"What Happens Next" 😯? - Week of April 24, 2023
✨Hello writing community! ✨
‘What Happens Next?’ is an interesting forum activity where you get to choose how a situation turns out! The rules are simple:
We would provide you with a situational prompt.
You would reply to this post with a creative ending of your own in response to the situation given to you.
Prompt:
Sara finally had a weekend off work. Working those 12-hour shifts Monday through Friday were really beginning to take a toll on her, but the overtime was needed ever since leaving her hometown. She had left the small town where she was raised, in search of more adventures and a change of scenery. She was determined to be able to support her own, she'd prove everyone back home wrong about her failing.
It was Friday night, Sara kicked her shoes off at the front door and took a seat on her sofa. She was so excited for the next 2 days ahead free from work. As she took a deep breath and sunk into the sofa, Sara hears a knock at the door. She opens the door and is met with a little old lady….
Get together to create as many alternate endings as possible! (Parallel universe, who? It’s Content Subcommunity universe!) Please make sure that your entry is not more than 800 words.
If you want to get tagged for more ‘What Happens Next?’ prompts, reply to this post with “Tag me!”. We will add you to the taglist for this activity! Feel free to tag your friends and have fun exploring alternate endings with each other!
If you have any questions about the series or wish to submit some prompts feel free to drop a message to @SirenofSerenity or @Clarisse29
Taglist: @Barltik2065 @ShyCecropia @ScorpiaD @MusicLeigh @Torean @Ashnugget @Inara752
Before you go!
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@SirenOfSerenity
The old lady chuckled, eyeing Sara up and down with eyes so glazed by cataracts that she surely wouldn't be able to actually see.
"Sara, is it?" The old lady rasped, "You've never really been one to go out on a Friday night, have you?"
Sara smiled shyly. "Not really... I'm too busy nowadays to think about it though. You know my name, but I don't know yours?"
The old lady smiled and bobbed her head as if someone correctly recited the lyrics to a favorite song, while completely ignoring the question. "I was never like that. I always waited on pins and needles for the sun to go down, but because it meant freedom, not rest."
Sara's smile grew more uncomfortable. "That sounds like a lot of fun."
The old lady made a face of disgust and looked toward the carpet. "As I grew older, the parties, the outings... They became less. Nights with my husband, those weren't good. I always waited on pins and needles for the sun to go down, but it was out of fear then... Don't ever get married," she said, almost sounding accusing on the last part.
Sara blinked, hovering her hand over the door, noticing the sun had started going down more since she'd come in from work. "Um... Of course not. And I'm so sorry to hear that, no one deserves abuse in their marriage."
The old lady nodded with a sour expression. "No one deserves abuse at all. I don't suppose you could you do an old lady a favor?"
Sarah nodded with a slight frown. "I'm sure that I could."
The old lady's expression turned severe. "Don't be so sure before you hear it. Did you happen to hear about what happened to the girl that lived here before you?"
"No, no I didn't." Sara, started feeling more concerned and afraid on a level that she couldn't process yet.
"I keep waiting for the sun to go down, just like this..." The old lady pointed to the sky, "because, now I have what's called Sundown Syndrome, and I'm afraid I may have done something..."
Sara felt her tongue sticking to the roof of her dry mouth as she felt her body panicking a bit. "Done... Something?"
"I want you to teach me to rest when the sun goes down..." The old lady stared through her as she spoke in a deep tone," If you can relax for one night, with me, knowing that I could hurt you without meaning to... I think that I could learn to rest on my nights too."
Sara was very close to shutting and locking the door on her, but she felt compelled to listen, as if it might be more dangerous not to. "And... And if I can't do that?"
The old lady smiled sadly, and looked hopefully at her, "I'm sorry dear, but I don't know, and that's what frightens me..."
@Torean 😥 👏👏
Wow, what an engaging spin on the prompt @Torean ! It makes me wonder what decision she makes in part 2, or if the older woman was trustworthy. This inspires me to write my own spins on them in my spare time. Thank you for participating this week
@SirenofSerenity or @Clarisse29
It was Friday night, Sara kicked her shoes off at the front door and took a seat on her sofa. She was so excited for the next 2 days ahead free from work. Sara took a deep breath and let a slow sigh of relief as she sunk into the sofa. Sara hears a knock at the door. She opens the door and no one was there? Sara looked up and down the hallway of the apartment building.
Sara, confused, closed the door slowly. Pondering internally “Is this normal? Since I am not home most of time.” She dismissed it off to the side and went back to sofa. Sara picked up the Amazon remote and turned on the TV. “We got the WHOLE weekend. What shall we watch?” Sarah enthusiastically stated out loud. Then while thumbing through the streaming applications and shows, a unique knock came from the door. Sara paused her rummaging through the shows and slowly put the remote down. “I wonder” Sara stated as she got up from the sofa.
Sara reached for the door handle while internally stating “No this couldn’t be.” Then she heard a knock from the door. “I had to have fallen asleep.” She drowsily stated while still on the sofa. She looked at the clock with amazement “oh my”. Then a second knock came from the door, it’s that unique knock from her dream. Sara frozen on the sofa. “Did I dream it? Was I dreaming before? I need to cut back on working.” Sara internally discussing. Then the knock became a little more impatient.
Is Sara expecting someone? Or is
Sara hiding from someone? Is this person on the other side of the door a good
person, like a boyfriend or girlfriend she left back home?
What is Sara going to do?
@Barltik2065 I really like how the beginning of your prompt matches the post's gif ☺️ In it, you can't really see who's at the door. And your alternative endings at the end are really helpful for sparking ideas in the reader that encourage them to write their own creative scenario 🥰 Thank you for joining!
I have my fun with it and then I hope.to leave others to chose and participate. As you do for us :)
@SirenOfSerenity
Sighing heavily, Sara opens the door and is greeted by the little old lady.
"Hi there. Can I help you?" said Sara.
Smiling, the little old lady grins revieling sharp teeth. "I hope so." she said to Sara.
Nervous, Sara shut the door and locked it. She went back to the couch when she heard a knock again. Are you kidding me? Sara said to herself. She went back to the door, unlocked it and opened it. She was greeted by nothing.
@ScorpiaD Very mysterious spin on the prompt! It sounds like Sara may have a more interesting weekend than she had hoped for after this encounter 😉
@SirenOfSerenity
Before Sara could speak the old lady smiled and spoke "So, you still don't go out at night?"
Sara stood there stunned and answered slowly, "No?.......who are you?"
The old lady just shook her head then eyed Sara. Sara started to observe here and locked eyes with a necklace on the lady's neck, before she could say anything the lady spoke again.
"Don't stay here this week, go to your best friends house."
"I...what...why? Who are you" Sara said confused. She looked at the old lady and looked back at the neckalce, under it you could see a scar...as if someone slit her throat. The old lady knoticed Sara's observing nature and chuckled.
"Listen...trust me, you already know who I am and I know what's about to happen, get out of here while you can..before-" Then the old ladys neck started to bleed...she then fell to the ground and disolved in pixels. Sara stood there stunned and slowly prossesing what happened, she slowly shut the door and went to grab her purse to leave then she hear another knock. Then a voice...
"Saraaaaaaa....come out to play~"
Wow! Very creative and almost haunting spin on the prompt @Ashnugget (in a good way!) It leaves a mystery of if it's safe for her to leave her home for the weekend, or if something is waiting for her just outside the door 🚪 Excellent job participating Ash ☺️
@SirenOfSerenity
Tag me!!
