Kayla had long learned to see past the veneer of truth to the deeper story whenever her Uncle Jack was visiting and recounting what had he had been up to since he’d last been in town. It was surreal to her how he expected her and her parents to trust his multitude of lies, and even he barely pretended anymore, making up events and accomplishments as easily as idioms fell from her English teacher’s mouth.
There was a shift in his demeanor this time though, when he stood at their door in the rain, holding a single duffle bag, no glib smile, and his shoulders slumped in shame, causing Kayla to do a double take to be sure in was the same man who’d bragged that he’d be sailing around the Caribbean in his brand-new yacht for the entirety of this month. “I need help,” he said simply, his quiet, uncertain voice betraying his honesty.
She let him in, and they stood awkwardly in the entranceway for a moment, until Jack broke the silence, stating, “It’ll be hard to admit that I’m actually a washed-up failure to your parents, but you’ve always seen exactly who I actually am, haven’t you?”
Kayla nodded at the accuracy of the observation, and replied, “I never thought that I’d ever respect you, but if you continue to change your tune, then perhaps I finally will.”
.
I challenged myself to include these prompts while writing:
GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story challenge – shift
Pensitivity101’s Take Seven – lies, pretend, story, true, tune, single, double, trust, betray
Fandango’s One Word Challenge – idiom
Word of the Day Challenge – surreal
Ragtag Daily Prompt – rain
Your Daily Word Prompt – exact
A good combination Nicole. Thanks for the inclusion
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great twist on the ‘long-lost traveller’ trope updated for a modern setting – good intrigue that keeps the reader guessing for what the future holds!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Tom. Gob from Arrested Development was one influence for Jack’s character.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good series to be inspired from! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is good when people come to repentance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure is. Then family and friend relationships have a better foundation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent blend of seamless prompts leading to a great six. Well done, Nicole.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chris 🙂 I’m glad that none of the prompts feel out of place
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not at all, Nicola, none felt forced at all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Coincidence your Six Sentence Story utilizes 6 prompt challenges? 😀
Really nice job of incorporating all the prompts, Nicole.
I would posit the story of Uncle Jack is not as uncommon as we may think except sadly, I bet not everyone is as accepting as Kayla. There can be no redemption without forgiveness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did not plan to use exactly 6 prompts!
Thanks! The cycle of growth and acceptance has to start somewhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She is smart to be cautious, but cool that he recognizes she’s actually listening and seeing him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a different take on Jack. As long as his tales had no real effect on the people he shared them with, what was the harm? Whatever gets you through the life, and all that. Challenging piece though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When someone is so artificial and glib, it can be hard to have a genuine relationship with them. For Kayla, it’s less about whether he was causing harm or not, but moreso how personally close she felt to him.
Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
I thought of Uncle Billy from “Leave It To Beaver” when I read this. Always a tale about his wonderful adventures that never actually existed beyond his head. I hope Uncle Jack visiting Kayla with hat in hand is not another ruse and he is actually in need of help that she can give him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hopefully! Although he had to humble himself quite a bit just to admit that much.
LikeLike