Day 198 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: A masked stranger hands your character an unusual object.

Shannon: I looked down at the stuffed animal in my hands. It was the same one I had when I was a kid, or…was it possible…could it actually be my stuffed animal? The dog was missing the same patches of fur on its back, and it had the same stains on its feet.

Before I could ask, the stranger was gone. Why did he want me to have it? There had to be a reason why he ran up to me with such urgency. I flipped the pup over and caught glimpse of some thread dangling from its belly. That was new. I considered ripping it open, but even after all these years I still had a sentimental attachment to my old friend. I’d have to wait until I was home to figure out what was hidden inside.

Erin: “What is that,” my friend asked pulling at the charm of my necklace. Normally it was hidden in my shirt, but it had slipped out.

“I don’t know,” I took it from her hands back into my own. “Some man gave it to me on the peer one year.”

“Who,” she continued to pry.

“I don’t know he was in an outfit that hooded his face out of my view,” I remembered the strange words he said as he gave it to me, but kept them to myself.

“What’s in the locket?”

“The what,” I asked looking down and realizing the little clasp on the side of the oval for the first time.

“You haven’t opened it,” she gasped trying to take control of doing it herself.

“Wait,” I held the locket in my fist. I had worn the piece for three years and was not sure I was ready to realize what I had traveled with so close to my heart.

What is your character going give your other character?

Day 196 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a character’s role model.

Shannon: I had a teacher who always managed to see the good in people. She’d work with lost causes like me, and teach us that we were good for something where our minds could excel. Before Mrs. Davis took me and a few other students under her wing in a new after school program, I hated going to school. It was like a video game where I kept losing all my lives at every turn and I never improved. The game was pointless and it didn’t make me feel any closer to the finish line.

I guess the reason why she wanted to help us in the first place was because she felt the same way when she was younger. She felt stuck, and she explained to us how she dug herself out. She started the program because she didn’t want us to be alone in our journeys. For the first time in our lives someone believed in us, and it’s amazing how having someone cheering you on can make you feel unstoppable. When I’m older I want to same thing for other people, and because what I’ve learned from Mrs. Davis I know one day I will.

Erin: A little part of me hated going out with Raven. She painted her make-up on her face like the artist she was. Her cheekbones were contoured razor sharp. Her lips stained a supple red. Her winged liner looked printed on, her false lashes looked real if you didn’t know perfection was impossible, and her shadow drew all attention to her crystal blue eyes. The worst part of it all was that her unbelievable beauty lasted all night perfectly. One day I would finally properly learn from her and my face could be art too.

What character inspires your character?