First Time for Everything: Weekend Warriors

As I expand this blog, I’m really excited to see more of the writing community online. If I’ve learned anything, there are so many talented and driven people out there. In fact, there’s so much content it can overwhelm me. Ever have that feeling?

Hey Katie, what’s with the Weekend Writing Warriors button at the top? Great Question!

Weekend Writing Warriors is an interesting idea. You write 8 lines or 150 words of whatever project you are on and publish it at 12 pm on Saturday. There’s a list over at their blog, and you can see what other people are working on as well! It sounded like a lot of fun to try. Hope I’m doing it right… Well, enough ramblings, here’s mine! It’s the opening of a new piece. Based on the biblical story of Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert. Go here to get further background information.

Warning: mentions violence. For mature audiences only

Paintings try to make me beautiful in my flight. I wasn’t.  My clothes were torn by the rocks. Sand got inside my nose and ears. After a day without water, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Death in the desert never scared me. Living amongst these hills and the sun, I imagined nothing else. But my child still needed me.

Ishmael was so small. Just two months after his fourth birthday. My little man, he had become so tall with warm brown eyes. Though he was heavy, I refused to stop carrying him. A day without any water and his silences grew as his breath slowed. But there was no water, no way to survive.  I knew what I had to do.

“Habibi” I gently woke him. “Stay here while I gather wood.” I turned, blinking back tears. It was time to kill my son.