Exceptional The opening paragraph to a mystery novel titled 'Rock Fever' The Payphone by BermyBye50 Opening Line writing prompt entry

As the storm raged with a fury unmatched, two shadowy figures moved with purpose along the darkened path, their every step a calculated dance. The wind screamed through the night like a banshee’s wail, slicing through the pitch-black void, while the biting cold lashed out with merciless precision, biting savagely at any exposed skin. Their eyes darted with wary precision, seeking the faintest hint of danger lurking in the impenetrable darkness. The ominous whisper of unseen threats grew louder with every step. They reach their intended destination— a solitary forgotten payphone at the edge of a once-bustling beach, a haven for visiting sunbathers basking in daylight stretching out for hundreds of yards now eerily silent, abandoned to the night. 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.

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