101 Writing Prompts

#7. Masterpiece

Prompt: When a child is born, its parents may pick one skill that their child, without a doubt, will be talented in.

Carrie and Luke had been sweating over the last form for so long now the doctor was beginning to grow impatient.

"You can only select one," He reminded them for the umpteenth time, and they nodded absently back, a pencil clutched so tightly in Luke's hand it looked as if it were beginning to bend.

It was a choice their parent had selected for them at their births, and their parents' births before them, but why was it so hard to choose now? They obviously wanted the best for Bronson - Luke was not fond of the name, but Carrie had insisted - but how could they know the choice they would make was the best?

Carrie's tired eyes scanned the document again from top to bottom, perusing the words that had haunted her days before Bronson's birth.

Magnum Opus

Thank you for choosing Magnum Opus, you child's talent selection guide!

Below are a list of previously selected and frequently used talents based off of our 2028 survey. If the talent you desire is not listed, please write it down under 'Other.'

The list was fairly standard, large categories with many sub-sections.

Music: Piano, Violin, Guitar (acoustic, electric), Cello, Flute, Trumpet, etc.

Sports: Soccer, Football (American), Volleyball, Baseball/Softball, Golf, Tennis, etc.

Academics: Academics on the Whole (OTW), English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, etc.

Art: Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Mixed Media, etc.

Various Skills: Mediation, Instruction, Organization, Therapy, People Skills, etc.

Luke's brain felt numbed simply staring at all of the options. Of course he wanted Bronson to be a good student, but what if he needed good manners in his future jobs? What if he was destined to be an athlete? Academics were of the utmost importance, too, but how would he know what to choose?

The doctor began to tap his foot, hoping the noise would startle this couple into making a choice. He had dealt with the general time-waste of waiting for parents to choose their kid's talent, and he was sick

and tired of it. If he ever had a kid his talent would be making decisions fast, and by now the doctor was thinking that this talent would be a unique one.

"Mr. and Mrs. Brandt, I don't like to rush you, but your decision needs to be made soon otherwise Magnum Opus won't take effect." He droned, every bit of his tone suggesting he would like nothing more than to rush them.

Luke felt himself begin to sweat as he looked over the options again, and Carrie squeezed his hand. "What do you think?" She asked nervously.

"Let's talk it through." Luke said, beginning to pace. "We want to give Bronson the best opportunity he can possibly have, right?"

"Yes." Carrie nodded fervently, holding Luke's hand tighter.

"Why don't we rule out athletics? They're good and all, but he could be injured."

This made sense to Carrie, and she nodded again. The doctor groaned on the inside, knowing the process-of-elimination route could take hours.

"And what about music? It's good to be musically gifted, but difficult to make a career out of."

"That's true, and I'm sure lots of parents chose music." Magnum Opus users usually strove to have a different talent for their child than anyone else, holding individuality above all else.