Source: (Picture of a female presenting person with head in hands)
“C’mon, Kelsey. I thought we were going.”
“I’m almost ready.” she didn’t move though, she sat at her boudoir, staring at her sunken face in the mirror. “Get it together,” she told her forlorn reflection.
It was supposed to be a happy time, but she was struggling. She tried. She really did. She looked at the faces and mannerisms of the other young mothers and tried to mimic them but inside all she could feel was an abyss of despair. In her head, all she could hear was her own mother’s criticism.
Her mother. She sighed heavily. They were going home to visit and introduce the baby. She wished she could go back to bed instead.
“Kelsey! We’re waiting and it’s hot. Are you coming? I’m sure you look beautiful.”
She stood and let her feet move obediently towards the sound of his voice, setting her face in a plastic smile before reaching the bottom of the stairs. “I’m ready,” she said breezily, “let’s go!”
Originally published for Instagram’s Romance Writer Challenge July 2019, Ravishing the Romance Day 25 “Road Trip”
The orb was glowing when he found it hovering in the forest. It floated effortlessly above a small pool which now reflected twin moons in a starry sky on its shimmering surface. Leon reached for his camera and snapped several pictures of the orb itself before redirecting his lens at the pool. He was a photographer, after all. His awe was his art.
He spent several minutes snapping pictures before the orb moved. It floated hesitantly toward him, like a scared but curious creature. Leon wondered silently at his absence of fear but remained still, allowing the object to come closer. He couldn’t explain how but somehow, he sensed it was only trying to understand him.
It stopped at chest level, vibrating slightly. Leon felt overwhelmed with a feeling of oneness and love. His heart opened wide and the orb entered it, dissolving slowly into the core of his being.
When he returned home with the sunrise, his wife greeted him eagerly. “Leon! I was worried. You usually come home before sunrise. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine but I’m not Leon. Call me Love. It’s my, name now.” He held his hand out to her, beckoning her forward, “Take my hand. You will see.”
Originally published for Instagram’s Beautiful Writing Challenge July 2019 Day 20 “glowing”
Source: (picture of a starry sky above a streetlamp lit town)
She longed for the romance of the road. A sexy bike between her thighs. A sexy man… Well… Also between her thighs.
Her pining was an empty spot in her belly, a visceral ache in her loins. She lay awake tossing and turning. This life… This settled, sedentary, nine to five life… She thought she could manage it, but it was killing her. Slowly but surely it fed on her soul, suckled her joy, chewed on her heart.
She sighed at the sleepless night which lay ahead of her, and the day of monotonous numbers and sagging eyelids beyond it. Why had she given in to this? Why had she settled for a man she never truly loved in a boring ass suburb with a boring ass job?
She sighed again, rolling from the bed and landing feet first on the bedroom floor. She padded barefoot down the hall, through the kitchen and into the garage. It was there… Behind the tennis rackets and bicycles and George’s college totes. She felt a sudden urgency as she dug through the mess, liberating herself, along with the motorcycle. She pulled the cover back and at last there it was…
It was the sexiest thing she had seen in a long time. The custom paint job looked as if it had just been completed, the chrome still glinted and gleamed somehow, in the dim garage light.
She pulled it to the edge of the garage and went back to the pile, digging even deeper into it. In moments she had found her road kit, her saddle bags and her old leather jacket. How could she have thrown them aside? She held them lovingly for a moment before going to work.
In fifteen minutes she was out the door, pushing the bike silently through the quiet suburban neighborhood. The flickering streetlights vomited a putrid, yellow bile and she longed for a pure, star-filled night sky. The suburbs could even ruin nighttime.
At the edge of the neighborhood she swung a leg carelessly over the seat, started the bike with a roar and flew away. She flew to a place where her belly didn’t ache and her desires were fulfilled. She flew to a place with no rules, no nine to five, no monotonous numbers and no boring ass husband. She flew beyond the suburbs and the cyanotic streetlamps.
She flew away… Never to return again. She flew away, finally free.
Source: (Picture of a woman sitting on a convertible)
The sun is on my back… Here I am in the car… His car. The top is down, even though I know my skin will burn. He would have put sunblock on me… He would have enjoyed a day like today.
The sun is on my back as I drive. The road ahead is free of obstacles. It’s a perfect sort of day… Well, almost perfect… I miss him.
The sun is on my back. It comforts me. It feels like joy. I need joy. I miss him.
The sun is on my back and it’s how I know I am out of the house. I miss him but I have left the house. My heart feels lighter and yet… I miss him.
The sun is on my back and it helps wash away the pain. I’ll have to tell him… Oh… I miss him but I’ll enjoy today as best as I can because…
The sun is on my back.
Originally published for Instagram’s Beautiful Writing Challenge July 2019 Day 22 “Sun”
Image by Eric Perlin from Pixabay (picture of a female presenting person, sitting on the floor while leaning on a table looking sad)
She threw herself on the bed, sobbing inconsolably. Her soul was empty. Her heart was ripped out of her chest. She had fallen so hard for him, her hero in red…
Romance was dead and had taken her out with it…
He had fallen for her too… For as long as he could be in love. For a moment her beautiful laugh had turned his world upside down, until a new love had entered his life.
Romance was alive and well. His heart was fully alive.
Originally published for Instagram’s Romance Writer Challenge July 2019, Ravishing the Romance Day 21 “The problem with romance”
Source: (Picture of a man with his head in his hands)
The laughter reverberated in his head… All of it. He couldn’t make it stop. They laughed at him when he went out shopping. They laughed at him when he walked the dog. They laughed at him at the doctor’s office. They laughed and laughed and laughed…
At night, he couldn’t sleep. He pulled the covers over his head. Still, they laughed. “Shut up. Shut up. SHUT. UP!” He yelled but they laughed louder.
He got up and turned the TV on. He paced the house. He tried loud music and headphones… Still they laughed. They laughed so loud the neighbor called to complain. “I can’t help it,” He told her, “they won’t stop.”
When the paramedics found him, he was sitting, curled up in the corner, hugging his legs. They tried to ask him questions but he just laughed and laughed and laughed…
Originally published for Instagram’s Beautiful Writing Challenge July 2019 Day 24 “laughter”
Source: (Picture of a female presenting face in shadow)
My friend, how long have we known each other? 10 years? 15? 20? More? I’m not sure, but it feels like a lifetime and beyond. That makes this easy and yet difficult. I need to tell you something. You won’t want to hear it but here goes…
You are so much more than you allow yourself to be. And I want to be clear about one thing… It’s not your fault because no one told you how amazing you were when you most needed to hear it.
My friend, in all the years I have known you, you have never allowed yourself to see so clearly what I know about you. Because I can see your heart. I can see your soul. I can see all the potential you won’t allow yourself to express. Let me tell you how special you are…
You are the one who always had my back. You are the one who is angry on my behalf. You are the one with the talent and charisma. Can’t you see how loved you are? No! No you can’t… And it’s why I’m angry on your behalf.
My friend, I want to go back in time and punch every motherfucker who made you feel less than. I want to take your abusers and shove their fucking faces into the wall. I want to hold them to the floor by their necks until they beg me to give them a chance to treat you better… But I won’t let them. I’ll whisk you away to safety. I’ll tell you how valuable you are and I’ll tell you you’re loved. I’ll tell you how much you can do…
And you’ll forget them… You’ll forget the voices in your head. You’ll forget you need to drink to forget and you’ll forget how you were never good enough because…
Joly stood smoking as the bus emptied into the school. She always smoked just outside the school gate in the most visible spot possible. She carried a general “fuck you” kind of attitude towards everyone but mostly teachers and staff.
In any case, Joly was the person to go to if you needed to break a rule… Any rule. She despised systems of any kind and lived to tear them down. Joly was, in short, an unshakable badass.
Today, an unshakable badass was exactly what we needed. We were about to raise hell and I was pretty sure Joly could help us. I approached her cautiously. “Hey, Joly.”
“Fuck off.”
“Um. I would but I think you’re going to want to hear what I have to say…”
“Probably not.”
“Do you want to help us take down Mr. Johnston?”
“No.” She blew a smoke ring, nonchalantly but I waited her out. She had to be intrigued. “Why do you want to do that?”
“We think he stole the money we raised for prom.”
“Fuck prom. It’s stupid. He did you a favor.”
“Ok. Fine. But we were willing to pay.”
“Your money is gone. Fuck off.”
“I had something other than money in mind…” I gulped nervously. I couldn’t believe what I was about to offer. A favor from her would come with a big price.
Originally published for Romance Writer Challenge July 2019, Ravishing the Romance Day 17 “Minor Character Aesthetic”
Source:(Artistic rendering of a person in meditation position in a colorful grid)
She radiated joy and I couldn’t stop looking. I wanted to take it from her, to possess it for myself. So, I watched her, stalked her, actually. I was obsessed and nothing else existed.
I learned her schedule, when she went to work and returned home. I knew she stayed up late reading. In the mornings, she shopped, did yoga or met up with friends. On her days off she went to a meditation group. The sign in the window said it was free and I yearned to be close to her. I entered, sat near her and closed my eyes.
The teacher was giving instructions. I tried not to listen but something shifted and I slipped into a deep state of meditation. There are no words to describe what occurred next, but I can tell you it changed me.
When the class was over she turned to me and smiled, “Was this your first class?” I nodded.
“Well, welcome. Meditation is amazing. It’s changed my life. I was on a bad path until I found this place.”
I nodded again. “Me too.”
Originally published for Instagram’s Beautiful Writing Challenge July 2019 Day 18 “joy”
Source: (Picture of a man standing on the street with his arms held wide in the rain)
Steve stood panting over the man he had just pummeled into the ground. “Hey, Man. Are you ok?” a hand touched his shoulder… Was he ok? Of course he was ok. Wasn’t it obvious he had won the fight? But the hand remained steady.
He heard blood whooshing in his ears and realized the world had gone still and silent. The man on the sidewalk wasn’t moving or breathing and he felt a sense of panic rise within him. He hadn’t meant to kill him. “Your future is uncertain, Steve.”
He had forgotten the hand and the voice until it spoke again. He turned towards it sensing its steady presence could somehow help him. “I didn’t mean to kill him! Can you help me? Please! I need help!”
“I can’t help you. Only you can help you. This is your current trajectory if uninterrupted.”
In a flash, Steve was arrested and stood trial. He heard the testimony of his friends and family. They spoke of his temper and his inability to control it. He heard himself testify about his abusive childhood, his sadness and regret. Worst of all, he heard the testimony about his victim, a loving father, brother, uncle and son who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and run across a monster.
He was convicted and sentenced to death but death didn’t come swiftly. He spent years in prison waiting. It felt like hell on earth, until he died and went to actual hell. Demons tortured his soul until he escaped and wandered the earth, a hungry ghost, now demon-like himself, feeding on the energy of others but never quite satiated.
“Hey, Man. Are you ok?” Steve felt a hand on his shoulder, arresting the acceleration of his raised fist. He turned to look the voice in the face.
“Wha… what? How did I get here?”
“It’s been a long journey, Steve but now you can choose differently. Let’s take a walk.”
Steve turned back, looking confusedly at the man he had been about to beat up. The loving father, brother, uncle and son, who had been about to run into a monster. He was standing wide eyed, looking as confused as Steve. “I’m sorry, Man. You didn’t deserve that. I’m going to get some help.”
Originally published for Instagram’s Romance Writer Challenge July 2019, Ravishing the Romance Day 16 “Story Arc”
Natolie Webb 