This was an interesting exercise. Here Pat gave us pointers and we had to fill in with our details and then use them in a short story. Details as below (the left hand is what Pat gave us and the right hand is what I chose):

Mood – relaxed, Protagonist – woman, Verb – sitting, Adverb – lazily, Era – present, Setting – book store, Object – square cushion, Adjective – earthy brown self coloured cover, Name of the Protagonist – zoya

Here goes my short story…

It is a warm saturday afternoon with the sun shining bright. Thankfully, passers by did not break into a sweat as there is a pleasant breeze cooling their parched skins. Seeking respite from the sun, Zoya saunters into a bookstore. Her slow gait gives one an impression that she is in no particular hurry. As the blast of the AC cools her flushed cheeks, Zoya manouvers her way to the now familiar ‘Fiction’ section of the bookstore.

She runs her fingers through the tomes lining the shelves and deliberates in her mind as to which book to read. Train to Pakistan by Khuswant Singh (naah…too heavy for a hot noon), Sultry Nights by Shobha De (too trashy), The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (too tragic for a relaxed afternoon). She picks some books, reads the summary, feels the touch of the crisp pages on the finger tips and smells the fragrance of the printed pages (just like one would a freshly brewed coffee).

No…she wanted a book that would be light reading yet not crass, humourous yet not crude, thin volume yet not the blink and you’ll miss it kinds. As her eager eyes search the oak panelled shelves, a magenta-pink cover catches her eye. Gingerly she brings it out and turns it over to read. Yes…this is it…the perfect book for a relaxed breezy afternoon. She takes The Diary of a Social Butterfly by Moni Mohsin and moves to the couch where she is now sitting, resting her back on the square cushions with self coloured brown covers and tassels at 4 ends. At present, Zoya is not in Bombay, but transported to Islamabad where she is one with the Paki creme-de-la-creme devouring their social life with a smug indulgent smile. She knows she has all the time in the world and wishes for a cappuchino to complete her relaxed ambience.

Zoya, forever the dreamer believes in carpe diem.