Get ready for this weekend's creativity challenge.
I dare you to write a story using 99 words exactly, not including the title. Use this as part of the ending: “We can’t be late for his birthday.”
We’ll showcase the top challenge responses in our newsletter. And the best part, you, our readers, decide who wins. The entries with the highest number of likes will be declared the winners. You’ll have until Sunday or Monday midnight to post your response. Once we lock the thread, we’ll reveal the writing champions and their entries! Are you up to the challenge?
As I stood there wanting to pick out the perfect present for my boyfriend’s birthday, my friends were telling me to hurry up. It would be my first birthday engaged to him so I wanted it to be special. I then saw the perfect gift: a ring that was the size he told me on our last date. I thought to myself “what better gift than getting engaged!” I bought the ring and confidently told the cashier that I didn’t want a receipt. My friend honked her horn and said “Hurry up, we can’t be late for his birthday.”
My eldest brother has Lewy body dementia. I was supposed to be an Elastoplast baby - but our parents divorced anyway. He is 20 years older than I am. He worked after school to support all five of us; neither of our parents wanted to be burden with us. Nowadays, he is in Assisted Living; he lives in a world of his own, and writes and writes as if his life depends on it (and perhaps it does). Incongruously, he writes in Italian, and asks me to translate what he has written. We can’t be late for his birthday.
'"I'll see you later". I signal ok and Danny left. I walk to the bookshelf and reach for the phone behind it. I play a video of Danny, Paul's best buddy and me. Then, I watch another video of me with Rudy, Eva's husband. I am so proud of myself.
I stumbled upon a video of my fiance Paul and Eva on Paul's phone two weeks ago. Kept my cool but I wish to return a favour. Took out my best party dress, practice my break up speech and grip my phone. We can't be late for his birthday.
"I'll see you later". I signal ok and Danny left. I walk to the bookshelf and reach for the phone behind it. I play a video of Danny, Paul's best buddy and me. Then, I watch another video of me with Rudy, Eva's husband. I am so proud of myself.
I stumbled upon a video of my fiance Paul and Eva on Paul's phone two weeks ago. Shocked but I kept my cool. I wish to return a favour. I took out my best party dress and practice my break up speech. I can't be late for his birthday.
This strange family. I’d been seeing Meg for five weeks and I barely knew her, let alone her siblings, parents or extended family. But as a ‘Family Tradition’ here I was, on my way to a hospital room for a party where, stood in an arc around the end of Meg’s sister's bed, with canapés and champagne glasses in hand, we’d watch, welcome, and celebrate, as it happened, the arrival of her son. An overwhelming sense of invading privacy was thumping inside me. Another family tradition, we were last minute, “Hurry up, we can’t be late for his birthday.”
Everythingvwas goingvto be just fine, for Brett and his young family? It had been arranged to catch, the ferry to the Isle of White, a long pleasant weekend to celebrate Grandgathers eighteeth birthday. As they set out in Brett's new Mini Cooper no one saw how things would turn out? A blowvout on thr motorway as the car tookspeed. Howluckycere they? A quivk tyte change Brett's new Tshirt ruined. Oh no,We can't be late forvhis birthday.
"Ahhh! Truth. Can we believe what he says? Can we believe the look in his eye? The way he turns up his lip? Can we believe him the way he struts his way into the room and expects us all to "bow" to him?”
The Perfect Gift
As I stood there wanting to pick out the perfect present for my boyfriend’s birthday, my friends were telling me to hurry up. It would be my first birthday engaged to him so I wanted it to be special. I then saw the perfect gift: a ring that was the size he told me on our last date. I thought to myself “what better gift than getting engaged!” I bought the ring and confidently told the cashier that I didn’t want a receipt. My friend honked her horn and said “Hurry up, we can’t be late for his birthday.”
Living a Lie
Molly took a couple deep breaths, trying to claim the nerves.
“I can do this,” she told herself. “He can’t hurt me. I can do this.”
“Are you about ready to go?” her husband asked. “The kids are getting anxious.”
“I’m almost done,” Molly said.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied.
She examines herself in the mirror. It’s important not to look too good.
Closing her eyes, she can smell his breath and feel his hands.
She shivers.
Molly hated him, but she kept his sick secret.
“Grandpa’s waiting,” her son yelled. “We can’t be late for his birthday.”
My eldest brother has Lewy body dementia. I was supposed to be an Elastoplast baby - but our parents divorced anyway. He is 20 years older than I am. He worked after school to support all five of us; neither of our parents wanted to be burden with us. Nowadays, he is in Assisted Living; he lives in a world of his own, and writes and writes as if his life depends on it (and perhaps it does). Incongruously, he writes in Italian, and asks me to translate what he has written. We can’t be late for his birthday.
'"I'll see you later". I signal ok and Danny left. I walk to the bookshelf and reach for the phone behind it. I play a video of Danny, Paul's best buddy and me. Then, I watch another video of me with Rudy, Eva's husband. I am so proud of myself.
I stumbled upon a video of my fiance Paul and Eva on Paul's phone two weeks ago. Kept my cool but I wish to return a favour. Took out my best party dress, practice my break up speech and grip my phone. We can't be late for his birthday.
'An Eye For An Eye
"I'll see you later". I signal ok and Danny left. I walk to the bookshelf and reach for the phone behind it. I play a video of Danny, Paul's best buddy and me. Then, I watch another video of me with Rudy, Eva's husband. I am so proud of myself.
I stumbled upon a video of my fiance Paul and Eva on Paul's phone two weeks ago. Shocked but I kept my cool. I wish to return a favour. I took out my best party dress and practice my break up speech. I can't be late for his birthday.
The Old Dog
“Dad, look what I found lying in the yard.” I patted the gray-faced dachshund. “
“Look at those eyes, Joni. He’s old, but he’s not done yet. I’ll go find some food and set out a bowl of water.”
“Oh, Dad. You’re too old for a dog. You said so yourself.”
“Somebody is probably looking for him. I’ll put an ad in the newspaper tomorrow. Until then he can live here. Watch him I’ll be right back.”
Joni smiled and dialed her cell phone. “Hi. Yeah, Dad found the dog. Hurry home we can’t be late for his birthday.”
Family Traditions
This strange family. I’d been seeing Meg for five weeks and I barely knew her, let alone her siblings, parents or extended family. But as a ‘Family Tradition’ here I was, on my way to a hospital room for a party where, stood in an arc around the end of Meg’s sister's bed, with canapés and champagne glasses in hand, we’d watch, welcome, and celebrate, as it happened, the arrival of her son. An overwhelming sense of invading privacy was thumping inside me. Another family tradition, we were last minute, “Hurry up, we can’t be late for his birthday.”
GETTING THERE
Everythingvwas goingvto be just fine, for Brett and his young family? It had been arranged to catch, the ferry to the Isle of White, a long pleasant weekend to celebrate Grandgathers eighteeth birthday. As they set out in Brett's new Mini Cooper no one saw how things would turn out? A blowvout on thr motorway as the car tookspeed. Howluckycere they? A quivk tyte change Brett's new Tshirt ruined. Oh no,We can't be late forvhis birthday.
TRUTH
"Really! I don’t believe you?”
"Ahhh! Truth. Can we believe what he says? Can we believe the look in his eye? The way he turns up his lip? Can we believe him the way he struts his way into the room and expects us all to "bow" to him?”
"Oh, don't be silly. It really isn’t like that!”
“No! Then pray tell me what do you see in him?”
“Loyalty. Confidence. Honour. Self assurance… Love.”
“Really!”
“Yes!
“I think you’re defending him.”
“You speak of Truth! You will see. Promise. Come now, we can’t be late for his birthday.”