Weekly Writing Prompt: An Unexpected Gift

Well, I missed Wednesday, but I love writing prompt day, so I am going ahead with it today! If any of you would like to suggest writing prompt ideas, please do so!

Here’s today’s:

Snow sparkled in the sunlight as they watched the skiers gliding down the hill. Their faces burned with cold and they had to stomp their feet to keep feeling in their toes, but still they lingered, absorbed in the beauty of the intricate patterns created by the brightly colored skiers.

“Someday, Sara, we will be one of them.” Cam’s voice was rough with ambition. “But for now, let’s get back to work.” 

The boy and girl cast one lingering glance back at the skiers before turning towards the building where they worked part-time. Suddenly, Sara gasped. 

“Cam! Look at that! Those packages by the door have our names on them!” 

All right, that’s it for today! I can’t wait to hear the end of Cam and Sara’s story!

Feel free to post or share your endings!

 

8 thoughts on “Weekly Writing Prompt: An Unexpected Gift”

  1. They shared an agonized glance before reluctantly setting the mysterious boxes behind the counter and heading back to the janitor’s closet. Mops and brooms in hand, they set to work cleaning up the melted bits of snow left behind by skiers returning to the lodge.

    It was dark out by the time Cam and Sara were both off duty. Tired, but excited at the thought of what awaited them, they hurried toward the reception desk.

    “It’s probably just going to be a huge box with a lot of filler, and it will be something practical. Like socks Mom ordered for us on Amazon.”

    “See, that’s your problem, Sara. You never think big. After all, a package can be anything at all…until you’ve opened it, that is.” Cam grinned at his sister. “Last one to the desk is a rotten egg!” With a burst of speed, he was off.

    Sara shook her head, laughing at this familiar taunt from her slightly-younger brother. She raced after him, only to smack into his back as he came to a sudden halt. Sara peered around her brother’s shoulder and realized why he’d stopped. The reception area was crawling with policeman. A man in a protective suit was placing their mystery packages into a large metal container.

    Stunned, Sara and Cam turned to leave, but stopped short again when they heard the familiar, irascible voice of the front desk manager.

    “There they are! Stop those two kids!”

  2. That is interesting! Nice!
    I was going to post my own when I realized it had 554 words. I’ll try to narrow it down to 499.

    1. Oliver, feel free to post it as is, if you want! 554 words is close enough. 🙂

  3. There were going to be exactly 499 words, but then Mom revised it and now there are only 492. Here it is:

    The package was a long and skinny cardboard box.
    Sara’s lithe little body darted forward to the package and she started to tear open the box, but the packaging tape sealing it shut was too much for her fingers to pry open. She was naive, and often didn’t think before acting.
    “Wait!” Cam called. He rushed after her, although he was weary. Cam was a couple of years older than Sara, and tended to be more careful. “We don’t know what’s inside, or if it’s even for us!” he said. But inside, his heart was burning with excitement. For so long they had worked at the cottage, helping Mrs. Moore with day to day tasks. It had been years since anything interesting had happened in the little cottage, and Cam had since been yearning to ski the slopes.
    Anything could be in this package.
    “It is for us, silly!” Sara cried. “Look! It has our names on it!”
    Cam glanced at the package. It said… Sadie and Carl? “Those aren’t our names, Sara.”
    “Can you even read, silly!?” Sara asked. Her tiny fingernails started to pry at it again, but Cam stopped her.
    “Can you? It says Sadie and Carl – not us.” Sara looked at him in unbelief. He had to be wrong. She wanted a package. She wanted skis. This was her package, and she wasn’t going to share it with anyone – except of course, Cam. He was the best, silly brother in the whole wide world.
    “That isn’t what it says,” she replied defiantly. “Those are our names.”
    “Look at the first one,” Cam said to her, pointing to Sadie. “What letter is that?”
    “That’s a ‘b,’” Sara said immediately, then corrected herself. “No, a ‘d.’”
    “Is there a ‘d’ in your name, Sara?”
    Sara giggled. “No, silly!” She smiled. Then realization dawned on her. Sara turned to her brother. “Those aren’t our names.”
    “No, they aren’t,” Cam agreed. But silently, he was ten times more disappointed than Sara. He had longed so much for something different, something new. Now he was left with a cardboard box that wasn’t for them. It seemed like the worst day of his life.
    “Cara!” called out an old womanly voice. “Sam!” It was Mrs. Moore, calling them to come back inside. Then Cam realized something he hadn’t thought of before. Mrs. Moore was always messing up their names – she had Alzheimer’s.
    Maybe the package was theirs.
    “Mrs. Moore?” Cam called to the woman. “Did you leave a package for us?”
    “What package?” the woman called back. She scuttled to the door.
    Cam’s shoulders slumped. He waited for Mrs. Moore to come out into the cold.
    “Oh, yes!” she cried. Cam looked up expectantly. “It must be my Allibommer’s again.” Cam smiled with delight as Mrs. Moore continued. “Yes, go ahead and open it!”
    With glee, Cam dug his pocket knife out of his pocket and cut into the packing tape.

    1. How fun, Oliver! What a fun twist to have them think the packages aren’t for them, only to find out that they actually are. Good writing.

  4. “Should we open them?” Sara leaned down to get a better look.
    “ I don’t know. Maybe we aren’t supposed to see them.”
    For a while they just stared at the packages.
    “Sara. Cam. Where are you?” Mary asked. She was their boss.
    “We’re here, wondering what these boxes are.” Cam pointed his finger.
    Her head popped out of the doorway and she looked where he was pointing. Mary’s head disappeared then came back out with a hat.
    “Those are for you two. You can open them as soon as you help me. They’re from your friend.” Mary gave Sara a long skinny box. “Take this box of skis to that group of visitors over there.”
    Once they got there they took out skis and ski poles and gave them to the people. Cam and Sara ran back to the packages that were for them, flinging snow everywhere. Sara opened the present as fast as she could, wishing she had scissors. At last they got theirs open and pulled out skis.
    “Now we can ski!”

    1. Great story, Laurel! I was really hoping someone would give these poor kids skis of their own. 🙂

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