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O. Henry Short Story Prompt 4 – Witches’ Loaves

AC Benus

By AC Benus
in Peeks and Prompts

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AC Benus Fabled Scribe

AC Benus

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Hi All,

 

Note: Just to review the purpose and goal of these prompts, let’s remember a Short Story is not just a story that’s short. As developed by American writers for over 200 years now, it has specific parts, and the form allows for nearly unlimited creativity.   

 

These prompts are here to help you build confidence in crafting your own Short Stories. The sections yours should include are:

 

- Setup

- Development

- Climax/Twist

- Denouement (which is the aftermath, and which is optional).

 

For further details, see my opening remarks on the series here.

 

 

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O. Henry Short Story Prompt 4 – Witches’ Loaves

 

Martha Meacham is a practical and pragmatic businesswoman. At age 40, her corner bakery and donut shop is the kind of urban gathering spot where everybody knows your name. She has money in the bank, but sometimes thinks it’s too late to have the love of her life walk beneath the tinkling bell attached to her shop’s door.

 

One day she begins to pay more attention to a particularly offbeat client of hers. Immediately after the morning rush on Tuesdays and Thursdays, an unassuming man in his fifties, with wire-rim glasses, steps up to the counter to buy a pair of day-old dinner rolls, which are priced to move at two-for-one. His routine never varies: never a donut; never a slice of cheesecake; never a croissant.

 

He’s neat as a pin in his attire, but Martha notes his business-casual clothes are a bit worn around the edges, like he hasn’t replaced them in quite a while. His manner is always polite, and the shop owner detects a German accent.       

 

Thinking about him at odd moments during the day raises pity in her breast. She begins to suppose the odd staining of sepia and black on his fingertips means he’s an artist. That thought makes her even sadder. She imagines him toiling the day away in some dingy attic loft, painting his heart out, to only sit down later to a meal of tap water and two stale dinner rolls.

 

To confirm her suspicion, she brings down a small painting from her apartment upstairs. It’s a Venetian scene she’d picked it up at an auction because she liked the colors, but otherwise she knows nothing about Art.

 

True to her suspicion, the next time he’s in, the German takes note of the painting and starts his first conversation with her. He says she has a fine picture there, and it sends her pulse racing. “Do you think so?” she asks. “Indeed, although the perspective is a little off.”

 

Now a few more changes occur at the corner bakery. On certain days of the week, flowers appear on the counter by the day-old section. And though her regulars rib her about it, she takes to wearing a particular silk blouse a friend gave her long ago. She feels the blue and white polka dots cheer up the place.

 

The German and she engage in friendly smiles and chitchat about the weather each time he comes in, but Martha does not know how to take their ‘relationship’ to the next level.

 

One day while he’s there, a great parade of sirens sounds from down the street. Patrons rush to the front windows to watch the firetrucks go by, and Martha takes a notion into her head. Quick as can be, she rushes the customer’s stale dinner rolls over to the pastry cream gun – the kind used to inject donuts with the light and buttery filling.

 

By the time the commotion dies down, she hands the man his rolls already bagged up.

 

That day at lunch, she dreamily pictures her artist at work. Pictures how he’d stop for a bite, and encounter a surprise. He’d taste the sweetness and know it was from Martha…maybe he’d know more too.

 

Her reverie is broken abruptly by the angry sound of her shop bell. When she goes to the front, the German’s pulling his hair out in frustration and fuming in his native language. The only word she can make out clearly is Hexenbrot, because he repeats it so many times. Fortunately, the man’s accompanied by a younger coworker who can translate.   

 

 

The Prompt: write your own Short Story based on this scenario, and what has happened to upset the dinner-roll client. 

 

If you want to know what O. Henry's twist is, PM me and I will tell you. Otherwise, try to devise your own.

 

_

Edited by AC Benus
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Mikiesboy Mythic Scribe

Mikiesboy

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Just now, Defiance19 said:

You say that, but I’m sure it will be great! My idea is well.. out there. We’ll see how it works. 

i say that cuz i mean it ... we'll see what AC thinks. 

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Mikiesboy Mythic Scribe

Mikiesboy

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54 minutes ago, Defiance19 said:

You say that, but I’m sure it will be great! My idea is well.. out there. We’ll see how it works. 

i was just thinking (rare i know..lol)  i was thinking, if we've had the same idea ... well there is either something wrong with us or  we both need help

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AC Benus Fabled Scribe

AC Benus

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14 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

I'm still working on the first prompt. But I like this one too. Hell, I love all of them. The Last Leaf has been talking to me a lot. GAH!!! I can't decide!

There's time to do 'em all, A :yes: Keeping going with your Green Door. That's a good one to use to get into the swing of things. 

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Defiance19 Master Scribe

Defiance19

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On 9/22/2018 at 11:23 AM, Mikiesboy said:

i was just thinking (rare i know..lol)  i was thinking, if we've had the same idea ... well there is either something wrong with us or  we both need help

Just read yours tim. Loved it, and mine is different, but we might both still need help. 😏 lol

@AC Benus I will likely have it to you this week.  

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