I started a challenge to write a story that is exactly 50 words! Thank you, Boy with a Hat. Not that he set up a formal challenge, but it was his idea. And his writing is worth checking out. So please click the link and check out what he’s up to.

So how to proceed? I decided to pick a name each week from Dorothy Astoria’s The Name Book. (I do often consult her book for character names.)

For Week 4, I picked my mother’s name, Rita. I’m thinking of her because Sunday is Mother’s Day. Well, I think of her almost every day, but this seems like a good week to honor her.

“I’m okay.”  Rita whispers into her cellphone, surveying her stair-step children. Morning sun dapples their faces.  “The magpies sleep.” Rita wobbles a smile.

“Come back.”

“I will,” she lies.

Branches of the Wolf Oak protectively touch the ground around her family. Life stirs inside and around her. They’re safe here.

That was super-fun and challenging. My grandparents affectionately called us Magpies. I’m sure that’s exactly what nine children sounded like. The rest? Pure fiction. Although… someday, I would like to sleep under the protective arms of a Wolf Oak. This one is in a preserve near where I live.

Wednesdays will be my Fifty day at least on and off again. I do have a lot of words blowing around inside of me. I’m not sure I can hold off commenting on COVID-19 or Infrastructure or cancel culture.

I’m not sure if I can hold off writing about other things. I can’t leave thoughts trapped up there in my brain, can I?