Calling all creative writers! This is a column run by Nathaniel Lee to inspire readers to write. The column includes writing prompts, pieces by the coordinators, and occasional submissions from readers.
This month: A short story from Casey Leigh.
Below are a set of prompts for different styles of writing beyond journalism. The idea is that you can create some kind of creative writing piece inspired by one of the prompts, but it doesn't have to be. You can submit any piece of writing you would like to share! All submissions should be school-appropriate. You can also suggest prompts to be featured in the next issue.
Here are some prompts to kinda get you started. They can be used for anything, though some specify poetry or short stories.
1. Write a story about a character who struggles to translate their thoughts and feelings into words and action.
2. Write a story about two or more characters who don't speak each other's language (literally or metaphorically), but still find a way to communicate.
3. Write a story that involves the architectural plans for a building.
4. Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. It’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate.
5. Write a story that spans exactly a year and takes place in a single room.
If you have any prompt ideas in mind that you haven't seen on here yet or would like to see someone else respond to, drop them in the Google Form below and they will be listed in the next issue!
I woke but left my eyes closed. I was laying in a bed, most definitely not mine, and the air was strangely cold. I opened my eyes and sat up. It took a few moments for me to remember the events of the night before. After the whole vampire thing, Avery called my mom and Sky’s mom and let them know that we were both okay, and we were going to be staying the night at her house. She promised we’d return in the morning. All the mothers knew each other, so they agreed. Lil slept in a sleeping bag on the floor in her room, and there was a bed in the Sanctum that I used.
I swung my legs out of bed and walked over to a sink. I filled a cup with water and drank it. Then, I noticed a map on the wall. Red push pins were scattered across the face of the map, which showed the town. There was no pattern to any of them, at least not that I could see. Small pieces of paper were placed with some of them, saying things like: "Third sighting, Murder?" and "Disappearing".
“Nice pajamas,” Lil said.
I whipped around and saw she was standing a few yards behind me. I blushed, realizing that I was wearing pants and a tank top covered in smiling suns, plus I had bedhead. She was completely ready, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and her hair in a braid down her back.
“I…just woke up.”
“I can see that. Admiring my mum’s stuff?” She pointed to the wall. I hadn’t noticed, but there were multiple wooden stakes, all carved out of different wood. There were a few vials of clear liquid, and a jar filled with garlic. The centerpiece was a metal cross. It was sharpened to a point and was inlaid with jewels.
“The cross is named Juliet,” Lil said. “It is made out of silver and has a core of wood, forming a stake. It was quenched in holy water. Those things make it the prime vampire killing tool.”
“Has it ever been used?” I asked.
“No, it is being saved for a large wave of vampires. That seems to be coming soon, because we’ve seen a gradual increase in vampire sightings.”
“How soon?”
“Um…kinda hard to tell. It could be tomorrow, it could be in hundreds of years.”
“That’s a pretty big space.”
“Which is why we’re always ready,” Avery said as she walked up.
“How did you guys get down without falling into the water?”
“There’s an elevator. If anyone comes down for the first time, they have to go through the water. It is a check to make sure they aren’t vampires.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“About 3:00 a.m.”
“Why are you up so early?”
“I’m sending you and Lillian to kill a vampire.” Avery said it so casually, the way someone might say they were planning on going to the store.
“Where? Why can’t you do it?” I asked.
“New York City. I‘m busy.”
“New York? How can we get there and back before morning?” I asked.
“Just trust me. Here,” Avery tossed a bundle of clothes at me. “Head upstairs and change into these.” They showed me the elevator, and I went back up to the house. I found the bathroom and put on the outfit. It consisted of black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black hoodie. After changing, I quickly combed my hair and went back down.
“Nice,” Avery said. “Alright, there are some boots in that closet. Find some that fit.” I did so and then she gave me a belt with a strange leather sheath on it.
“This sheath is for your stake. Protect your stake with your life, and protect your life with your stake. A wooden stake won’t do much against humans, so I’ll provide you with a silver knife, too. It works to wound vampires, but not kill.” She led me over to the wall.
“Close your eyes and listen,” Avery said. “Step forward and take the one that calls to you.”
I closed my eyes and listened. At first, nothing happened, but then I heard a whisper, almost a brush of air. I stepped forward and reached toward the sound. My hand closed on a stake and I held it in my hand. There was a sharp intake of breath from behind me and then it was shushed. I ran my hand down the smooth sanded side and to the blunt end.
“Open your eyes,” Avery said, and I did. I was holding a stake that was light brown, almost gold, with some gray streaks running down it.
“Ash,” Avery said. “Interesting choice. I recommend naming it, but that isn’t immediately necessary. Naming your stake helps improve the bond between you and it.”
“But—” Lil began.
“Lillian, we can talk later. For now, you two need to get going.”
I put my stake in the sheath and snapped it closed. Then, Avery gave me a sheathed knife that I attached to the other side of the belt. “How can we get to New York from here?”
Avery walked over to the large brick fireplace. “Just watch.” She pulled a flask out of her pocket and poured some clear liquid onto the back wall, then stepped back.
“New York City, New York,” she said. The liquid began to glow, and a silvery archway appeared.
“Holy water,” Lil said as she stepped past me. “Not just vampire deterrent.”
She stepped forward and went through the archway, disappearing. I followed. Passing through the arch felt like walking through a spiderweb. I stumbled forward and brushed my face. A chuckle made me look around. I was standing in a fireplace similar to the one I had just left, but Avery was not standing there. A woman dressed in leather clothes and boots stood next to Lil. Her muscular arms were folded and a large sword was strapped to her back.
“Welcome to New York,” she said.
