This week’s writing prompts were picture driven. The Story Spark was: Male Energy. It began with a comment by novelist Ann Tyler during an interview with Robert Costa on “CBS Sunday Morning” on 5/25/25 “I’ve been looking at men closely and appreciating them all my life.”
Here are the pictures I chose:
A Decision Made
He stood outside his workshop, staring into the distance. “Was it real, or just my mind playing tricks on me?”
He remembered that day. It was a day on which he had had enough. The lake was calm. He knew he couldn’t swim. All that was needed was to wade out and keep walking. That’s all. It would be over.
He began his slow walk to complete his end. The water was now up to his waist when he saw it. He had to blink several times to determine if the image that had implanted itself on his retina was real.
I mean, the monster was a myth. It was a tale told by seekers who wanted to believe that dinosaurs still existed.
But he was determined. This was to be the end. That was, until that beast turned to him and spoke.
“You do realize that what you are doing is a permanent solution to a temporary problem?”
“What?” he said. “You can’t be real. What do you know about me?”
“I am very real, and though I may not know you personally, I can sense who you are.”
“Then tell me,” the man replied. “Who am I?”
“Though you are one with hardships and troubled thoughts, you are a good man. You are one who cares for others and strives to do your best.”
“Then why does everything I try to do fail? Why is it that the people I love get hurt by others? Why am I unable to keep them safe?”
“Because you are human,” was the monster’s reply. “Because you have a strong heart that is filled with compassion and empathy. Because you are good.”
“So what? Where will all these failures get me? What makes it so important that I survive?”
“Because you are you, and you are what is needed right now in these turbulent times. Because you know in your heart and soul that even with the little you can do, you will eventually make a difference.”
The man stopped mid-lake and watched as the creature dove beneath the waters and disappeared. And thought about what was said. He chose to return to life.
So, there he stands outside his workshop, staring into the distance. Was it real, or just his mind playing tricks on him?
He said out loud to himself, “The monster was right. Feeling there is little I can do is no excuse for doing nothing. And giving up my life would be worse than doing nothing. I will persist. I will do what I can to fight the wrongs in this world. Let others see what I do, and perhaps they will join me as well.”
We can make a change.
