Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

The Worst Day of Your Life

Your day started out like any other day; you had no way of knowing that it would turn out to be the worst day of your entire life. You got up this morning, showered and dressed, gave your wife and kids quick kisses, stuffed half of a blueberry muffin in your mouth and raced out the front door, knocking it closed behind you with a bump of your hip.

It seemed like a perfectly ordinary day.

Traffic was, just like on every other day, hectic, congested, alternating between high speed and jammed. It took you twenty-five minutes to arrive at the office, where you greeted your secretary with a friendly smile and a "Morning, Sheila," and added a chocolate glazed donut to your morning breakfast.

In none of this was there any hint that this day would be unlike any other.

You wiped chocolate crumbs from your face with the sleeve of your shirt and set to work, running reports, printing memorandums, meeting clients, and taking phone calls about your new product line under R & D. You stopped for a few minutes around fifteen minutes past ten to take a phone call from your wife, who wanted to remind you that you that Johnny had band practice until 4:30, at which time you needed to pick him up. After hanging up you asked Sheila to cancel your 4:30 appointment.

Still, in none of this was there any hint that this day would turn out to be the worst day of your entire life.

At noon you left the office and walked to the McDonald's two blocks down, telling yourself that the two blocks you walked would more than make up for the saturated fats you shoveled down your gullet (following the muffin and donut from the morning). The woman behind the register was a frumpy little old lady who reminded you of your grandmother, and you gave her a friendly smile which she ignored as she slammed a double bacon cheeseburger onto your tray, scattering soggy, over-salted fries everywhere. After eating your fries you dumped your trash in the bin and walked back to your office.

Even then, you still were completely unaware that this day would be unlike any other.

At 2:30 in the afternoon you were taking a coffee break when some idiot accidentally spilled his diet sprite on the control console at the missile silo.

Yeah. You have no idea how sorry I am about that.

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