STORY STARTER
Submitted by Ellipsis
'…and all they could do was cry.'
Write a short story that ends with this as the final line.
Waiting
They waited to say something until it affected their own family.
For years, seeing people in the street, reading about the hardships of the world, hearing the cries of animals and babies alike, they turned a blind eye. “What can I do?” They’d say before bed, sincerely wondering but coming up short with ideas before they passed into sleep and repeated the pattern for another day.
They waited to sit down and think critically about the issues until their own parents were gone, their water destroyed, their home pillaged and their town left for the crows. They stood amidst the wreckage, looking at a world they didn’t recognize any longer and feeling a source of inspired passion burn within them, seeking change.
They waited to do something until it affected them.
And by then, all they could do was cry.