Prompt: 079. ghost hunt

1. Being the host of a TV show about ghost hunting was something he had stumbled into after college.

A. Being the host of a TV show about ghost hunting was something he had stumbled into after college. One of his professors hooked him up with someone she knew, and two weeks later he was standing in front of a camera talking seriously about tracking down “spectral oddities” and getting ready to enter an abandoned warehouse with a camera crew.

Over time he adapted an on-screen personality that was just enough of his real self that he didn’t feel completely fake, but that was also enthused at the prospect of getting digital proof of ghosts.

2. The town council called in the paranormal police when people started dying. On arrival they quickly arranged a ghost hunt, something the once quiet town had never experienced before.

A. The town council called in the paranormal police when people started dying. On arrival they quickly arranged a ghost hunt, something the once quiet town had never experienced before, but that they were willing to try if it stopped the haunting.

There was a sense of relief in being told what to do. The paranormal police seemed to know what they were doing as they sharpened their ceremonial blades, gathered the sacrificial animals, and began mixing paint powder and oil together to paint the protective runes on everyone involved with the hunt.

3. The baying of the hounds and the howling of the werewolves was her first warning that the Ghost Hunt was passing through her neighborhood. She could hear the riders out on the street, dragging people out of their homes.

A. The baying of the hounds and the howling of the werewolves was her first warning that the Ghost Hunt was passing through her neighborhood. She could hear the riders out on the street, dragging people out of their homes. There were screams and sounds of violence that made her cringe away from the bedroom window.

She grabbed her favorite blanket off the end of the bed and wrapped it around herself before climbing into the wardrobe. She sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees as she tried to breathe as quietly as possible. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel her pulse fluttering at her throat.

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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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