I thought I would get in early with this week’s writing prompts for ‘Inspiration Monday’. This week I’ve written a few ‘Twitter Fiction’ stories (all 140 characters or less) around the one prompt, ‘My dad looks at me.’ Then I discovered that, in my haste, I’d got the prompt wrong and missed the word never!! So these are for the prompt that isn’t there.
My Dad Looks At Me
My dad looks at me and I wonder if that’s the way all dads look at their young daughters. His leering smile tells me it’s not.
My dad looks at me and the tears well up in his eyes. He’s so proud. I’ve got the star role in the Christmas Nativity – I’m the donkey.
As the judge passes sentence I look across the courtroom at my family. My dad looks at me. I can see that he’s not yet ready to forgive.
My dad looks at me as I cower in the corner. He slowly takes off his thick, black, leather belt. “This will hurt me more than you,’ he lies.
My dad looks at me but there is not the slightest recognition in his eyes. He chats to me politely, as he would do with any stranger.
My dad looks at me and tells me I’m not his son. I look back at him a breathe a sigh of relief.
I’ve finally found him, the man who walked out when I was a baby. My dad looks at me and says he’s sorry. I cry as I shoot the bastard.
He’s only got days to live but when my dad looks at me with those scared eyes I can’t tell him. Instead I hold his hand telling him he’s OK.
When my dad looks at me like that I know I’m in trouble. When my mum looks at me like that, I hide behind my dad.
My dad looks at me through the glass window as they strap him to the chair. His smile tells me I was wrong to expect him to show remorse.
My dad looks at me and sobs, “But why son? You are clever. You could have done anything, been anybody. Why waste your life as a writer!”
MikeJackson©2011
Powerful and emotion evoking writing even with the word “never” omitted.
Thank you for your very kind words Billie Jo.
Okay, first of all, you have managed to cover just about every aspect of the concept that you possibly could, and that’s awesome.
Second, hilariously, I was just telling Drew (who also deviated from the exact prompt) that Pete and I were planning to challenge Rewriters to write FROM the prompt but not actually include it in the piece. We were going to do it for all of July, but I forgot. So you have, however inadvertently, done just what we wanted you to. : )
Thanks for your kind words. I’m so glad you liked them despite me getting the prompt wrong.
I like the one about hiding behind your dad. LOL. Anyway, really good even though you missed the never.
Thanks for your comments.
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There are some real classics here. And the unintentional twist on the prompt makes them even more interesting. I’d have never known it was an accident if you hadn’t admitted it.
Thanks for your comments Kay.
I nearly didn’t post them when I realised that I’d got the prompt wrong.
Entertaining, as always. I really like the last one about being a writer!
Thanks for your comments Patti.
The last one was a favourite of mine as well.