Story A Day Challenge – Day 10 – The Tunnel

Jacob stared into the tunnel. The opening was brightly lit but a few feet in there was total blackness. He mentioned this to his companion, carefully sounding casual.

“It only looks dark because the front is lit up. Don’t be such a chicken,” Susie mocked.

“I’m not a chicken!” His ego stung, Jacob looked away so his new girlfriend wouldn’t see how scared he was of the dark.

“I know you’re not, I’m sorry. Come on, let’s just go for it. You said you wanted to.” Susie said, using her power pout and twirling her red hair dangerously.

“I do, but it’s really dark in there. How do you know we’ll be able to find out way?” Her lips were almost convincing him.

The girl sighed. “It’s a straight tunnel. We can’t possibly get lost. Don’t worry about it, let’s go do something else.”

Jacob heard the disappointment in her voice. Time to man up. “No, let’s do this.” He grabbed her hand and they got into the cart that would take them through the tunnel.

When they passed the outside lighting he was pleasantly surprised to see there were more lights inside. These were more subtle, romantic even. He put his arm around Susie and moved closer. His nerves were on fire but he was determined.

As he leaned in to kiss her, his first kiss ever, the electricity went out in the Tunnel of Love, plunging them in darkness and bringing the cart to a standstill. For one moment the fear came back, but the girl’s breath on his face dispelled the panic. When she kissed him he decided maybe he wasn’t so afraid of the dark anymore.

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The Prompt
Today’s prompt has your main character about to enter a tunnel.

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My first ideas about this prompt were all creepy. There were tips included with the prompt and most pointed in that direction. I decided I wanted to go a less obvious route. I’m so happy I’m not as young as these characters anymore!

Rough draft 280 words