[Write The Story] Story #1 Piano Bar

I’ve been talking about the Piccadilly Write the Story journals for a while. Been debating posting the exercises – but it will keep me accountable to continuing to do them if I commit to posting them – though it may be random days. We’ll see how this goes.

Disclaimer: I use the Prompt at the top of each page rather loosely – if you’re doing this at home, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. I do use all the words. I have a template to add the stories into (titles are iffy), and if this goes well and people seem to like it, maybe I’ll collect them all into a book or something. The stories will run between 150 and 250. Feedback always appreciated. Also, these are raw. The only edits I do is to filling missing words.

Prompt: A Strange Request at a Piano Bar.
Words: carnival, sprained, mask, oxidation, awkward, apple, juvenile, controversy, twirl, and sassafras

Story
“Holy Sassafras…” I barely bit back a more adult word as I shifted my weight to a less…awkward position on the curb outside the N’Awlins Piano Bar. Didn’t mean I didn’t get the stink eye from the matron escorting the plaid pack of juvenile delinquents. Who takes a a school trip to the French Quarter anyway?

“Is it broken?” A rich, heavily French-accented voice flowed over me like a blanket of café au lait. Okay, so maybe I hurt myself worse than I thought.

“Um, no?” I tried to form words when I looked up into the iron-colored carnival mask spattered with oxidation-red that did nothing to enhance an Adonis body with a blond mane of hair that I wanted to twirl around my fingers. “I…I think it’s just sprained?”

“Well, let’s get you inside before you’re tripped over. ” He lifted me up into chiseled arms without one little glimmer of effort.

He settled me at the bar, foot on the next stool. Before I knew it, a drink smelling strongly of apple appeared at my elbow and the French Greek god of a hero vanished.
After that, there was some controversy of how I got in the bar and who called the EMTs, but I’lll be back here again to find out.

Written 1/3/17

Tags: flash fiction, prompts, stories, writing exercises