An Important Box
Flash Fiction | First Draft Fiction
Angelina raced through the woods, heart pounding with equal parts excitement and fear. Her parents had forbidden her from working on her projects. “Too dangerous,” they’d claimed. And they weren’t technically wrong. If anyone found out what she was working on, well, let’s just say she wouldn’t be working on it ever again.
The clearing came into view. Rosco, her alarm dog, was silent. Good. That meant she hadn’t been discovered. She took a seat and reached for the box. It flashed in her hands as she tinkered with some loose wires.
Angelina couldn’t help but sigh as she worked. The box was troublesome and temperamental, and sometimes she wondered if it was worth it to go through with her plan. But then she looked up at a sky that was deceptively clear. At just the right angle, though, she could see the glistening fibers that made up the outer shell of the force field. It was the force field that kept her, and everyone she loved, trapped in a fake life, and the worst part about it was that nobody but her seemed to realize what was happening.
She wasn’t going to let that hold her back. Hence, the box. It would change everything by destroying the force field and granting the town the freedom they’d never even known they were missing.
Thanks for reading! I didn’t have a story prepped for today, but fate was looking out for me because in the English class I subbed for today, their journal prompt was to write a story based on the above photo. I decided to whip something up just for fun. I then read my story outloud to a room full of 13 year olds, and now I can certifiably say that there’s nothing quite as validating as 13 year olds clapping for you story.
See you next Thursday with another story!
It's an amazing story., Claire. There's an import message behind it... Great job!
Good story. It's quite impressive that you wrote this with a room full of 13-year-olds.... and then dared to read it out loud. Nice!