The Open Door

At the previous Writers Connect we'd used the phrase “The Locked Door” as a prompt for a writing exercise. This time we switched it to “The Open Door”. We gave it 10 minutes instead of 15 as we took ages to get started and a few of us had work to read out. The meeting was looking like running over. Here's mine:

“Always leave the cage door open,” Sean said, “so the canary can fly back in.”

Wesley leaned on the window ledge and considered this. He thought of what happened with Sarah, with Becks, and with that crank whose name he couldn't even remember. He sure as shit wouldn't be letting those canaries flutter anywhere near his goddamn cage. He'd shoot them out of the sky without hesitation.

The Skoda purred as if his foot was on the pedal, a possible reactin to the cold. He'd bought it new last summer, and January was proving a test. But it was still handling winter better than he was.

Emma was different though. He wanted that canary back in the cage more than anything, he realised. Maybe it wasn't too late. Every other door was closing: the jobs market was saturated, he was stuck doing the same spirit-crushing spreadsheet, in the same flat with the same broke, over-worked friends he didn't have time to see. But then again, he'd left the door open for them.

Sean latched the car door open slightly. “Wait,” he said. “You should come too. You need cheering up.”

“I'm driving.”

“I'm not recommending alcohol. You need a total change of scenery.”

“What then?”

“Stay sober with me. Come to this club. Look around. I can introduce you to loads of people.”

“I dunno.”

“It's Sunday tomorrow and I'm not out til next week. Get involved.”

–

This was inspired by a scene in Rising Sun, a murder mystery starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.