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.

.patreon.com/HarperKingsley.
.paypal.me/HarperKingsley.
.amazon.com/?tag=harperkingsley-20.

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.

.patreon.com/HarperKingsley.
.paypal.me/HarperKingsley.
.amazon.com/?tag=harperkingsley-20.