Aesthetic Writing Club Application

1.) How active are you? (Provide a screenshot please.)

2.)Why do you want to this club?

I saw the challenge post and thought it looked really interesting! It seems like a good way to get some prompts and (hopefully) inspiration. I really like the idea behind this club and the way it is structured.

3.)What is your current aesthetic?

My current aesthetic is cats and typewriters with a neutral colored background.

4.)Write a short story based on one of the pictures below.

Insomnia

Autumn never came. It was 80 degrees and then it was snowing. The trees never had a chance to politely lose their leaves and instead were ambushed with wind and snow until they all fell down at once (ashes, ashes….). They hardly had a chance to change colors before they littered the road, the sidewalks, and the lawns. It was a frustrating time of year when people were still adjusting, trying to figure out how to dress, but for the trees it was a nightmare. Some leaves held out, changing into brilliant reds and oranges, but for the most part, the green, previously healthy leaves coated the ground. Instead of a rake, a shovel was required and the leaves were damp with snow. Even pesky branches couldn't hold on. The road was a maze of fallen branches hidden beneath all the leaves. Tires crunched along as the ground turned to mulch. Autumn was skipped this year and summer abruptly ended into winter.

The worst part was the 60 degree days and 30 degree nights. The temperature changes so rapid, there was hardly time to put on a sweater, much less a winter coat. Colorado seemed like a fine place to live--everyone was flocking there--but the weather was something nothing could prepare them for. There was a rush for wipers and winter tires, but as soon as the snow had come, it left with warm days to follow. But the nights let people in on a secret: winter was here. It was sneaky, of course. The weather so warm they wouldn't bring a jacket only to be shivering, jumping up and down, covered in goosebumps, blasting the heat in an attempt to beat the cooling nights. It was something to make their ts ache.

The wind had howled all night keeping Piper on high alert. She tossed and turned, pulled the blanket on and off, but alas sleep was completely evasive. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few hours, Piper stood up and stretched her arms towards the ceiling. At least she tried. She pulled on her boots and her jacket and walked outside. The wind had stopped and the world was eerily silent. Leaves floated around her in lazy circles, returning to their brethren buried under the snow. Piper inhaled and held it, listening to the quiet, the nothingness. The sun peeped out from behind the horizon, an orange glow just barely highlighting the sky. The wind had calmed to a dull breeze, tossing Pipers black hair to and fro, occasionally sticking to her lips. Piper walked away from her apartment complex towards the nearby lake. She enjoyed the satisfying crunch under her boots as she planted imprints on the pristine layer of snow. The leaves underneath mushed against her heels and it was an interesting sensation--crunch, squish, crunch, squish.

She ed by one of the local bars and noticed a couple cars stranded in the lot, forgotten in a drunken haze and covered in a fine layer of ice and snow. Their owners were probably snoring in an unfamiliar location with an unfamiliar host. It was Saturday morning and she could almost hear the commotion at the bar the night before. It was a rowdy sort of place and one she avoided during business hours.

Next was the mom and pop restaurant she used to frequent with her boyfriend, but when he disappeared from her life, as did the smiling faces of the family that owned the place. It was strange to have such a quaint, wholesome place sandwiched between the bar and the convenience store with bars on the windows. It was one of those rare finds that only appear a couple times in life if you're lucky. She missed the late mornings there and being greeted as an old friend. Her heart ached momentarily, but she moved forward.

Slowly, the businesses vanished behind her and the houses started to grow farther apart until she arrived at the lake. It hadn't had time to develop a layer of ice yet and small waves pulsed interrupting the surface. Piper collapsed between a couple of aspens, a spot with minimal snow, and felt the cool rocks poke through her thin layers of clothing. Almost immediately her legs were numb to the cold underneath. She leaned back, pulling her jacket tighter to her sides, and watched the lake, the stillness around her comforting her in a blanket of silence. The birds were starting to awake with a coo here and a trill there. It was easy to forget all of life's troubles and successes when immersed in nature. It all seemed so minimal, so unimportant. The memories that had been tugging at Piper's consciousness dissipated to be dealt with at a later date. Piper felt the tension leave her body and she knew that when she returned to her apartment, sleep would not be far behind.

#AWClub