MPBN is partnering with The Telling Room in Portland in August to highlight the work of young writers. Here's "A Prompt for Writers: Freeing the Fish" by Cameron Jury.
The milk jug sat comfortably in my hand, between my fingers. It was no longer filled with white milk, but with stale seawater and a small fish that was soon to be set free. It was high tide and salt water covered the shore. I felt bad for the fish. We had captured him weeks before and he had spent his days living in a lobster tank beneath my deck. He was the only fish in the tank; therefore, he was always alone.
The sun's rays beat strongly on my face as I waded barefoot through the water. My blue sunglasses were tangled in my braids. While everyone at the beach party swam and played cheerfully, I wandered off, down to the far end-the dangerous part. I felt dragged there as if by a magnet. This part of the beach was covered with sharp rocks and strong waves and the unknown. But the unknown never bothered me.
I felt the barnacles beneath my feet threatening to cut through my skin. I stepped carefully so I would not fall. One wrong step and I could be sucked into the ocean. It reached my mid-shins, sometimes to my kneecaps. The water around me swirled in dangerous pools. The sea was murky, as if it were hiding something magical from hopeful, watching eyes, and keeping a secret beneath its ever-moving waters.
My toes were so cold that they had no feeling whatsoever, and my body seemed to be sending all its heat to my head. My thoughts followed my temperature, moving swiftly down and inward as if carried on a breeze. I listened to my heart.
As I watched the fish maneuver through the churning current, I stood and wondered about how the world works. How we can take away a creature's life without feeling sorrow, or we can let it live and continue on its path. One last reflecting scale caught my eye before the waves came and took it out to sea.
The Story Behind the Story: A photograph I took inspired me to write this piece. I told the true story of the picture and then added elements and details to make it fictional. While I wrote, I looked at the picture. Through this process, I discovered that I honestly like writing from memory much more-it was hard to stay true to the photograph, and I didn't know how to end the piece.
Story Prompt: Try looking at a photo and writing a fictional story from it. Then explain what's going on in the image or maybe try writing about the backstory behind the picture. See if what you wanted to write about came out as you'd first pictured it in your mind, when looking at the photograph.
Cameron Jury is a rising high school freshman from Scarborough. She lives with her two black labs, loves Edgar Allen Poe, and reading and writing. She has been working with The Telling Room for four years, and is part of the Young Emerging Authors Fellowship program where she is writing a guidebook filled with prompts, poetry, comments, and advice for other young writers. With its publication, she hopes to inspire readers and help all writers conquer writer’s block in the future. Please join Cameron and the other three Young Emerging Authors at their official book launch on August 21, from 4:30-5:30pm at SPACE Gallery in Portland. The young authors will be on hand to read from their work, take part in a Q&A, and sign books available for purchase on site.