The Pursuit of the Shadow

A short story written by Andrew Cen with PlotWeaver: Cards of Creation, a storytelling game made by Mod Hob Cooperative.

This story uses an Inverted Plot Pattern, written in 15-minute timed acts with all story cards drawn at random. For more information, visit www.plotweavergame.com

Act 1: Immediate Conflict or Crisis

Story Elements: The Every Person, Backyard Retreat, Loss, and Tragedy

A glass rises through the air as sunlight beams bounce off its sides, reflecting onto the surfaces of a chaotic hotel lobby. Joe quickly angles the light to blind his pursuers, dashing across chaises and trolleys. Gunshots ring out behind him, but he doesn’t dare look back. In this moment of pure adrenaline, Joe begins to recall how he ever got caught up in this nightmare.

It all started a few weeks back in his New York apartment. Joe was a successful 28-year-old computer programmer in a stable relationship, living his best life. He remembers that specific morning, sipping black coffee on his balcony, ecstatic because he planned to propose to his partner that very evening.

But as he walked to the restaurant that night, flowers in hand, he encountered a massive crowd. Pushing through, his heart sank as he heard whispers of a “violent crime.” At the center of the crowd, he recognized a familiar dress. He looked at the face he had seen just the night before; it was his girlfriend. The Tragedy and Loss hit him like a physical blow, leaving him numb and broken.