Writing a Short Story - Emma and her Grandfather's Heirloom

Extract

[...] Writing a Short Story - Emma and her Grandfather's Heirloom Instructions Write a short story of two full pages. Utilize sensory vocabulary and descriptive imagery Involve complexity (of characters, storyline, language, etc.) Display evident creativity and true effort of thought Be grammatically correct and utilize good vocabulary This story can explore any theme or topic that you like, can be of any sub-genre. As Emma crossed the threshold of her grandfather's house this morning, an intangible shift greeted her. It was not disturbing or frightening, rather a subtle electrical current, a sense of change palpable in the very atmosphere. [...]

[...] Detailed scrutiny revealed enigmatic characters inscribed within, symbols foreign to her understanding. Her thoughts wandered to her grandfather and his great career, dedicated to deciphering ancient languages and the civilizations who used them. Did he stumble upon this ring during his archaeological pursuits? If so, why hadn't he consigned it to a museum? Did he choose to leave it behind because it had been a burden? Since his departure, she noticed peculiar shifts in her daily life. Sleep became elusive, troubled by enigmatic dreams that faded upon awakening. [...]

[...] One evening, she even called her grandfather. Yet, his response was curiously evasive: he bought the ring at an antique shop in Whitstable when he was a student, and kept it as a precious memory of his university years. Her mind started to wander: could the ring possess ancient power? Was she cursed by that ring? Perhaps it once belonged to a sorcerer from a bygone era? Had her grandfather left the ring behind out of fear? At times, she found herself abruptly roused from these reveries, startled by the irrational thoughts that infiltrated her typically rational mind. [...]

[...] I don't know how many good years I have left, and I want to enjoy them. Last month I had the most interesting conversation with one of my old pals from university. Long story short: he was asked to join a new archeological mission in the Middle East, and wants me to be part of the crew, as a kind of consultant. You know, because of my expertise in ancient languages." Her grandfather had been a scholar over his career, and had always been a scholar at heart. [...]

[...] Perhaps with her grandfather when he would be back. On her way back home, she felt incredibly light and wondered at the power of the mind, capable of conjuring such feelings and beliefs from a slightly unusual ring. That night, her sleep was not disturbed by any cryptic dreams. Until she opened her jewelry box the following morning, and was met with the unsettling sight of the ring nestled within. Her phone rang: her grandfather was calling, at a most unusual time. [...]