Ray Bradbury Challenge – Week #3

For those new to my site, CLICK HERE to read about the Ray Bradbury Challenge.

I'm amazed at this process of writing a short story every week. I tried to tackle this on Sunday and couldn't write a story to save my life. The prompt I'm using today was one I saw on Sunday, and on Monday. Nothing came for me.

So I sit down today, lost again about what to write, review some of the prompts I've read…and this week's prompt from the fabulous Shauna Philp's Wedensday Writing Prompts sparked an idea out of the blue…

“Just another day as an assassin's daughter.”

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Be sure to visit Shauna and drop a comment or say hello!

Genre: Fantasy
Count: 362 words

A Day in the Life

“Seelie!” My father burst into our one-room cabin, his usual demanding self. “Where is my shrouded armor?”

I rolled my eyes, but focused my attention on the blade in my hand, meticulously sliding the edge across the oiled sharpening stone. “Did you check your trunk?”

“Of course, I checked my trunk!” He stumbled into the chair at the center dining table, but I pretended not to notice.

Through my practiced peripheral vision, I saw him tossing sheaths, scabbards, older leathers that needed mending, shoes, etc. The trunk contents littered the creaking floorboards of our living space.

I flipped the knife to sharpen the other side. “Did you look in your dresser?”

Father turned his pursed lips at me, as if I was frantic idiot in the room. “I checked this morning, so unless you put my shrouded armor in there since then…?”

Infant. “No, Daddy. I didn’t.”

He huffed and stomped to the wardrobe. “It’s not in here either! Light preserve us, girl! How am I supposed to make a living if you keep hiding things from me?”

I flipped the blade over, enjoying the caress of steel against stone. “What were the magic words to make the armor visible again?”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” He shook his head and sighed. “What…is this the hundredth time now?”

“Probably.” I kept my voice flat, sharpening the edge. “I’m so absent-minded. Perhaps I should write it down.”

“Perhaps you should.” Father crossed his arms. “Ipsum revelare.”

A cloud of black smoke poofed on the dining room chair—the one he tripped over—revealing his set of shrouded armor.

He stared at his magic black leathers.

I slid the blade along the stone. A smile puckered the corner of my mouth.

“That’s where I left them when I took them off, isn’t it?” He frowned.

“Yep.” I rubbed the soft leather cloth over the dagger, handed him the dual knife set with sheaths and smiled. “Have a good day at work.”

Father kissed my cheek. “Thanks.”

He snatched his armor from the chair and slammed the front door behind him as he left.

Just another day as an assassin’s daughter.

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Hee hee!! I hope you enjoyed this week's short story. I'm having so much fun writing these! One day, I hope to write about an assassin in a fantasy series I have planned, but today is not that day.

Next week, I believe I'll be publishing the story on TUESDAY (6/16/2020), since I have to send my newsletter out on that day and I don't want you to miss it. The week after, it will go back to Thursdays.

Any authors out there participating in the challenge? Please leave a link to your short story in the comments. I'd love to read them!

Until then, my AWESOMESAUCE readers…

That's my two pence..

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