prompts Contest #170 winner 2 Fini Flight Submitted into Contest #170 in response to: Fly by the seat of your pants and write a story without a plan.... view prompt 6 Camphor White uh 102 likes ® 89 comments AMERICAN TEENS &YOUNGADULT SAD. This story contains sensitive content Fini Flight Tigger Warning: Suicide, Violence, Swearing "It's like flying” She said as I peered down at the two dead bodies laying on the ground below me. I was one of the four who decided to jump instead. The unlucky four who didn't escape. "Well?" Well what? You're asking me to jump off a fucking building. "Together?" I ask "No, you go first." What does that mean? Is she really going to chicken out? She was the @ 2g a @ Menu Prompts, Contests Stories Blog"What?" "You go first.” "No! "Why?" “What do you mean why?" I can feel the anger inside of me boiling up to the lid like rice does when you forget about it. She so willingly wanted to jump when I didn't; now she refuses. "You want me to jump off a building. You want me to end my own life." I can now feel tears pooling in my eyes as I realize what the last sentence meant. “Just plea” “NO!” I scream. Finally losing my cool. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I DON'T WANT TO JUMP FIRST! FOR FUCK SAKE I DON'T WANT TO JUMP AT ALL!” At this point, I'm sobbing. A full fit like a two-year-old. I crumble to the ground and hide my face in my hands. Gunshots ring under me in the building on which I sit. I now realize we were not the only “unlucky four" who didn't escape. That's why we came up here in the first place. To die peacefully. Or as peacefully as we could. I sit on the concrete bawling until my head is throbbing with pain realize Kelsie, the poor girl I just screamed at doesn't feel any different than I do. My conscience punishes me by bombarding my mind with scoldings from all different corners of my head. She didn't deserve that. We're all losing our shit. Don't blame her. You're so selfish. What is wrong with you? You deserve to be laying down there with the others. I pull myself together enough to stand up and apologize. “I'm sorry. I truly am, you didn't deserve that,’ I say while wiping the tears and snot onto my navy blue sleeve. I finally turn my head up to look her in the eye, but | am met with nothing but with a blue sky filled with clouds. Kelsic's not there. Through my tantrum, | didn't @ = a @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Bloghear the clap of her body hitting the blacktop parking lot that lay three stories below me. She was dead. I was the only one left. My head is spinning. My legs feel numb like they do after getting off a roller coaster. Finally, after standing in the same spot for what feels like an eternity, my mind switches to what you could call flight mode. I sprint over to the giant vent and rip the grate off. I squeeze in the best I can and replace the grate, completely unconscious of what I'm doing. Tears are streaming down my face as I pull myself further and further back into the whirring metal box. The sound of gunshots echo in my ears. That moment from no longer than forty-five minutes ago plays on repeat in my head. Kids scurrying through the hallways with looks of terror on their faces. The moment when we all realized this was it. This was the end of our lives. Everything ended in the hallways of a shitty high school. Not me. I survived. 00 My eyes flutter open. | fell asleep. I take a breath, letting the cool air of a Michigan night fill my lungs. I can hear the chatter of people not far off. I take the vent cover off and wiggle my way out, my entire body cracking as | sit up on the cold concrete. I sit there for who knows how long listening to the chattering people. They're talking about something terrible. “42 were killed.” @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blog“They're all dead...” I stand up and walk over to the edge of the roof where I can hear the people and look down. The people go quiet and look back at me, Suddenly the group breaks apart, some heading towards their red and blue flashing cars, while others rush into the school. About thirty seconds later I hear, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump. People running up a staircase. Then the door to the roof bursts open. “HEY! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!” A man yells, I assume at me, however, I don't move at all. I can't, I'm too exhausted. Three other men follow him through the door and start to surround me with their guns pointed at the ground. I look up at them and they relax, seeing I have nothing but my ripped zip-up hoodie. Two of the men put their guns in their holsters and start to move in closer. No. No. No. No. No. No. NO! Unintentionally, I jump back away from the men, pulling my sweatshirt tight around my waist. “It’s alright. We're here to help” says the man who first came barreling through the door. I quickly take another step back, not letting him get any closer. “I promise you we are here to help” says the man again. He extends his hand towards me so | can take it. I look at it and my lungs start to feel like they're shrinking. They feel so small I can barely breathe. I sit down gasping for air when suddenly my hand is in someone else's. “Hey, hey, hey, deep breaths. Deep breaths. Ready? Watch me.’ I don't look up, instead, I stare at a tiny piece of rock embedded in the concrete. He starts taking exaggerated breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth, just like every yoga instructor I've ever met. The sound of mv heart in mv ears is fadins: mv breathing @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blogis slowing down. All the men have left, leaving just the first man and me. “Better?” Says the man. I nod, still refusing to look at him. “Can I ask what your name is?" I take a deep breath and answer him, trying my best not to let my voice crack. “Piper” I say quietly. “Hi Piper, I'm Ceader, how old are you?” “Fifteen” “What grade are you in?” “Tenth” “Tenth grade, very good. Piper, are you hurt anywhere?” “I think I hurt my ankle.” I hadn't even noticed. As we continue to talk, my confidence builds little by little. “Are you able to walk?” "I think so." “Great, if you can, I would like to ask you to come down to the parking lot with me. We want to ask you some questions.” “Who's we?” “The police. Your school was attacked today and we're trying to figure out why it happened. ‘Ask me why it happened. Jesus Christ. What the hell is wrong with these people? What happened was another high school in America got screwed over again. “But first, do you have a family? Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, anyone who you feel comfortable contacting?” “No? “No one?” “NIA” @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogIwonder where mom is right now. If she would have given a shit if her only kid died. You idiot. Of course she wouldn't have. She left me. Left me to figure out my life on my own. A fifteen-year-old to fend for herself. “Okay then, you're gonna stick with us until we can figure something out for you” “alright! “Alright? Says Ceader, leading the way to the rooftop's door. Instead of following, I stand in one place with my feet glued to the ground. Why didn’t I die? Why did I survive? The person who has nothing to live for is living. So many people died. People with a life. People who had someone who cared about them. I robbed them of that. I don't deserve to live. refuse. I burst into tears. Ceader turns back around. I look at him and he seems to know what I'm thinking, He starts running toward me but is too slow. I reach the edge of the building and turn around. He stops and looks me dead in the eye. “piper. Stop. Please Piper don't do anything” He speaks to his chest, requesting backup but it won't help him. "Look away. Please" I ask, for his sake. He lunges at me but it's too late. I fall back. always did want to fly. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blogeo 6 @ Twitter Facebook Pinterest Report November 04, 2022 04:03 Camphor White You must sign up or log in to submit a comment. 6 102 es 89 comments 18 points K. Antonio 23:41 Nov 11, 2022 Ihaven't really been active on Reedsy lately, but after reading this story | felt the need to come on here and leave a comment, ESPECIALLY because you did ask for some advice on why some people might have found the story confusing. FIRST, congratz on the win. It's never easy to write something and submit it to be looked over and judged by others, so | think it's great that you were able to do so. Takes guts and the desire to want to grow. Hopefully this comment of mine contributes to that. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogNow, as FOR THE STORY. | think it's alright... Read more Reply 6 points Camphor White 23:57 Nov 11, 2022 THANK YOU SO SO MUCH MOR THIS COMMENT! | am going to take all of it into account. | think | am going to go through the story again and edit it with everyone's ideas in mind then re-publish it to my profile. Comments like these really help me, and | appreciate them very much. Thank you so much for reading | hope u have a great day. Reply 4 points Daniel Fernandes 18:28 Nov 12, 2022 Wow This was a wild in depth view of this story in every angle. | am actually starting out trying to get recognized. Would like to ask for a favor for some advice on my work if possible to do an in depth view on some of the stories | have. Of course only if you have time. I've been writing for years but would like a different perspective to advance my skills as a writer. Reply @ points Jessica Marie ‘M51 Nov 13, 2022 I felt the need to comment on this piece because as someone who was personally affected by the Oxford shooting in Michigan | was very bothered by this story. | did not find it to be a “healing outlet” but an emotion grab. School shootings should absolutely be talked about and writing is a way to. heal, but this greatly misrepresents reality. Children in school shootings don't leap to their death for no reason, they hide in closets and under the bodies of their classmates. A school shooting is not a joke and should not be taken lightly. Childr... Read more Reply 2points Camphor White 22:04 Nov 13, 2022 Hi Jessica, @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogMenu saying. I do recognize that t story doesn't match reality when it comes to shootings, but | promise you | didn't mean to frame it as a joke. | do realize that shootings are not something to be taken lightly at all and | am sorry if | have expressed that throughout this piece. lam a person who came out of high school not long ago, so | do understand the weight of the current problem a... Read more Reply 7 points Jaden Christopher 23:16 Nov 11, 2022 This story was ok. It definitely needed another round of edits. A couple grammar mistakes, and some confusion in the middle. It could have been longer as well, so we could maybe get a better picture of the MCs motivations. Obviously pulled out a win because of the prompt, and congratulations on that, but definitely could have made this stronger. Pantsing doesn't mean not editing. Reply 3 points Camphor White 23:30 Nov 11, 2022 Thank you, | will definitely keep all of what you wrote in mind. The more | read through it | find myself wanting to change things. Thank you for this comment. Reply 6 points Jaden Christopher (02:40 Nov 12, 2022 Thank you for taking your feedback graciously. | have no doubt you will improve on this one and use the experience on your next piece. | look forward to reading more from you. Reply 3 points Camphor White 03:25 Nov 12, 2022 Thank you, that means a lot. Reply 4. Tooints Jeff Stenhanas 19-49 Now 11.9029 @ 2g @ @ Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply 4 points Camphor White 22:44 Nov 11, 2022 Hi there, whoever has read this | thank you very much. | keep seeing comments where it was hard to understand, | am wondering where that would be exactly so | can change that in anything | might write in the future (sorry if this sounds cheesy at all) | am truly just trying to improve. Reply 3 points Millie Fetzig 08:22 Nov 14, 2022 Hey for me the confusing part was the "what" is going on?. Why are the people jumping? Did they break out of prison or are they in a war zone? We can hear bullets, but who is behind the gun? For me the confusion is, what keeps me going! | need to know! Your ability to transplant the feeling of your main character (confusion terror) into your reader is a talent! But with the brevity of the writing it can leave a reader wanting. So you are turning this obstacle into an opportunity and expanding the writing. I'm proud of you. | enjoyed reading i... Read more Reply 3 points Chris Wood 17:02 Nov 15, 2022 Excellent! This to me is the perfect short story: it is not a neat, beginning- middle-end, predictable piece of writing. It stimulates. It provokes the reader to question, to try to find a personal reference to make sense of it. It's not supposed to be a cosy, easy read. It captures an atmosphere, a moment. | was there on that ledge! | saw and heard the police! Well done! Reply ‘points Camphor White 18:31 Nov 16, 2022 Thank you so much, I'm happy you liked it :) Reply ‘points Tommy Goround 06:47 Nov 20, 2022 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply 3 points Calm Shark 20:07 Nov 12, 2022 Hi Camphor, this story was dramatic which | love. | understand how people can see this as confusing, however, you did follow the prompt so | know where you are coming from. Either way, as this is your ‘st story, it's not bad. Ihope you can write more stories in the future. Peace out! Reply 2 points Camphor White 23:08 Nov 12, 2022 Haha thanks so much for reading it! Reply 2 points Calm Shark 23:80 Nov 12, 2022 You're welcome! Reply 2points Patricia Merewether 03:54 Dec 01, 2022 At first | was a little sad and angry, thinking that all the winning stories seem to be so negative and violent. But then | remembered, you warned me, right? Ilive near Goodrich, MI and we all need to be reminded about these situations. Yours was a good perspective. | felt a lurch inside when | read the bit where she looks up and is talking to Kelsie - and Kelsie is gone. Lord - powerful. | wondered if you meant to write "| always wanted to fly” - great ending - writing wise. Reply 2points VIhd 17:02 Nov 17, 2022 usually spread read through stories, to get the gist and more on. | read quickly at first but then | sat down and read it. You did this story very well for the prompt. Based on the prompt, it's perfect. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply ‘points Camphor White 16:10 Nov 17, 2022 Thank you } I'm glad you liked it Reply 2points Kathleen Spalding 01:34 Nov 17, 2022 Good one. Well done! | admit that | was wondering through the piece, but in a good way because it added to the suspense - what were they running from? (The gunshots made me think zombies) What is the MC's age and gender? (I assumed male until 'Piper’) But you know, the gender doesn't really matter. It could be M or F or even left neutral by giving her a gender- neutral name. You could establish the age early on during the paragraph where the MC's berating herself by adding something like, "She's just 15, same as you.’) It pulls the reader out... Read more Reply ‘points Camphor White 16:09 Nov 17, 2022 | like the points you bring up in this comment, especially the idea of formally introducing the character's gender. | never thought of doing it! I'm really happy you noticed that. Ihave been waiting for someone to point out the first and last line. | was starting to wonder if it was noticeable. | thank you for reading it, and for your feedback. | really really appreciate it :) Reply 2points Brooklyn Doherty 14:51 Nov 16, 2022 This was such a good story! You brought everything together and made it a total winner. NICE JOBI! You are an inspiration to our younger writing generation, like me! Reply ‘points Camphor White 01:32 Nov 17, 2022 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply 2points Freaky Cas 20:20 Nov 14, 2022 they should have lived tbh but this is still an amazing story Reply 2 points Waffiez Wasfound 19:34 Nov 14, 2022 Holy. Honk. I’ve never felt this emotionally immersed into a story like this before. This is truly amazing, dispite the sad ending. Reply 2points Jay Gab 03:45 Nov 14, 2022 It's okay but you should read it mine it's really good Reply 2 points Sophia Gardenia 15:42 Nov 13, 2022 Gosh, Camphor. This was amazing! Amazing but heartwrenching, especially that last line. Keep writing! Reply 2 points Rabab Zaidi 1414 Nov 18, 2022 Really sad. Reply 2 points Chukwuebuka Harrison 17:27 Nov, 2022 Wow! This is beautiful, even though the ending is a kinda heartbreaking. | love this story to the moon and back. Well done, Camphor White. Your storytelling skill is awesome. Reply 2points Lydia Badi @ 2g @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories 21:54 Nov 15, 2022 @'s so creative and yau have just enough action to make it lagree: exciting without over doing it. congrats on the win! Reply ‘points Camphor White 01:33 Nov 17, 2022 Thank you so much :) Reply 2points Scott Christenson 16:56 Nov 11, 2022 Fast paced exciting writing. The second paragraph was truly confusing..was that a grammar error or intentional? and then the story gets moving, fast, and | thought this was a Squid Game situation for a while, until it shifts into being someone in a school shooting. Good job of following the write by the seat of your pants idea (i'm trying to comment by the seat of my pants) and making the story grow into something bigger. Then when Piper was rescued it shifts into something far more emotional and revealing. | thought this was a powerful para... Read more Reply 3 points Camphor white 22:42 Nov 11, 2022 Hi, thank you so much for reading this. You said in the second paragraph it was confusing, where exactly did you mean? My goal is to improve my writing skills and that starts here. So as much feedback as you could give me would be great. Thank you so much. @ Reply 3 points Scott Christenson 03:42 Nov 12, 2022 "She said as | peered down at the two dead bodies laying on the ground below me. | was one of the four who decided to jump instead. The unlucky four who didn't escape.” ‘Instead after the first sentence would mean you are doing the opposite of those ppl jumping. And the past tense thing when the mc is alive and in action talking and not reminscing. Outside of that. creating tension and being in motion without explaining everything is fine imho. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogRonly 4.¥ 2points Camphor White 23:00 Nov 12, 2022 Thank you for clarifying. | will fix that when I go through it again @ | shall always keep what you have said in mind when writing in the future. It's a good piece of advice to hold onto so thank you. Reply 4 2points Olivia white 28:16 Nov 09, 2022 This is such a good story! It really opens your eyes and shows you what kids have to go through, and that sometimes we're scared to go to school because of this. Reply @.¥ 1points Arianna Silveira 00:59 Dec 08, 2022 | absolutely love this story it's gust so good Reply Load more comments Find the perfect editor for your next book Over 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meet them. s() @ 2g a @ Menu Prompts, Contests Stories Blogdsy | Boe 2 [reedsy logo FwittFacebtinedi Terms Privacy Reedsy Ltd. © 2022 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blog