Prompted Shorties

Flavor of the Month

Prompt: First, write down 12 flavors you can think of (ice cream or candy flavors, savory flavors, etc.).

Next, use all 12 flavors to write a story or scene (in 500 words or fewer) beginning with the following:

The sparkling water was...

Story:

Flavorful Mornings

Flavors used (appearing in order): Mint, Lime, Orange, Lemon, Chocolate, Banana, Strawberry, Mango, Blueberry, Maple, Cherry, Apple.

The sparkling water was minty fresh like the morning breeze on the beach every summer a few years ago. Yet Caroline couldn't pinpoint what was missing from her drink.

She forgot the Lime on top. Her mom didn't buy them last night.

The sweet fragrance of orange lurked in the room as her mom entered the kitchen. Her mom likes wearing that orange scented perfume, as do her dad. It reminds her mom of who she was and who she is now, when Caroline asked her one day about the perfume.

"I know! Lemon juice!" Her mom spoke about the unfinished conversation she had with Caroline last night on what they should drink for lunch the next day.

"I'd prefer a chocolate smoothie" Caroline dejected the thought of drinking that lame sour drink during lunch time, but she knows that she won't get her way. Not this time.

"You've gone bananas Carol! And because of that you're only getting a strawberry smoothie for your snack later" Caroline's mom knows that her daughter hates that flavor. She knew.

"But mooooooooooooom" Caroline whined and begged her mom to change her mind.

Her mom sighed. "Fine." Caroline thought she changed her mom's mind, but little did she know that her mom also didn't buy that last night. "Mango smoothie then."

Caroline looked at her mom with confusion.

"It's a thing" Her mom nodded as she reached in the cabinets to start preparing breakfast. "In some countries"

Caroline didn't complained anymore, she knew she'd rather have the unusual flavored smoothie than drink the one flavor she hated.

"Now go get the blueberries and maple syrup, the pancakes are almost done" Caroline's mom said as she flipped the last few pieces of pancakes she magically conjured out of nowhere.

As Caroline's mom was plating the pancakes, Caroline herself was busy getting the red box of 'good stuff' from the back of the fridge and showed it to her mom.

"Can I?" Caroline asked, her eyes begging her mom to approve what she had in mind, as she showed the box to her.

"If you want cherries on your pancakes then you have to eat an apple, that's the rule remember?" Caroline's mom set down the plate of pancakes as her daughter grabbed an apple on the way to the dining table.

She smiled at her daughter eating her heart out, not caring about how horrible their life is right now. Ever since her husband died it's been downhill from there, their house got foreclosed, they moved into a bad neighborhood, unpaid overdue debts, works two jobs and has to leave Caroline with a baby sitter most of the time.

But that's not the case with Caroline, she's been healthy, happy and goes to a good school. At least she knows she did something right, no matter how flavorful this morning was, it will always be sweet at the end.

It has to. For Caroline's sake.