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Paragraphic Harmony

"The Last Job"

The yellow, closed-top convertible whooshed through the barren landscape as the noon sunshine crept through the clouds. She lifted her bloody hand off the steering wheel and cranked the window open. The trip was bumpy and she feared the undeniable accuracy of the blinking gas metre. Hearing the sirens blaring in the distance, she snatched the crumpled shopping bag off the floor, dropped the stickie notes inside, and threw it to the wind. Recalling Mr. Black's instructions, she removed the film canister bottle from the empty safety deposit box and dropped it into a pocket of the baby carrier. Worried she would wake up Emily, she silenced the car and veered to the left.[Submitted by Steve. Toronto, Canada.]

Kirsten always knew that bad luck was following her wherever she went. She thought she could get away, but they found her. "One more job", they said. She didn't believe it. And now, with the threat of them taking Emily away, she couldn't possible say no. She parked the car and got out for some fresh air. As she stood there, thinking of the life she once had, Emily began crying in the back seat. Kirsten looked in. "Crying in her sleep again," she thought. Suddenly, she was in shadows. She turned around, startled, to find Robert glaring at her from the top of his 6'7 stature.[Submitted by Tanya M. North York, Ontario, Canada.]

In an attempt to mask her surprise, she craned her neck sarcastically.
"Well, Robert, nice to see that you're in the clouds."
"How often do I have to warn you to be more cautious?"
"Of?"
"The police."
"It's not like I could have helped the fact that they happened to miraculously show up when Aladdin rubbed the magic lamp. Jesus. They're no big deal. I've handled them before."
"The boss specifically said that we can't take risks --"
"Right, right. I got it already." Kirsten turned her body against the wind, still engulfed by Robert's shadow, and lit a cigarette. The smell of spiced tobacco comforting. It was like home. As she exhaled, the wind pushed the smoke past her face in wisps and, suddenly, she was in front of an art-deco stove making clam chowder. There was laughter in the background; Ed tickling Emily and cooing. Kirsten took another drag of the cigarette , the smoke bringing tears to her eyes.
"Alright, I'm off." Kirsten dropped the cigarette onto the cold asphalt and smothered it with her shoe. Robert, silent, watched her get into the car. She popped her head out of the window after the engine had started up and smiled at Robert.[Submitted by Rin. Chino Hills, California, USA.]

It was that smile. Bright, brilliant as the midday sun that beat down on the both of them. With everything that she had gone through, how could she even live through to the next day? He pitied her, even felt like he should help her out, at least just a little, a little push in the right direction. He almost lifted a finger, reaching out to her, but instead he abruptly turned away and started back to his car and the awaiting entourage of bodyguards. Damn Mr. Black, Robert cursed him under his breath. He heard the sputtering of Kirsten's Mustang as it started up, then the low purring of the engine as she put it into gear. "Wait." Robert turned to face her, her eyes boring into his with a quiet anger in their depths. He could hear her tapping her fingernails against the steering wheel, the Rolling Stones blaring out of the stereo warring against Emily's high pitched wailing. "What is it now, Robert? I don't have all day. I've got a job to finish." His voice came out, deep and clear. "This really will be the last job Kirsten. After this, it'll be the end of it for you. The both of you can take a road trip to Florida, take a long vacation, see Disney World, the whole bit." Her eyes softened a degree. "Thanks Robert." Suddenly her eyes hardened and she added, "It'd better be, for Emily's sake...and Mr. Black's." He gave her a curt nod and strode over to his car. As one of the bodyguards held the door open for him, he lowered his company-standard black sunglasses and watched as the bright yellow Mustang roared off into the distance. In his heart, he thought, if you ever need help, I'll be there for you.[Submitted by Alex C. Chino Hills, California, USA.]

Idea

Sometimes it's easier to write when you have total creative freedom but are given a tangible basis to expand from. For this activity, a beginning will be provided and it'll be your job to provide the rest. The rules are simple: provide one original paragraph that keeps with the continuity and mythology of the previous paragraphs to continue the story (exceptions on dialogue). There are basically no other requirements or wants. Just add to the story to the best of your ability creativity. This is a fun little experiment to see how people from all around the world perceive literature and go with it.

A few things to keep in mind: EVERYTHING written has a purpose. If someone has left something ambiguous (Example: She picked up the moist package and entered the subway station.), they did it on purpose so that you or someone else will continue to develop it later in the story. However, like with everything, this should be used with discretion. Not everything can or should be explained in one tightly-wrapped perfect paragraph. If it's your turn to write, make your paragraph yours. Some things can span an entire story to resolve.

Lastly, while the next version of Paragraphic Harmony will probably encompass some kind of major theme-change per paragraph method, let's try to keep this story fairly run-of-the-mill. Be creative but realize this is supposed to kind of seamlessly fit together. It will probably take longer but the target that the story has to reach before any ending is approved is 5 paragraphs (5 unique entries). Prequel paragraphs are permitted but should be used sparingly for this version.

Click here to submit your entry.

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