Write on Wednesdays - Floating Candles

Angeline stood outside the cathedral and looked up. The windows stared down at her and the gargoyles mocked her tatty clothes and shoeless feet. Tourists bustled past her with their cameras ready and chatted endlessly about bus times and dinner cruises. Angeline had walked a long way to get to the cathedral, a journey that had taken her away from home and away for too long. She looked up at the mocking gargoyles, took a deep breath and stepped into the cathedral. 


She crept along the sides of the chapel. She was not interested in famous dead people or architectural this or that. She had to get to the little chapel where she could light a candle. Angeline didn't know what would happen when she lit the candle, she just knew that something drew her there from the other side of the city. As she approached the alcove she was alarmed that there were so many candles already there, she stood and watched the spots of fire dance in their shimmering ponds. Would her single candle make any difference to her prayer? She daren't think about it. She took a new candle from the box, blessed it with a kiss and found a tiny spot to place her candle. 


As she lit the candle and the smell of the match filled her nostrils and the light danced and reflected in her eyes, she whispered a prayer she had walked across a snow covered city to say, "Please, I know you are very busy, but please....."




Write On Wednesdays Exercise 26 - Look at the photo at the top of this post. What does it inspire in you? Set your timer for 5 minutes. With the photo in mind, write the first words that come into your head until the buzzer rings. If you aren't a visual person, you could try lighting a few candles and writing by candlelight. Different sensory experiences can be useful for inspiring creative writing so please play around to make the prompt suit your writing needs. If you do try writing by candlelight, let us know. I'd love to know how it works for you!