I want to write a story but I think I've forgotten how. It's been such a long time and no new ideas are dancing in my brain, trying to get my attention. Everyone's heard about Peter and the Wolf, and no one wants another Princess rescued by true love tale. There are no characters crying out for me to tell their story. Once there were children making friends in the rain. There were erudite vampires who played guardian angel, and a might-be crazy woman who had visits from the devil. I remember the widowed father who created a garden to heal his daughter's heart, and a woman facing mid-life crisis finding hope with a mime. There was love, loss, and locusts on a 19th century prairie, and four generations of women who shared a wedding dress. They're all gone now. I need someone to tap me on the shoulder, or maybe whisper in my ear, that they have a story that only I can put on paper for them. But so far everyone's been silent. Perhaps they're afraid that I won't do their story justice. Or maybe, like me, they're hiding from a world that's gone mad. I miss them. I will sit quietly and hope that the voices will sing again soon.
~Elise Skidmore ©2021

Pst. Elise. I’m sure we can find a story for you…
Ha-ha-ha! That sounds like something you would say.
Did you expect anything less?
Nope. You gotta be you. LOL
Revisit one of those old characters. They may have more to say. And if they don’t, give them a Swedish accent and a pair of knee-high boots and maybe they wear a chain or necklace around their necks with a whistle attached.
Thanks, Dan! I’ll see what I can do.