Death of Timothy Grey

by Barry Penfold

Opening Line Contest Winner

To watch is not necessarily to see or understand. I watched Timothy Grey as he entered the bottom branches of a mulberry tree, and began his ascent.He climbed quickly and carried a rope,which hung on his shoulder. The mulberry fruit were not in season,and I did not turn my mind as to why he might be climbing as he did. Upon reaching a horizontal branch, half way up, he stopped, unleashed the rope and began tying one end to the branch. Then he quickly placed the other end of the rope around his neck,noose already made, waved and jumped. I sat there zombie like.A nightmare had arrived.

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Writing Prompt
The first sentence of your story should entice your reader to keep reading. There needs to be a hook to reel them in. It could start *in media res* (in the middle of the action/plot) or a mysterious phrasing that intrigues the reader.

Ex: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous
vermin. (Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka)

Ex: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (1984 by George Orwell)

Compare this to: The alarm went off and I got out of bed.
Which story would you rather read based on the first sentence?

****Write an opening paragraph to a story, with a 'hook' in the first sentence. The intrigue/action can continue making the whole paragraph a hook, but the punch should be in the first sentence.

****Prose only, one paragraph, not a whole story (this isn't a flash) just an opening paragraph. Any genre. Fiction or Nonfiction.