Writing Spark Saturday: The Fortune Teller

Hey guys! Welcome to another Writing Spark Saturday!
If this is the first time you've seen a WSS post, go ahead and check out the rundown below. If you already know how it works, you can just scroll down to today's spark.

What exactly is Writing Spark Saturday?
WSS is a fun way to take a break from your current project and write for fun. Every Saturday I will be posting some kind of writing challenge (such as a prompt or game) for you guys to respond to. I will try to always post my own response to the spark, though as you all know my schedule can get pretty busy, so I can't promise I will post my response every single week.

How can I participate?
Simple! Just check the blog (or your e-mail if you're subscribed) on Saturday to see what the spark is. Then write whatever that spark inspires you to write! In addition, if you would like to share what you have written, send it to me in an e-mail! I would love to read what you guys come up with, and if I like it enough I might share it here on the blog!

Why did you come up with Writing Spark Saturday?
As a writer myself, I know how invested we can get into our big novels and projects; sometimes to the point that writing isn't even fun anymore. It's just work.
My hope is that WSS will bring the fun back into writing by allowing you guys to take a break and be creative with different ideas. It is so, so important to take a step back from the work side of writing and just let yourself be creative without worrying so much about word usage, grammar, etc. Just write!

Today's Spark
Today's spark comes from the book 642 Things to Write About by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. There are quite a few prompts in this book (642, obviously) but this one really stuck out to me. Today's WSS spark is . . .


I love how vague this is. There are sooo many directions you could take! I had a bit of fun letting my mind wander, so my little snippet is available to read down below.
Again, if you would like to share your take on this spark, you can find my email in the Contact Me tab above or comment your piece down below!

Karma
She was only trying to save me from myself.
Headlights roar past through dirty puddles that spray at my feet and ankles while rain pelts against the ground and soaks into my skin.
I press my thumb to the “walk” button again, heaving an impatient sigh as the stale red hand remains in place. A roll of thunder rumbles across the city slowly, the clamor taking its time to reach across the sky and shake the clouds.
Almost as slowly as the guilt beginning to settle in my stomach.
Sunlight. Summer. Blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. She laughs in a way that makes the clouds disappear and the air grow warmer.
A pain stabs at my chest as I imagine her face, her beautiful smile, her steady hands and warm skin. The guilt begins to blossom into an ache.
I shake my head quickly and glance across the street at the neon lights and darkened shops and doorsteps nearly hidden by the shadows of the dim streetlamps. A sudden chill sends shivers down my spine and I reach back to adjust my jacket. But when I see her, I realize the chill isn’t from the rain at all.
Her gaze is sharp and demanding. Powerful. Entrapping. She stands in the big window of a small shop blazing with glorious neon signs that nearly drown her from view. Her red lips are pursed and her eyes are sad, and she lifts a hand cloaked in a flowing purple sleeve.
“Come,” she seems to say. “Come inside now.”
The neon red “Fortune Teller” on the window casts an eerie glow upon her face that matches the red hand still stagnant on the crosswalk despite the now emptiness of the road.
My eyebrows knit together for a moment before a new face flashes through my mind.
Dark hair, dark eyes. Starlit nights and guitar music. She’s beautiful in a refreshing, challenging way. Everything about her is irresistibly enticing.
The guilt pinches me again, and again, and again. The Fortune Teller keeps her gaze. It entraps me. Ensnares me. Freezes me to my core.
Does she know?
Fortune Teller. Psychic. Know Your Future. Palm Reader.
The words in their neon blaze sear into my mind; I can’t escape them even with a close of my eyes.
I press the button again, and again, but with each press I find my eyes glancing back at the woman in the window. And each time, her gaze remains steady and sad.
She waves her hand again, beckoning me to her.
“I know what you did,” she seems to say. “I see all.”
I shut my eyes again, my mind beginning to clamor with the rain as voices and faces of blonde and brunette and green and brown. Sunshine. Stars. Sunshine...stars...
What have I done?
You promised her. I see what you did. You’re a liar. A cheater. I see all.”
The neon signs burn no matter how hard I try to ignore them. I hear her voice no matter how hard I try to drown it out. Is that what she’s saying to me? Does she really know what I’ve done?
I glance back at the window to find her eyes burdened with sorrow instead of anger. Pity instead of judgment.
Come inside,” she beckons again.
For a moment, I nearly comply. Perhaps she wants something else. Perhaps she has no idea...
Green eyes. Brown eyes. Sunshine. Stars.
The Fortune Teller continues to watch me.
I swallow hard and take an involuntary step back, pressing my thumb against the walk button rapidly. No cars are on the road. The rain pours even harder.
Come inside.”
No—it was a mistake. One mistake. One kiss. I can undo it. I can fix it. No one has to know.
“I see all.”
We make eye contact again, and I swear the neon lights make the knowing look in her eyes shine even brighter.
I take one fast look at the street, the empty street, before turning my back to the Fortune Teller in the window and running across the crosswalk. The red neon signs in her window and the “don’t walk” hand cast their glow on the shining ground.
And then I hear tires screeching, water splashing, a horn honking as I look up and see a split-second of two blinding headlights. They shine like green and brown eyes.
And the Fortune Teller in the window is gone.



I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and have some fun playing around with this spark!