Prompt: 080. pickup truck

1. There was something about having a pickup truck that made friends and family suddenly have to move a bunch of stuff.

A. There was something about having a pickup truck that made friends and family suddenly have to move a bunch of stuff. He hadn’t even had it an entire weekend before his dad was suggesting around the idea of using the truck to move lumber.

“I haven’t even put sixty miles on it yet. Can I have a week or two before I start loaning it out?” he asked, staring into his cup. The last thing he wanted was to look up and see his dad glaring at him.

2. It had been years since anyone had seen him; ever since the pickup truck he was anchored to got hauled off to the junkyard.

A. It had been years since anyone had seen him; ever since the pickup truck he was anchored to got hauled off to the junkyard.

When Emmit died there was no one left to remember that he was haunting his dad’s old truck. And without living minds to give him some semblance of form, he had faded to a shimmer of light. He was a shade without substance, slowly losing his mind to loneliness as color leached out of the world.

He lived in gray misery, forced to stay within ten feet of the truck since it was his only anchor to life. All around him were piles of junked cars and scrap metal. He was waiting for the day they came to crush the truck and he would disappear forever. It made him afraid.

3. After a day of hard work and an evening of mudding, they set up a tent near the pickup truck and climbed into their sleeping bags.

A. After a day of hard work and an evening of mudding, they set up a tent near the pickup truck and climbed into their sleeping bags. He quickly fell asleep as he was tired, but was woken a few hours later by someone crawling over his sleeping bag.

Jolted out of a dream, he froze for a long moment as his sleep-heavy mind tried to figure out what was going on. Then he realized that Yes he was awake, and Yes there was someone on top of him.

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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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