Literary Reflections Response
Literary Reflections is pleased to present our featured writing prompt response from October. Earlier this month, we asked, “When have you felt consumed or trapped by the daily demands of your world? How do you free yourself so you have space, time, and energy to write?”
Kristal Murphy wrote:
The Early Morning
I’m awake. It’s early — 4am to be exact. A dream foggily teases the corners of my mind. While I slept, the dream played like a blockbuster movie and all I needed was popcorn. It had such a fantastic climax that it had woken me. I struggled to replay the key parts of the dream so I could memorize them. This would make a good story; maybe exciting enough to be the breakout story that finally gets my name “out there” in the writing world. I enjoy momentary delusions of grandeur before I decide to take action. I have to write the dream down before I forget it.
I am thirsty, and need caffeine. I am not a coffee drinker–but I am a soda addict. I tiptoe past the children’s rooms closing the little ones’ door so the kitchen light will not disturb them. My Lexi is not a sound sleeper, and if she knew Mommy was awake, she’d be up to give me “company.”
The sun is starting to peak in the Carolina gleaming outside my window. I know that it’s only a matter of time before Lexi wakes up. I go into the den, and ,with a tap of the power button the PC roars to life.
“Maybe she won’t hear it,” I tell myself. I sit down and try to recall the dream. It’s fading. I remember something about a car chase, and something about apples? Were they throwing apples at each other? That doesn’t make sense! Okay, now focus on the dream… It was cold. Raining if I recall… that would make the roads slick for a car chase. Who was chasing whom, and why?
“Mommy! You’re awake!” chirps a happy voice behind me.
My Lexi is my “Sunshine Girl,” up with the sun and twice as bright. She has been since she was a baby. She now stands in the doorway, her blonde hair hanging in tangles, wearing her favorite pajamas and pink flamingo slippers. Her blue eyes are shining with pure joy at finding me awake.
“I am. I am working on a story.” I answer.
“Oh, that’s good, Mommy.” She continues to smile expectantly. “Am I in the story?”
“No, it’s about a car chase.”
“Ooh, that sounds wonderful!” She gushes, before changing the subject back to her. “I thought that, since you were up, we’d make blueberry muffins!
My first instinct was to explain that I needed to put down an outline of the dream so I could return to it later. I fought the urge to fill her head with visions of ponies I could give her if she’d just let Mommy write!
“Okay, princess.” I smiled and stood up from my computer. It was a lost cause. Besides, the dream no longer made sense and I had been presented with a better offer by my little angel. I hugged my daughter and went off in search for the muffin tin.
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Kristal can be reached at KristalRMurphy(at)gmail(dot)com.
A new Literary Reflections writing prompt is published the first weekend of every month. Responses are accepted until the 15th, and I promise to comment shortly after that. Look for it – we’d love to hear from you.