If you're not on FB, you won't know about this, but there's a group called The Fic Lab, which is run by three amazing ladies. Every Sunday, they put up a prompt, and we're all encouraged to write a story about it. I've finally decided to compile all my together and put them in here. Some prompts will have more than one story, as I might feel extra inspired. Enjoy!
Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.
PROMPT: Outdoor Activities
Stranger
Rose looked out at the waterfall in front of her, marvelling at its beauty.
"We said we'd always get here," she said to no one in particular.
Next to her, Max pawed the ground. He was always good at picking up on her anxiety.
"I know," she whispered, crouching down to bury her face in his long, black fur. "He should be here."
They'd planned this trip at the tender age of twenty-one. Little did Rose know that at twenty-seven, she'd be here alone. But it was the last thing she needed to do before she tried to move on with her life.
Rose allowed herself a moment to feel the overwhelming grief that consumed her. They'd had an entire life planned out in front of them, and then, in a split second, it was gone. He was gone.
Her future had been ripped from her grasp.
Standing up, Rose pressed a hand behind Max's ears and gently fussed him. "At least I still have you."
Taking her phone out of her pocket, Rose took a quick snapshot of the waterfall. This would be a bittersweet memory, but one she would treasure nonetheless.
"Come on," she told Max. She led him away from the beautiful sight and towards the bottom of the waterfall.
When they got to the bottom, Rose noticed a few other people around, each of them all doing their own thing.
Max largely ignored them. He only cared for two people, and one of them was gone. Since that night, he'd stuck to Rose's side like glue, almost as if he understand what had happened. He even came to work with her. Thankfully her boss was very understanding, and everyone at the office loved him.
Rose pulled her backpack off and crouched down. She unzipped it and pulled out Max's popup travel bowl and a bottle of water. Looking up to call him over, she was surprised to see that he was staring at someone getting out of the water. His entire body was rigid.
She opened her mouth to return his attention to her. But Max was off, leaping over the rocks and towards the strange person.
Gasping, Rose dropped everything and bolted after him. Max didn't behave like this, and she had no idea why he'd run off.
"Max!" she shouted, annoyance growing in her when he blatantly ignored her, too fixed on the person sitting at the edge of the pool of water. "Max!"
Her dog-who was usually so well behaved, just ignored her-only stopping when he'd quite literally bowled into the person he had so clearly set his eyes on.
As she came over the rock, Rose was temporarily blinded by the sun. She closed her eyes tight against the bright rays, colours of light flashing behind her eyes.
"Woah."
She froze. And a white-hot fear ripped through her body. Because she knew that voice, she'd know that voice anyway.
And she hadn't heard it for eight months. Eight months she'd gone without hearing it, convinced that she never would. She'd been terrified that her memory would fade, and so would he; the way he talked, the way he walked, the way he smiled-all of it.
"Where'd you come from?"
Oh, God. No. This couldn't be happening.
Scrambling over the rocks and cutting her knees in the process as she slipped, Rose ripped her sunglasses from her face and stared at the man who had produced that voice.
She didn't know what she expected… but this wasn't it.
Standing in front of her, his chest wet from the lake, his large hand on Max's harness, Rose came face to face with her husband. The man who had been declared legally dead eight months ago; Emmett McCarty.
And he was looking at her like she was a stranger.
If at any point you read one of my stories and you want more, let me know, and I can add it to my TBW list (To Be Written).
Thanks for reading.
