Promp
untitled
You will write about a child who is alone in his room during a blackout, but while all the lights and electricity in the house are out, one small light bulb somehow remains flickering slightly. Your writing will center on the contemplative thoughts of the child surrounding that single light bulb.
It’s dark now.
And cold.
The lights are out and
Mommy says that I can keep myself
Busy without them but
I can’t.
There’s a little bit left,
Trapped,
On my ceiling
Blinking.
It comes and goes.
And when it goes
I hold my breath
And when it comes back
I breathe.
I hold my breath so long
Now.
It hurts.
Sometimes.
The light buzzes,
Hisses,
Just a little bit and
I
Want to touch it,
To hold it in my hand
But I’m
Afraid that I
Will
Scare it off
And that it won’t come back
Again.
…
Off again.
Dark.
Even though my eyes are open
Waiting.
Dark still
My stomach hurts
My eyes are crying
I cover my mouth,
To keep the breath in.
It hurts but I can’t breathe.
Not yet,
Can’t.
…
On again.
Breath gushes out of me
Like waves running up
To catch me in the ankle
With their cold white foam.
Cold.
And dark.
But there’s a light still,
Less than a firefly but
There,
Still.
The firefly flaps its wings.
I want to keep it in the jar I
Put my baby teeth in but
I can’t climb that high
Mommy,
I can’t climb that high.
My heart
Lubdubs in my neck as it
Turns off,
On,off
On.
Mommy!
Fix it Mommy!
Fix it!
Off again.
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my ITC prompted piece... i don't know why it's so strange but i tried not to use big words and i tried to use awkward spacing to sound like a child trying to talk around the hiccups you get from crying.
Oh my, I really like this.
You took it in a much more emotional direction than I pictured, and it's really very enticing. I love it.
plus one
It's so good. Just like your last piece I read, you captured the atmosphere really well, especially the way it sounds like a child talking.