Christmas Surprise

(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)

Natalie awoke suddenly to noises coming from down the stairs.

Carefully, she crept out of bed and peeked outside.

She caught sight of reindeer on the roof.

Excitedly, she hurried out into the hall.

He was in the living room.

Placing presents under the tree.

They were for her.

She was certain.

Nattie grinned.

Santa!


This piece is based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

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