ADVENTURE STORY COMPETITION
Today Will Be A Good Day
WINNER £100
FIRST PLACE Sara Parkinson
‘TODAY WILL BE A GOOD DAY’ the postcard on the bathroom mirror said. Clara stared at it until it just became a pink and green blur, and the daisies around the border were no more than squiggly lines. Today will be a good day. Today will be a good day. She counted to four while breathing in, then counted to six on the out breath. Today was a day for doing something new. Today was a day full of possibilities.
‘A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there,’ she whispered under her breath. Who said that? She couldn’t remember, but it was a good mantra for today. She drew her eyes away from the postcard and concentrated on her own reflection for a moment. Was she passable? Probably.
She’d picked out an outfit for the occasion - just jeans and a jumper, but it was a definite upgrade from the tracksuits she’d taken to wearing every day lately. The leggings and the baggy T-shirts, everything designed for comfort, for her comfort zone.
Her hair was freshly washed and she’d applied a thin layer of pink lipstick. Passable. No big deal, but in truth it was a big deal of a day.
The clock said 8.30am. She had half an hour until she had to leave and face what was in store for her. She slowly walked down the stairs. Thirteen stairs. An odd number never felt right. It would be better if there were twelve or fourteen stairs. Sat on the sofa already wearing her coat she picked up her handbag and emptied it. Tissues. A mirror. Paracetamol. Her purse. Her medication. A hairbrush. A novel. She repacked her bag. Then emptied it again to double check.