Monday, March 11, 2019

March Writing Challenge - Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 1

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 1



Word count: 1000
Genre: Fairy Tale
Character: A wallflower
Material: A steamboat
Sentence: “Not for you.” ✖
Bonus: Your character is shipwrecked. ✖

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Nola opened her lunch pail. She had gotten it from her uncle who told her never to share its contents or secrets with anyone. Even if she just shared extra potato chips, the magic would stop working. Connor walked by, where she sat with her back to the wall of the cafeteria. She always sat here as she could see the world, but the world rarely saw her.

He walked by not noticing her. She stared at her lunch pail. If there was a better time to escape people, she couldn't think of it. Staring at the steamboat on the side of the pail, she rubbed the wheel that turned the water. That pushed her through the cafeteria and right onto the steamboat. Gulls flew overhead and the scent of the river filled her nostrils. Certainly it smelled a lot better than the cafeteria, although the scent was still not that great. A gust of wind blew past her and she turned to face away from it. Salt was in the wind so she knew she must be close to the end of the Missippissi. However you spelled it, she wasn't sure. She was only in 3rd grade by golly.

She walked along the deck admiring everyone's clothes. Feeling out of place, she looked down and realized that her clothes had changed to blend in. Grateful more than ever for her uncle's thoughtfulness, she blended in perfectly. Seeing stairs to go up to the next level, she hoisted her skirts and climbed up. No one seemed to notice an extra passenger and she made it to the next level. It appeared that all the rooms to stay in were here so there wasn't much space for her to walk around. Seeing the stairs for the top deck, she climbed up.

The view was beautiful at the top. Certainly a lot better than the view of the crowded noisy cafeteria. She saw someone who looked like they were a sailor or something on the steamboat, so she decided to go ask where they were headed.
“NOLA!” he replied with a grin.
“But that's my name?” she puzzled.
“Well, then missy, we are headed to your city!”

She looked over the railing on the very front of the boat, and saw in the distance a city. Her eyes widened. She never knew that there was a city named after her! Or was she named after a city? She'd have to ask her mom when she got home. Glancing down to make sure her lunch pail was still with her, she stood there for a good long time drinking in the sights of the outskirts of NOLA. No one was bothered by her, and she bothered no one. This was the life!  

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