If you missed last week’s episode, you missed a great one. You can watch the replay here.
As always, the ladies of the podcast created some great pieces of writing from this sprint prompt. This week, they had to use these five words: rest, brink, tray, progress, yearn. We really enjoyed Tina’s take on the prompt, and we think you will as well! Enjoy, and make sure you reach out to her to let her know you want her to finish this story!
“I think you’ve made good progress,” said Nurse Sheila. “The fact that you no longer yearn for a tray of cheesecake bites every night after dinner means you’re on the brink of full recovery, the rest will fall into place with time.”
“So does that mean I can go home?” Tracy asked, her hands palms together in prayer position.
“Not quite yet,” Nurse Sheila replied. “First we need to test whether you can cope in a real world situation.” She gestured for Tracy to follow, then led her down the long sterile hallway to the double steel doors at the end. She held her name badge up to the electronic pad on the wall and the doors clicked, then slowly opened.
Once they were on the other side, Nurse Sheila pulled the doors firmly closed until they clicked again. Another long sterile hallway, another set of doors, only this time the hallway was carpeted and the walls were papered in gray and mauve pinstripes. Each brown wooden door had a shiny gold number plaque attached to the upper half. Nurse Sheila led Tracy to door number 14 and opened it with what looked like a hotel key card.
“This is where you will be for the next few weeks,” Nurse Sheila said.
Tracy walked into what looked like a fully furnished apartment, complete with a big screen TV.
“You will be preparing all your own meals,” Nurse Sheila said. “The kitchen is fully stocked. There is a grocery store at the end of the hall if you need anything.”
Tracy ran her fingers over the smooth top of the dining table. It reminded her of tables in an old fashioned diner, complete with silver trim. The chairs brought back memories of going to get ice cream with her uncle as a kid, and her bare legs sticking to the vinyl covered seat pads. The thought of ice cream made her mouth water. Soft serve vanilla with a hard chocolate shell on it. The shell would crunch under her teeth and then the cold creaminess would hit her tongue. She smiled at Nurse Sheila, grateful she couldn’t read her mind.
After the tour was over Nurse Sheila left Tracy alone with an encouraging smile. “Now would be a good time to review your coping strategies,” she said just before she closed the door.
Tracy made a beeline for the kitchen, opened the freezer, and there at the front it sat. A half gallon carton of french vanilla ice-cream.
Christina Cattane is an Indie Author who writes in several different genres, including Christian Fiction. To learn more about Christina and her books, visit https://christinacattane.com/