I love a good writing prompt. Every 2 weeks I give myself the challenge to grab a writing prompt online that sparks an idea and try to write a piece of fiction from the prompt in and around 500 words.

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WRITING PROMPT:
Set all or part of your story in a jam-packed storage unit.

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The Grief Quest
Written by Jess Knaus

‘It’s got to be here,’ said Luke as he rummaged through piles of dusty records and antique chairs stacked seat to seat.

‘I don’t think you’ll find it, Luke,’ replied his sister Valerie. She wasn’t frantically digging through the storage unit, because she was certain that what Luke wanted to find was long gone.

‘I’m certain Nan sold it for cash one time,’ she finished.

Luke took no notice of her and continued to pull, drag, peek, flick and search. It had to be here. Why would Nan have sold it for cash?

Inside Valerie’s pocket her phone vibrated. She pulled it out to find their cousin’s face on screen – Ben. Valerie paused for a minute, uncertain about whether answering was the best thing. Luke and Ben had become fixated on finding the same piece of artwork belonging to their Nan. One that had been rumoured to be quite valuable – quite valuable. But in that discovery the two men had become competitors. The grief they shared around the loss of their dear Nan had been replaced by the quest to find the piece, even if they lost their cousin. 

‘It’s Ben,’ she said. 

Luke looked up.

‘Don’t answer it,’ he said quietly. 

Valerie kept her composure. 

‘I’m answering it,’ she said resolutely. 

She swiped the screen and placed the phone on her ear. 

‘Hey Ben… yeah good… um yeah he’s here… sure,’ she said before pulling the phone in front of her and setting it to speaker. 

‘I found it,’ the voice said.

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