July 17th Writing Prompt: Water

July 17, 2023July 31, 2023 Michael DeAngelo 0 Comments

A well-known caravan spends a large portion of their journey floating massive rafts down a fierce river. While traveling down that river, the caravan master notices that the river no longer travels down the same path it did in months and years past. What caused this unexpected turn, and for what reason?

Ideas and questions:

Perhaps the caravan master works quickly to ensure that their wagons are quickly pulled from the river, but an item of importance manages to escape their grasp, and they must pursue it.
Though the caravan master has the foresight to know that the river has changed directions, the focus does not necessarily have to be on them. Perhaps the story follows a paranoid mercenary who wonders why things are proceeding the way they have, and might even doubt their employer.

Was the cause of this adjustment in the flow of the river natural, or because of some manual intervention by someone?
Does the caravan master have the means to adjust the route once his wagons are in the water? Or is he beholden to wherever the changing river will take them? And was the caravan perhaps a target?
Is the goal of your story to have someone learn about the change in the river, to have them correct the changes, or something else altogether?

Challenge:

Allow the weather to help steer the direction of your story. Whether there is a terrible monsoon or a scorching drought, have that provide some context to your story.