boot. Otherwise she would have been walking with the rest of the group and not standing yards away when the sizzling crackle of primeval force hit the ground between them and burned through the underground roots of a nearby tree, scorching a pattern into the earth.

When the smoke cleared and she could see again, she almost wished that she’d gone blind.

2. Mr. and Mrs. Mouse lived beneath an old rubber boot that had been lost beneath a bush in the garden.

A. Mr. and Mrs. Mouse lived beneath an old rubber boot that had been lost beneath a bush in the garden. The child it had belonged to had long since returned home from visiting Grandma and Grandpa. With peace and quiet restored to the garden, the young mouse couple hadn’t hesitated to move into such a perfect nest, once they’d made a few modifications.

They gnawed through the rubber and dug a tunnel into the ground below. It a was relief to their animal instincts to have an escape route if they needed one, though they preferred to nest in the boot as it reminded them of home.

It was in the boot that Mrs. Mouse birthed their first litter of ten pups though they were raised in the warren of tunnels below.

3. “The size and shape of the footprints indicate the suspect was wearing rubber rain boots.”

A. “The size and shape of the footprints indicate the suspect was wearing rubber rain boots.”

“We’re not going to get much with these footprints, are we?”

“No. These have a generic tread pattern and no abnormalities in the rubber. They’re the kind of thing people pick up in a supercenter while buying groceries.”

4. Upon finding an old pair of rubber boots in the garage, she set about turning them into DIY flower pots.

A. Upon finding an old pair of rubber boots in the garage, she set about turning them into DIY flower pots. First she sprayed the inside of the boots with cooking spray, then she mixed up a batch of quick-drying concrete and filled them up midway before inserting a large plastic cup with a dowel poked through the bottom. She pushed the cup down until the top was level with the boot rim, then filled the boot the rest of the way to the top with concrete.

“Now what are you going to do?”

She smiled over her shoulder. “I’ll let the concrete dry, then cut the boot off and voila. Two boot-shaped flower pots with dowel-made drainage holes. They’ll be super cute.”

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Prompt: 075. 10000 rats

1. After the flood waters receded over 10,000 rats were spotted running through the city streets, squeaking and squealing, fighting over scraps of food, and spreading out to make new nests.

A. After the flood waters receded over 10,000 rats were spotted running through the city streets, squeaking and squealing, fighting over scraps of food, and spreading out to make new nests. It was a disgusting reminder that the city had fallen far below accepted standards.

A federal mandate was released. Cities were required to ensure that all buildings and infrastructure met government guidelines. There was a posted list of cities and the dates when government officials would be running inspections. Everyone was panicking as their city bureaucrats began closing down any building that didn’t meet strict criteria. Property owners fought to keep their houses and buildings from being condemned.

Millions of people were issued notices of eviction as their landlords viewed them as risky renters. The ranks of the homeless began to swell, creating an unforeseen shift in society.

2. (Rats = rations.) The Governor announced that the Peacekeepers would be enforcing the new curfew and that the investigation would continue. Until the 10,000 stolen Rats were found, the people would remain under martial law.

A. The Governor announced that the Peacekeepers would be enforcing the new curfew and that the investigation would continue. Until the 10,000 stolen Rats were found, the people would remain under martial law.

The instant the curfew was lifted in the morning, Anna hurried to join the bread line. She almost wept on seeing that it already snaked around the street corner, but didn’t hesitate to take her place. Her family hadn’t had bread the past two days as the curfew bells had rung before she’d reached the front of the line.

Today she was hopeful that they would receive their bread ration. If not, she didn’t know what they would do.

3. They called him the “Killer King” for the 10,000 rats that had been confirmed as his kills.

A. They called him the “Killer King” for the 10,000 rats that had been confirmed as his kills. They were talking about giving him a medal and having him go on the talk show circuit. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about either idea, but he’d gotten good at doing as he was told.

He was a long way away from being that troubled teen that decided stealing a car was a great life decision. Though sometimes he had to wonder at what he’d become.

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