Happy Friday!!! I came across this great WordPress Blog called Pelky Sisters with over 365 writing prompts. I am going to spend a couple days per week using their writing prompts and offer a prompt of my own! My hope is that you – my lovely reader and future published author – find motivation and inspiration in 2x the prompts! 🙂

Post your short stories below. I would love to read them! Don’t worry about it being perfect as I am just writing off the cusp too.

Write a New Year’s Resolution most rational characters would consider a negative life change. 

We were instructed to write our individual resolutions on a piece of paper and toss them into the fire. The school said it would ‘lift our wishes to the heavens’. Too bad there is no God… But, I guess, the only reason I wrote a truthful New Year’s Resolution was because it was going up in flames.

As I walked past the fire pit and tossed my scrawlings into the flickering lights, I stopped. Stared. Letting the flames lick my college-ruled looseleaf paper. Don’t worry, I thought. No one will ever see what is written here. No one could ever know what I do and what I have done.

My Brotherhood is an ancient group. We have always existed and yet never written in history. I was one of the first girls they trained. And they will never admit it, but the women are much better at their jobs. They take us all when we are little. Train us. Make us unbeatable. And then, they throw us back into society and force us to integrate. “It’s for the best,” my elder told me. “You still need to be able to function in this world. We both know that you are an amazing student to me. Your contracts will still be sent as usual. But you must do better.”

The words on that paper felt like a vow to The Brotherhood, my family. My New Year’s Resolution is… My New Year’s Resolution is… My handwriting lingered in the coals for a moment. I looked around to see if the students behind me could read it in the embers. Lucky for them, they couldn’t.

After I drove home, my elder was already waiting for me. A bunch of us live in the same home and no one seems to question it. The Brotherhood taught us to be quick and silent when we leave for our contracts. And the same can be said for carrying out the job. My family greeted me at the door. Lucy just got back from grade school and the others had already showered, changed, and readied for their respective evenings.

“What is your New Year’s Resolution?” my elder asked. At first, I didn’t say anything. My mind was on my target for the evening. I had received a contract the night before.

“Are you listening to me?” he said. His eyes flashed in anger. “You did not write that down did you? What if someone read it?”

“They wont,” I replied. “Writing it down made it feel permanent. Plus, I only wrote something vague.”

“What did you write?”

“My New Year’s Resolution is to perform my job better than any before me.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

“See? No one would know I am an assassin…”

And now, it’s your turn! Feel free to use either prompt (OR BOTH)!