Today’s challenger is another Swanwick writer, Julia Underwood, that I was lucky enough to meet a couple of weeks while at Swanwick. Julia’s response comes in the form of The Hat which may be read below.
Emma pressed her face against the window like a child drooling at a sweetshop. There it was: the loveliest hat. She drank in the beauty of fine straw; sweeping brim; tumbling gauze flowers. Perfect for showing off at her best friend’s wedding.
But she could never afford such expensive headwear. She had to find someone rich enough to pay for it, and she knew who that would be.
She sought him out. Charmed, cajoled and, in time, seduced him.
Her friend discovered them together and, heartbroken, ended the engagement.
Now Emma had no need to buy a hat.
98 words
***
Ooh ah. I wasn’t expecting that, were you?
Patricia M Osborne 
A Treasured Memory
I love the autumn. I pick up the beautiful, glossy conkers and stuff them into my pockets.
‘What are you doing?’ Asks my husband.
‘They’re pretty’ I lie
We get home and I put my treasure hoard on the windowsill.
‘Why are you putting them there?’ He asks.
‘It’s to keep out the spiders!’
I’m lying again.
It’s for the memories.
Both my own as a child and for my sons, both grown and moved away.
Playing conkers.
Playing happy families.
Now it’s just us two.
It’s called Empty Nest.
Still, there’s always the dog.
LikeLike
Hi Nicky, thank you for joining in. I’ll feature your story properly on the blog in the next couple of weeks or so. I’ll let you know once it’s gone live and you’ll be able to share it on all social media.
LikeLike