Happy Monday! Today's the first day with the second device from The Writer's Toolbox, three sets of sticks that can be used individually or in conjunction with each other. I decided to use them together, since they seemed to fit as a team.
The sticks are the First Sentence, the Non Sequitur, and the Last Straw. I used one of each, setting a timer for six minutes in between each one to give me some time to noodle on what the stick did to my story before moving on to the next, and that was a decent amount of time to get something together.
First sentence - Your mother lied to you. That’s the truth.
Non sequitur - On Tuesday she asked me the most peculiar question.
Last straw - the bill she forgot to pay
Your mother lied to you. That’s the truth. I know it’s not the kind of thing you want to hear, but that’s just how things are. You’re eighteen now, so you’re old enough to know that some things aren’t the way you always thought they were.
I know - it’s not easy to hear. Still, you need to know that, unlike what your mother has been telling you your whole life - and believe me, I’ll be having a good long talk to her after this - you aren’t special. You can’t do magic. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, darling, I know she was telling you that you were just a late bloomer, that there are people in our family that get their powers late, and there are, but all of them get them by the time they enter adulthood. We can only conclude that you, my dear one, don’t have any powers.
Now, don’t cry. There are millions of people in the world who don’t have any kind of power, and they make it through life just fine. It’s not going to be easy, as you know - I know you had some trouble in school, with the bullying and such, but adults are better than that. Well, usually - you may still have the odd one who decides to make an issue of it. Still, there are ways around having powers these days, and you should be able to live a normal life. Mostly normal. You won’t be able to do everything everyone else can do, obviously, but you’ll be able to get by with a little help.
Seriously, stop crying. You’re going to make your mother feel badly, and all she was trying to do was keep you from feeling like an outcast. I don’t agree with how she went about it, but it was what she decided, and your grandmother and I decided to go along with it until you reached adulthood. Well, that time is now, and you need to know the truth.
Your father? Don’t mention that man to me. He left you and your mother after she found out she was pregnant with your little sister, and we haven’t heard from or about him since. Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned. Your sister might be aware of something, though, even though your mother has been lying to both of you about this. On Tuesday she asked me the most peculiar question. She asked me, she said, “Do you know if it’s possible to transfer magic between people?” I know she’s got some power - she’s been exhibiting that for a while now - and I’m wondering if she’s trying to see about boosting your powers, if not giving you power wholecloth. She’s a perceptive little thing, for someone so young. I know you don’t spend too much time around her, what with her being five years younger than you, but she looks up to you an awful lot. You need to remember that while you deal with this.
Not having powers isn’t the end of the world. You need to be strong for your family, and figure out how to get by. Most jobs can be done without powers if you’re willing to work a little harder and find ways to accommodate yourself - that’s what they call it these days, accommodations, right? It’s no different than if you needed to walk somewhere and you had a bad leg - you would need to find a way to brace your leg or use a cane or something like that to get the job done. You’ll figure it out - you’ve always been smarter than people give you credit for. Yes, even me. I know I haven’t always been the kindest grandpa in the world, but I knew from the start that you would need to develop some callouses on your soul to get through life, because it was going to be harder for you than other people.
The important thing right now is getting you a job, because you need to help your mother. She’ll never tell you this - it’s another lie she’s been telling you all your life - but she’s been having money troubles. You know that fancy magical tutor she’s been sending your sister to, the one she said wasn’t available for you? Well, he wasn’t, because, obviously, but beyond that, he’s also more expensive than she was willing to say, and your mother has fallen behind on his bill. She says that she forgot to pay him, but I think we can both agree that your mother isn’t the most trustworthy of sources, right? Anyway, he’s going to need paying, and you’ve finished school and are of age, so you need to start making some money and helping your family. You could probably join the military, now I think of it - they’re always talking about how they need more people, regardless of power level, and I’m sure they’d have a place for someone like you.
Why are you looking at me like that? We’re not actively at war with anyone right now, it’s not likely you’d be sent to combat or anything. Oh, sure, there are uncomfortable places around the world where you might go, but that’s the case with everyone, and this way you’d get some good money to send back to your mother to take care of your sister. Don’t you want to make sure your sister has a good life? She has power, she jus needs to learn how to use it properly, and she has potential to really go places. You could help her, you know, if you’d stop being selfish and think about your family for once.
Where are you going? You’d better being walking to your room to pack up and head for the recruiter’s office, or someplace else that’ll take someone like you for a job. You hear me? You’ve had long enough of being coddled, it’s time to step up and take care of your family.
You hear me?
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