1. Use the following words: usual, empty, opposite, love, eight
Eight days. Berry had been watching the usual places for eight days, but they were always empty.
There were things there, but they were the opposite of what she wanted. It wasn't supposed to be things.
She trudged down the road, leaving behind the last checkpoint. Eight days was not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but she was already starting to feel that logic had left her and it was only love that kept her doing these rounds, checking the usual places, looking for ...
Berry wasn't sure exactly what it was, but was certain she would recognize it when she saw it.
The city flowed around her, the residents giving a sympathetic look and a lot of space.
2. Write about being late
The clock tower rang the hour, and Berry stopped in her tracks to look up. The clock was facing the other side of town, but she looked anyway as she counted the peals. The world kept moving, but she forgot all about them, and stood in the middle of the road, eyes closed.
The usual places were the wrong places. The situation was unusual, why would the usual places hold the answers? She had wasted eight days now, the bell told her. Eight days of searching, delaying what she had to find.
3. Use the phrase "that's not a good sign"
Could a delay ruin her chances? Berry hurried toward the clock tower, and slipped through the door into the darkened church. She needed to expand her search, but had no idea where to look.
The public areas were empty. A quick search confirmed that, and Berry hesitated by the door to the back halls before knocking.
Two minutes later, she knocked again, and pressed her ear to the door to listen for footsteps approaching.
The silence stretched, and with it, Berry's nerves. She started to pace, knocking more frequently, but unable to remain still to listen for anything coming from the other side.
With a glance over her shoulder at the empty room behind her, she opened the door and hurried through. This part was empty too. A quill lay on a piece of parchment, half filled, the inkwell uncapped. A book lay dropped on the floor. A match sat in a spreading pool of wax atop a lit candle.
Berry swallowed. That wasn't a good sign, she thought.
