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priscaTitle: And one day, you will have to make a decision
Characters: Casey Connor
Prompt: any, any, past and future
Words: 267
:::
Casey stared at the envelope in front of him; the letter he had so much feared and longed for for weeks. The letter that would decide his future. Suddenly, he wasn't sure any longer if he wanted to know the answer. Maybe it had been a mistake to send an application letter to The New Yorker to volunteer there for six months, with the chance of finally getting a permanent contract.
He had dreamed of a chance like this for his whole life; leaving the boredom of Ohio behind, discovering the world, working as a photo reporter for a great magazine. A new life, a different life.
His parents had been willing to listen when he gushed about it, but he had always known that secretly they called it a pipe dream. Maybe they were right. A boy like Casey, grown up in Herrington, always a bit shy and nerdy, didn't suddenly become a famous reporter. Maybe Ohio wasn't that bad. He could go to City College in Columbus. He was smart, so he could find a job at the Herrington Post or maybe the Columbus Dispatch. One day, he could marry a nice girl, a house, a dog, and children. Casey knew his mother was dreaming about at least two grandchildren. Not the most interesting life, but not the worst, either.
With shaking hands, he grabbed the envelope again, turned it back and forth. Whatever the answer would be, it would change everything. He couldn't have both: the future he had dreamed about since he could remember, and the safety and familiarity that only Herrington offered.
Characters: Casey Connor
Prompt: any, any, past and future
Words: 267
:::
Casey stared at the envelope in front of him; the letter he had so much feared and longed for for weeks. The letter that would decide his future. Suddenly, he wasn't sure any longer if he wanted to know the answer. Maybe it had been a mistake to send an application letter to The New Yorker to volunteer there for six months, with the chance of finally getting a permanent contract.
He had dreamed of a chance like this for his whole life; leaving the boredom of Ohio behind, discovering the world, working as a photo reporter for a great magazine. A new life, a different life.
His parents had been willing to listen when he gushed about it, but he had always known that secretly they called it a pipe dream. Maybe they were right. A boy like Casey, grown up in Herrington, always a bit shy and nerdy, didn't suddenly become a famous reporter. Maybe Ohio wasn't that bad. He could go to City College in Columbus. He was smart, so he could find a job at the Herrington Post or maybe the Columbus Dispatch. One day, he could marry a nice girl, a house, a dog, and children. Casey knew his mother was dreaming about at least two grandchildren. Not the most interesting life, but not the worst, either.
With shaking hands, he grabbed the envelope again, turned it back and forth. Whatever the answer would be, it would change everything. He couldn't have both: the future he had dreamed about since he could remember, and the safety and familiarity that only Herrington offered.