What are Prompted Writings? See here

Prompt: with great joy, I share with you what happened after…

(First Draft)

With great joy, I share with you what happened after I opened the letter.  Well, first, I suppose I should tell you about the letter.  I received a letter in the mail today.  The plain, white, letter sized envelope didn’t look out of the ordinary.  The edges were a bit worn from the processing and handling, but other than that it was ordinary.  But when I opened it, I saw nothing inside.  I pulled the flap back and opened the mouth of it wide to see if perhaps a small piece of paper stuck to the inside.  I turned it upside down.  I tore the envelope open to see if anything was written on the inside.  Nothing.  Strange.

That’s when I looked at the front again, and noticed the return address.  It was from Steven Elrod.  That went all the way back to grade school.  Sixth grade to be exact.  Half way through the year, a new student moved into our class.  It was a small school and an even smaller class.  So a new student was not common.  But then he also left as mysteriously as he came a few weeks later.  Ask me now why I even remember him and I couldn’t.  I had maybe a handful of conversations with him, never did anything with him outside of class, and I certainly hadn’t kept up with him in the last forty years.  So why was I now getting a letter from him— or more precisely, an envelope.  Then I noticed the return address.  China? 

(First Revision)

Opening that letter ignited a chain of events that still has my head swimming.  Well, first, I suppose I should tell you about the letter.  I received a letter today.  The envelope didn’t look out of the ordinary.  The edges were a bit worn from the processing and handling but nothing other than that.  The strange thing— it was empty.  I felt inside.  Nothing.  I turned it upside down.  Nothing. I tore it completely open and smoothed it flat on the desk to see if anything was written on the inside.  Nothing.  Strange.

That’s when I looked at the front again and noticed the return address.  It was from Steven Elrod.  That time-morphed me all the way back to grade school.  Sixth grade to be exact.  Half way through the year, a new student appeared in class.  It was a small school and an even smaller class.  So a new student was not common.  And then, a few weeks later, he left as mysteriously as he came.  Ask me now why I even remember him and I couldn’t tell you.  I had maybe a handful of conversations with him, never did anything with him outside of class, and I certainly hadn’t kept up with him in the last forty years.  So why was I now getting a letter from him— or more precisely, an envelope.  Then I noticed the return address.  China?