Christine Gabrièlle

In an effort to get my writing mojo back, I recently subscribed to “The Time is Now” newsletter from Poets & Writers which sends out weekly writing prompts. I’m not guaranteeing weekly posts, but I’m gonna see what comes out of it each week. I’m expecting a lot of roughly written pieces as I’m just going to write whatever comes of the prompt without edits. I’ve done this before (years ago) with a list of writing prompts I got from Pinterest or somewhere and “The Black Room” story from my first book came out of it, so who knows where this’ll take us.

The prompt for this week: write a short story in which your main character manages to pull off a miraculous feat at the eleventh hour.

Here goes…

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“You know I always start my stories with dialogue, Shaniece. Stop crossing out my sentences!” Mara threw the stack of printed pages at her best friend, sending them flying in all directions.

“Now, who do you think is going to pick that up?” Shaniece sat with her legs crisscrossed under her on the sapphire sofa across from Mara with a smirk on her face.

“YOU!!” they shouted in unison, pointing at each other, laughter spilling out in waves, punctuated by the odd hiccup from Mara.

“Okay, okay. I’ll pick it up. It’s only fair.” Mara slid off the oversized armchair she’d been cuddled in and crouched to gather the papers she’d flung across the room. She looked up at Shaniece with a sly smile. “Besides, you are taking me out to a big fancy dinner tonight to celebrate this new contract we just signed.”

“”Wait. That was tonight‽” Shaniece slapped her hand over her mouth. “I forgot,” she mumbled into her palm.

“Yo! Stop playin’, Neecy! This has been on the calendar for a month!” Mara placed the stack of papers on the side table. “I haven’t eaten all day because I want all my tastebuds primed and ready to savor each of those 24 courses!” she growled through clenched teeth.

“I’m playin’, girl. Chill.” Shaniece laughed. “Be ready at 4 P.M. sharp.”

“Girl, I’m ready now!” Mara laughed. “I’m just gonna sit right here for the next three hours ’til you tell me it’s time to go! Otherwise, I’m likely to start nosing around the kitchen looking for a snack!” She frowned at her belly as it grumbled in protest.

“Aight. I’ll be back in a bit. And I expect to see you in that exact spot when I come through that door.”

“Yes, mom.” Mara stuck her tongue out at Shaneice as she walked through the living room and out the front door.

. . .

It took exactly thirty-two minutes for Mara to get irritated sitting in the armchair. Typically, she could spend hours in that chair reading, journaling, watching TV, scrolling through decorating ideas on Pinterest. Not today. Today, she was restless. Her feet ached to walk around, so she submitted to their will. Just five minutes, she thought.

Mara walked around the living room checking each of her thirteen potted plants to make sure none of them needed water. Then she checked the cat bowl to make sure Scroll hadn’t splashed water all over the floor again like he’d done that morning. Apparently, he was protesting the salmon-flavored cat food and demanding chicken-flavored instead.

Her five minutes was up, but she couldn’t force herself back into the chair. Let me just go jump in the shower real quick. She meandered up the townhouse stairs, sliding her fingertips up the wooden banister as she went, and straightening every picture frame she thought was a little titled.

Almost at the top step, she stopped to stare at a picture of herself and Sheniece she hadn’t remember taking. It wasn’t too long ago, since her hair was short in the photo and she’d just cut it six months ago, but she didn’t recognize the outfit she was wearing or the park they were in. She decided she’d just ask Shaniece at dinner, but as she walked toward her bedroom, the image nagged at her. Why don’t I remember being there?

Mara turned the photo over and again in her mind as she stood under the steaming stream of water from the showerhead trying not to get her hair wet. She’d been so distracted that she forgot to grab a shower cap. I don’t even own pants like that. Or the shirt. Or the shoes. Mara shut the water and reached for her phone. She wasn’t waiting until dinner. The lockscreen on her phone showed 3:44 PM. I could not have been in the shower that long! She snatched a towel off the shelf she and Shaniece had installed over the toilet a year ago. Best addition ever!

Mara moisturized her damp skin and threw on a silky black dress in record time. She could get back downstairs and in the armchair with 2 minutes to spare if she could just find her dark green velvet clutch with the gold snaps. As she reached for the cloth bin on the top shelf of her closet where she kept her tiniest handbags, she felt a little woozy. She looked down at her phone. 4:02 PM. Shaniece was gonna kill her, but she hadn’t heard her car yet, so she still had time.

Finally, Mara grabbed the emerald clutch from the bin. Her head was spinning, and before she could slide the bin back onto the top shelf, she collapsed.

. . .

“Mara! Wake up!” Shaniece shouted, smacking Mara repeatedly on the cheek.

Neecy? Mara could hear Shaniece shouting, but it sounded like she was too far away and muffled. Everything was dark. She couldn’t feel her body. She didn’t know if she was even breathing.

“I told you, you had to give it to her before 4:08 or she wouldn’t make it! You just had to stop for ice cream.”

Who’s that? I don’t recognize that voice. Talk louder!

“Shut. Up! I gave it to her at 4:04! She was already passed out when we got here. You must’ve messed something up! I still had time! Mara! Why isn’t it working‽ Mara!”

“Move. Let me see. What time is it?”

“4:07,” Shaniece whimpered.

Shaniece? Shaniece!

“Girl! You didn’t push the plunger all the way down! Here!”

Suddenly, Mara’s eyes flung open. She gasped for breath as she desperately grasped for Shaniece. “What the hell was that‽”

“Oh, thank God!” Sheneice pulled Mara into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“What was that? Who was that?” Tears were running down Mara’s face.

Shaniece looked around to make sure her collaborator had disappeared. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s just get you some water.”

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Until next time…

🖤