One way to use a prompt. 4 stories.

1) The Return

Danielle came home—skinnier than ever with her jeans torn, her blouse stained from blood and dirt, and a scar on her hip. Later, her mother would ask about the scar, but Danielle would never give her an answer.

None of that mattered now. Danielle was alive, and all they could do was cry.

2) The Run Away

The white death came on without warning.

Shops closed, people avoided each other, and people stayed in to watch for daily updates. The government seemed to be confused in itself. The individual leaders seemed to be taking nods from one another on safety policy.

Though, I’ll never forget when Buddy ran away in the middle of the stay-at-home order. People in the area called the police when they saw him. I heard three officers chased him through our neighborhood. All I remember thinking was, “Three officers? It took three of them to safely take down one 6th grader?”

Aunt Clare called us just after he ran off. He pushed her down their staircase. She ended up with a sprained ankle, but when she realized Buddy ran, she couldn’t be mad. She and Uncle Barrick were worried sick. All they could do was cry.

3) The Draft

The tensions broke when the Duke of Normandy shot the Prince of Italy. The Queen of the Romani put a curse on the Duke afterward. He died of a heart attack a week later. The English blamed the Romani Queen. In retaliation, they sent MI6 members to murder her pet dog, Horus. They put his head on a pike and left it in Sibiu.

After that, the fires of war were stoked all about Europe. Germany invaded Poland. Ships from Spain attacked German naval vessels in route. Romania tried to stay out, but the Romani refused to play along.

The draft was instituted soon after. Families and their men of age gathered at the armory down by the middle school. They waited, talked about the good times, and helped the men get ready to leave for basic training. The bus arrived at 1300. Men kissed their wives, girlfriends, and significant others for the last time before they boarded.

The bus left the crowd of people. Some left, but others stayed like lost puppy dogs, and after a certain amount of time, one started to cry, then another until the crowd cried all together. Not a one left, ate, or searched out shelter that night, and all they could do was cry.

4) The Passing

When Mary turned down the treatments, she withered day by day.

“People shouldn’t hold on so strongly,” she told her family. “Should I keep living until I’m beyond a wrinkled raisin? Questioning if my lungs will give out in the middle of the night? There’s no good way out. I don’t kid myself on that. I’m ready.”

They came to visit her regularly. Even family members she hadn’t seen in years turned up at her house. No questions to any of them. She greeted them, talked to them, and tried to keep the conversation light.

When she finally passed, they knew it was coming, and all they could do was cry.