For the character prompt today, I’d love to hear your ideas for the story behind this expression.
I imagine that this man has worked hard his whole life. Maybe a fisherman or a farmer. He looks wary and suspicious. For many years, he’s carried a secret. He’s listening to a conversation and is worried that one of the people may stumble onto his secret. He’s uncertain what to do.
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Now it’s your turn. How does this photo inspire a character for you?
So much possibility here! Here’s my thought:
Divers have combed through most of the Spanish shipwrecks already. They dive, take, retreat. Not me. I dive, study, keep quiet. A gull swoops low enough that I hear the wind on its wings. Today is the day. I stoop down and start untying my boat. The tide, the salty breeze, the greedy birds – this is my life. And there’s one more, unknown vessel down there waiting for me to explore. Not for the gold, not for the glory. I’ll go down, check it out, go home, and think long and hard about what to do with what’s there. If records of people, I’ll get in touch with that genealogy society again. If weapons, I’ll consider calling the Smithsonian. They really liked the last find and I still get letters from classrooms thanking me for getting the display. If gold, well, I’ll probably not say a word. Best to leave these underwater fortunes alone. Like the gulls, people will flock in to take. That’s when things get ugly.
Footsteps on the dock interrupt my silent planning. I groan. No tours of the coast today. Can’t a guy get a day off from playing tour guide? I glance their way and quickly decide to avoid eye contact. These aren’t tourists. A map of the ocean floor, a pair of handcuffs, and a revolver all stick out of the lead guy’s belt.
“Perfect timing, Francisco,” he snarls and pushes me into my boat. “Show us where it is.”
This is so good! I feel like I’m in this man’s head, experiencing the scene through him, like in Minecraft. You have the beginning of a tremendous action/adventure story with a great protagonist. I would love to read a short story or novel based on this passage!
Aww, I’m so happy you like it! I would have to do some research on diving to develop it further, but in the future, I’ll see what I can come up with. You’ll be the first to read it 🙂