Writing Pilates

Okie dokie, for our writing exercise this week I get to pick the topic. So here it is: Give your character’s one victory, one defeat, and the chance of success at some future date. For the lovely sister-in-law’s version please click here. And if you will write with us she, in her genius, will link us all together somehow!

One Victory, One Defeat, and a Splash of Hope

The growl like noise came a second time and the brothers stared at each other wondering what course of action to take. Surly their Daddy’s hat lay in the strange nest directly above them, and if they turned back he would never see his favorite hat again. But some great beast guarded his prized head piece and if one of them were injured it would pain their Daddy greatly.

Then the brown haired boy, who always had great ideas, suggested that they toss an old dead branch into the nest to distract the beast while one of them spotted the hat and another lept past the nest’s guardian to seize their Daddy’s cap. They all tugged at a nearby branch with brittle brown needles until it gave a woody crack and snapped away from the trunk. Then they lobbed it into the nest. The red haired boy immediately peeked over the twig strewn rim of the nest and saw their Daddy’s had wedged up against the far side. Then with a roar the blond haired boy charged across the nest’s expansive floor and dove on top of the hat.

But suddenly the ferocious beast was upon him and he was in a fight for his life. Snarling and sputtering it came in for the kill…until the blond haired boy seized it by the tail and held it up in the air where it could do no harm. The beast was small and puffy, a peach color, and undeniably fierce. But also very familiar. Foxy! All three boys exclaimed. No wonder their Grammy was so concerned about her Pomeranian going outside unsupervised. She was stealing important items and hording them in a massive tree top Nest of Doom.

Struggling to hold both the snarling Foxy and the stolen hat, the blond haired boy scrambled to the edge of the nest. But at the last moment Foxy gave on mighty wiggle and he tripped sprawling into his brothers. The hat dropped and Foxy and the boys were flung into the open sky. Down down down they came screaming and snarling and scrabbling for a handhold.

But just at the last moment their great hairy sloppy slobbery dog lept from the bushes and flung his shaggy form beneath the falling boys. They landed in a heap of fur and all of their snacks were spilled but no one was injured. Their doggy was slightly dazed and Foxy was as fierce as ever, but the boys put her in their sled and returned her to their grateful Grammy as thoughts of a return adventure to retrieve the pilfered hat danced about in their heads.

When they returned their Daddy hugged them and wrestled them and pretended to be African Hunting Dogs with them while their Momma make them warm strawberry milk and Lemony Snickets for snack. And for the time being, all was well.