All in Day’s Work
Sam woke to the sound of her alarm clock and stood up, stretched, yawned. Summer was her least favorite of the seasons; she longed for cool breezes, but when she looked out the window she knew something was not right. Better get dressed and see what’s going on.… Then flames scorched her windowsill, a dragon’s wings crashing through the air like thunder. The morning air was already steamy hot. No dog barked, no bird sang. It seemed the earth stood still. The sounds of ambulances and glaring lights were too much to bear this morning. Her eyes burning, she searched the red horizon for signs of life, but found only a strange stillness stretched across the melting asphalt. Pools of sweat form under the N95 mask she has worn for the last 12 hours. She longed to be anywhere but here but what could she do? She knew she was trapped! Her eyes caught the fiery dragon’s searching for a soul in the emptiness. Then she heard a voice come seemingly out of nowhere. “Where are my lemons, my sweet limes? Your bite is like sugar to my soul.” It was the dragon! “Hot as hades in the beautiful city of San Francisco I walk to La Loma Produce for lemons, limes, tomatoes and fish that make my day so much brighter…” No breeze, no clouds, no sun, just a thump, thump, in her chest and the sound of her aching breath. “Well, the Farmers Market is that way…?,” said Sam, somewhat confused but also relieved. It was then that she noticed the little girl, staring not at the dragon, but at Sam. “Wait! Are you leaving already?” the little girl cried. “Yes, I need to go. Every day I show up, I make a difference.” She pulled on some clothes, grabbed a supergirl mask and headed downtown to work.
Original prompt: Write one line continuing and building on the line before to creative a story.
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Inlandia: A Literary Journey 