Welcome to Week Three! Can you believe we’re at the halfway mark for the challenge?
You all did so well with your stories last week! There were so many interesting and unique ways you interpreted the prompt. It’s now the third week, so it’s time to do it again! Will your story have aliens? Zombies? Maybe it’ll have a dragon in it! Whatever you decide, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.
So, without further ado, here’s your next prompt!
Week Three Prompt – The Starting Sentence Prompt
Write a story that starts with the
following sentence: So this is what drowning feels like.
Wait…what’s a “Starting Sentence” prompt?
A sentence prompt is a prompt that uses a particular sentence. It doesn’t matter where your story takes place, who’s in it, or what’s said. The only thing that matters is that your story must start with this sentence: So this is what drowning feels like.
Before you start writing, we have some important rules for you to follow.
Writing Rules
1. Please keep the content of the stories you post to a PG rating. Please avoid real curse words. Violence/fighting should be limited and purposeful. Please do not include any spice.
2. Your story must be 1,000 words or less, and must contain the prompt to be counted for the challenge. You’re not required to post it in order to “win” the challenge, but if you want it to count for your team, your story must be posted by Sunday at 11:59 PM ET, and you must include your team name.
Remember to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and post your story as an “answer” to this question, not a “comment”. 🙂 You’re all doing such a great job! I’m so proud of all the stories you’ve posted.
Happy Writing!
Will you notice if someone is like 1-25 words over the 1000 word limit (asking for a friend hahaha)
what if i accidently posted my story as a comment last week lol? does it still count?
Hey Izzy and Ava,
If you accidentally post your story as a comment instead of an answer, you should get an email to alert you! It will still count for points for your team, but no one will be able to vote for it.
And, to answer your question for your friend 😉 As far as word count, for your story to count for the challenge, it does need to be 1,000 words or under. Great questions!
(Team 1)
Light
So, this is what drowning feels like.
Tora felt her lungs bursting and her grip loosening. She was aware of the scales slipping beneath her fingertips as the dragon moved, snakelike, through the water and she slid down the length of its back.
Hold on. Just hold on.
She dug her fingers in between the scales and managed to get her legs wrapped around the writhing torso once again. She looked up toward the faint moonlight at the surface of the water; it still looked so far away, and she couldn’t hold her breath any longer. Just as she opened her mouth, ready to let the water fill her lungs, they plunged out of the sea and into the air, hurtling toward the sky in an explosion of sea-spray.
Tora gasped, sucking the air into her lungs in gulps. “Oh, Ryū!” she exclaimed, still gasping. “You did it!” As they leveled off and turned toward the land, she turned to look behind them. In the dark, illuminated only by the light of a low half-moon, she could barely discern the outline of a dark figure, the same dark figure that had driven them into the sea in pursuit. “No! It is still there!” she shouted.
As they soared through the night air, Tora began slowly climbing back up the length of the dragon’s body, determined not to lose her grip on the slippery wet scales. She finally reached the dragon’s shoulders, perched herself just above his wings, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What are we going to do?” she shouted.
“You need to trust, little one,” the dragon intoned. Tora could feel the vibrations of Ryū’s deep voice as he spoke. “Let go of your fear.”
The dragon suddenly dove toward the sea again, and Tora inhaled deeply, closing her eyes in anticipation of the impending plunge into the frigid depths. But the shock didn’t come. The dragon had cut short his descent and was flying, at enormous speed, just above the waves. Tora opened her eyes to see the outline of a mountain looming before her, rising out of the sea like a mighty tower. Barreling toward this mountain, her arms and legs clinging to the dragon, Tora could feel the wind whisking the icy water from her hair and the salt stinging her cheeks. And the fear gripping her heart like a cold metal gauntlet.
Within moments they were approaching the opening in the side of the mountain, about 300 yards above the ground. As the dragon skillfully landed his 30-foot length inside the entrance of the enormous cave, Tora slid off his back and planted her feet on the dirt floor. She ran to the cave’s mouth and peered out, scanning the dark horizon.
“I cannot see it,” she said anxiously. “But I know it is still coming.” She turned to look at Ryū. “What will we do? It will not stop until we are dead!”
“Tora, tell me again about your name.”
Tora slumped to the ground against the wall of the cave and dropped her head into her hands. “Oh, Ryū, not now.”
“What does your name mean, little one?”
“It means Tiger,” Tora muttered. “It means Strong.”
“And what does it mean to be strong?”
Tora sighed. “To have power. To fight with courage and fierceness.”
The dragon shook his head. “Oh, strength is more than that, little one. Sometimes you must understand that whatever happens, you are in the hands of One who cares for you. And then you need not have fear. And not fearing, that is strength.”
“But it is getting closer,” Tora whispered. “I can feel it. It is so cold.”
The dragon moved closer. “This kind cannot be defeated by fire, or by the sword, or by the sea. This kind feeds on your fear. Look in my eyes.”
Tora looked up at the dragon, the one whom she had seen save her many times. Even in the dim twilight as the dawn crept closer, she could see the glow of the dragon’s green eyes, the sparkle of light that spoke so many things at once — mirth, power, wisdom, love. Tora felt a sudden deluge of warmth. Many thoughts flooded her mind in those moments. She remembered how Ryū had rescued her when she was a young orphan. She remembered how he had taught her to fish and to light a fire. She remembered all of his stories, even if she didn’t understand them all. She wondered why his voice always made her feel calmer even though he was so big. As she sat, warmed by this reverie, she did not notice the shadow of the dark figure creeping up along the cave’s mouth.
“But if it cannot be killed with fire or sea or sword,” she queried, suddenly realizing that she was no longer afraid, but simply curious, “then what?”
Ryū laughed, a low rumbling roar that shook the rocks littering the cavern floor. “Light!” he bellowed.
At that moment, a blinding ray pierced the entrance of the cave as the sun emerged above the horizon. Ryū’s blue-green and gold plates blazed brilliantly, reflecting the sunlight streaming in though the cave’s opening. Tora shielded her eyes with her arm. When, a moment later, she peeked out from behind her arm, all shadows were gone and there was only Ryū, smiling at her.
Thanks for sharing your work. It was an interesting take on the prompt!
i enjoyed your story! You threw us into the action and then gave a nice switch when he started ttalking about trust, but I liked the ending – I’ve never thought of a dragon using his scales as mirrors, but it made for a very cool image and moment!
Wait so if we like accidentally post our stories as a comment here, will it count or be ignored?