#decays.challenge

Writing challenge: Samantha Dragusha #02 What was your character’s happiest and/or unhappiest birthday?

HAPPIEST.

For Sam’s 15th birthday, her father took them to California to visit the Sequoia National Forest. It was one of the few times that the family was in harmony. No one fought, brought up the past, or the many worries they had at the time. 

Does anyone know? This is one of the memories she visits when she is feeling sad or is thinking about her family. If you asked her what was on her mind while she was thinking about this memory she would have told you about this birthday. She doesn’t go on a lot of supply runs, but if your character has invited her and y’all did camp outside of the hospital she would have brought it up.

UNHAPPIEST.

Samantha’s mother left them when she was 7 years old. The first birthday after her mother left was the unhappiest birthday due to how much extra pain she caused her father. He tried to make her 8th birthday the best in an attempt to help her forget about her mother leaving. However, Sam was adamant that her mother would show up. She woke up knowing that her mom would show up. When it was time for her birthday party, she started to realize that her mom wasn’t coming. She lashed out at her father. 

What seemingly insignificant memories stuck with your character?

Charlie and Frank were inseparable when they were young kids. Charlie had never been the “traditional” older brother in regards of being the tough one sibling. However, Frank didn’t seem to mind. A memory that Charlie keeps visiting is when he and Frank were playing video games one day. Charlie was never really good at them, but Frank enjoyed them. They were playing Duck Hunt, and Charlie purposely kept losing. He didn’t like the idea of shooting ducks - even if it was just a game. He didn’t tell Frank about why he kept losing, but he felt as if his brother knew. Now that his brother is gone, he regrets not bringing it up. It is something that has no special meaning, but it doesn’t stop it from haunting his dreams. 

Does anyone know about this?

What seemingly insignificant memory stuck with your character?

Fox never really fit in as a child, he loved to read books and had an unusual sense of curiosity. There is one book that he keeps going back to. A book that talked about different herbs and their uses. He’d read it after “borrowing” it from one of his classmates. He remembers how amazed he was at how the illustrator drew the herbs. How the book seemed like some ancient spell book. He tried to make one when he had to return the book but had forgotten about it until the outbreak occurred. He would like to make a small survival guide about the plants, animals, and locations around Scottsdale. Mostly for his own knowledge, but mainly because he remembers the wonder he had when he first read that book.

Does anyone know? 

What seemingly insignificant memories stuck with your character?

When Samantha was in the third grade she read enough books to get to go to Reading Party that was held the end of the semester. She never really excelled at school work, she did ok, but it was never something that was a top priority with her. She didn’t realize how happy that moment was to here at the time. Largely due to the fact that the main motivation for her third-grade self was to get out of class for a few hours and have some pizza (they always had pizza). Now that things were different it is something that keeps coming back to her. How she wasn’t worried about the things that trouble a person who is looking after a community, how safe she was in that moment. It is one of the reasons why she tries so hard to make people feel at home once they are part of the community. She wants them to feel like she felt on that day she went to the library and ate pizza and rootbeer floats. 

Has she mentioned it to anyone?