It Was Never a Gift (creativity assignment)

Assignment: Write a story using the phrase, "Pat knew for a long time that a clairvoyant gift was..."Think about the story. Stories have beginnings, middles and endings. Write a story using that phrase as your first line and include a twist at the end. Keep your story to 300 words or less. Write as tight as possible, that is, really select words with care. Trim out the extras. Add dialogue. Remember, keep your writing time to 20 minutes.

Pat knew for a long time that a clairvoyant gift was not really a gift at all. Sure some may have felt that way as they had visions of lost keys and misplaced valuables. That just wasn’t Pat’s luck. Her gift took her too much darker places. Frightening places. Dead places.

As Pat stared ahead, unfocused, towards the deep woods, she heard her husband in the distance. Jim struggled through the layer of underbrush that ran alongside the trail, creating border between the forest and the trail. His voice carried faintly through the air as he said her name.

“Pat?”

Pat didn’t acknowledge his call. She didn’t even hear him. She couldn’t hear his voice, the birds, or the voices of other hikers over her own pounding heartbeat. It throbbed through her petite body and unfocused her eyes.  The images flashing through her mind captured her voice, her thoughts, everything. All she could see was the girl.

The dead girl floated down deep in the black water, her pale skin almost glowing. Her clouded eyes sightless and her body unclothed. A flash of red floated near girl’s body, but Pat couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe a towel.

“Pat!"

Her husband, safely through the thorny underbrush, grabbed her arm and shook her gently.  

“Pat. Come back. Focus,” he instructed her. “It’s okay. Just relax and close your mind.”

His voice finally penetrating the fog that surrounded her, she became aware of the sounds of nature around here. She blinked slowly and took a deep breath to balance herself. She turned towards Jim and said in a voice tinged with despair, “There’s been another one. The Mon River killer is back. This time, I’m going to find him.”

Pat turned around and headed away from the woods and  headed back to their car.