Prompt: 051. eyeglasses

1. It was with trepidation that he sat in the chair for his first eye exam.

A. He hadn’t had much contact with medical professionals in his life, and he was quickly approaching his stress point with all the appointments he’d had this week. Starting with a painful trip to the dentist for a cleaning and X-rays, then a few days later a quick “getting to know you” visit with the doctor, and now here he was at the eye doctor’s office.

It was with trepidation that he sat in the chair for his first eye exam.

2. The frames were bent and there was a deep scratch in the right lens. She would have to buy a new pair of eyeglasses.

A. The frames were bent and there was a deep scratch in the right lens. She would have to buy a new pair of eyeglasses.

Deirdre slipped her glasses on and squinted through the bad lens. The scratch bisected her field of view and looking at it for too long made her feel nauseous. There was no way she could keep using her glasses, even if she managed to bend the frames back into shape.

She took them off and glared in the direction Nathan Green had gone. The second he’d realized what he’d done, the coward had run off.

3. The teddy bear wore a tiny pair of eyeglasses. Tucked between the fuzzy paws was the box containing the girl’s new glasses.

A. The teddy bear wore a tiny pair of eyeglasses. Tucked between the fuzzy paws was the box containing the girl’s new glasses. There was a tag on the bear’s wrist with the girl’s name written on it in fancy handwriting.

The bear had been delivered just after lunch and had been left on the table near the front door. It was the first thing she saw when she came home after school, her face brightening as she saw her name on the tag.

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Prompt 050. spaghetti with meatballs

1. It was a silly decision to order spaghetti with meatballs during their first date.

A. It was a silly decision to order spaghetti with meatballs during their first date. Even trying his best to be neat, he still ended up with splatters of sauce against the white of his shirt, which he didn’t notice until he went to the bathroom at the movie theater an hour and a half later.

He zipped his jacket halfway up his breastbone and adjusted it to cover all signs of spaghetti sauce. Then he washed his hands and face and returned to his date.

2. Volunteering to help cook spaghetti and meatballs for 2000+ people might have been a bad decision, but they hadn’t volunteered for any other PTSA activities all year. The pressure to join in had been too much.

A. Volunteering to help cook spaghetti and meatballs for 2000+ people might have been a bad decision, but they hadn’t volunteered for any other PTSA activities all year. The pressure to join in had been too much.

Cynthia went to pick up the packages of dried spaghetti noodles while John helped form the meatballs and chop up vegetables for the sauce. Then they helped fill the grab bags before the kids and their families showed up.

By the time they were positioned side-by-side helping to fill paper plates with food, they were ready to leave. But at least the kids were enjoying the food and the chance to hang out with their friends.

3. They all watched as he enjoyed his last meal: a plate of spaghetti with four giant meatballs. Then they led him to his execution.

A. They all watched as he enjoyed his last meal: a plate of spaghetti with four giant meatballs. Then they led him to his execution.

It was with a sense of regret that Reynaldo watched him die. He forced himself not to blink or look away, holding himself perfectly still. There could be eyes watching him, and the last thing he wanted was to show how upset he was about Adam dying.

4. Spaghetti and meatballs was one of the only things he could make well. So he cooked a large batch and invited his neighbors for dinner.

A. Spaghetti and meatballs was one of the only things he could make well. So he cooked a large batch and invited his neighbors for dinner. He figured it was a great opportunity to get to know the newest members of the neighborhood.

He was running a bit behind schedule when the neighbors showed up and had to leave his two daughters to welcome their guests while he drained the noodles and gave the salad one more toss.

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Prompt: 049. bubblegum

1. “Mommy/Daddy, I got something in my hair.”

A. “Mommy/Daddy, I got something in my hair.” It was with a sense of trepidation that I looked up from my book.

There was pink bubblegum in the baby fine hair. What had once been a single wad had been smeared and tangled by careless fingers into something out of a nightmare. The gum was everywhere, all the way down to the scalp.

2. The little girl wore a bubblegum pink helmet. That was the first and last thing he noticed about her before he felt the impact of her and her bike against the front of the car.

A. The little girl wore a bubblegum pink helmet. That was the first and last thing he noticed about her before he felt the impact of her and her bike against the front of the car.

Then he was focused on staying on the road, which was hard with the way his left front wheel was bent and sparking against the asphalt. The brakes squealed and he felt the car going sideways before smacking into a copse of alder trees.

3. She felt a smoldering rage as she looked at the bubblegum pink spacesuit. It looked ludicrous amongst the plainer black and gray suits; and she knew that it was a taunt from all those that expected her to fail.

A. She felt a smoldering rage as she looked at the bubblegum pink spacesuit. It looked ludicrous amongst the plainer black and gray suits; and she knew that it was a taunt from all those that expected her to fail.

She didn’t let any of her feelings show on her face as she walked over to the locker with her last name on the front. She stared blandly forward as she stripped down to her shipsuit and began pulling on the pink spacesuit. It fit perfectly, showing that someone was willing to pay for quality even when hazing the agent nobody wanted around.

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Prompt: 048. vomit

1. What started as a fun trip to the fair ended with embarrassment and a hoodie stained with vomit. But the worst thing was that she’d been there to see.

A. What started as a fun trip to the fair ended with embarrassment and a hoodie stained with vomit. But the worst thing was that she’d been there to see.

He’d had a crush on her for years, though his feelings had only become intense within the last few months. He wanted to impress her more than anything.

And instead she got to witness him throwing up all over himself.

2. The dog began to vomit a little after breakfast and it went on all day.

A. The dog began to vomit a little after breakfast and it went on all day. When she got off work and saw the state the dog was in, she wrapped him in a blanket and drove him to the emergency veterinary clinic downtown. The whole way she stewed over the irresponsibility of her family, that they could see the dog suffering like that and not do anything about it.

When she got home, she was going to ground everyone. Because even if they were of an age to know better, they were obviously still a bunch of children.

3. With a last compression of her chest, the girl coughed and vomited a gush of salt water.

A. With a last compression of her chest, the girl coughed and vomited a gush of salt water. Her eyes were closed, the tender skin of her eyelids looking bruised. Her hair was stringy and dark with water where it clung to the side of her face and neck.

“Medic!” Toni screamed. Then she used her hand to sweep the girl’s hair back from her face, checking her pulse while she was at it. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. You’re out of the water. Just keep breathing.”

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