work in progress

Belatedly via Ed and Gwenda and Callie:

Turn to page 123 in your work-in-progress. (If you haven’t gotten to page 123 yet, then turn to page 23. If you haven’t gotten there yet, then get busy and write page 23.) Count down four sentences and then instead of just the fifth sentence, give us the whole paragraph.

Here's mine (punchline included):

As soon as she hears the door shut and the sound of footsteps receding, Felicia turns to the empty chair that is swiveled at a diagonal towards her. The chair’s upholstery is covered in magenta roses sprouting moss green leaves. She smoothes her housedress and leans forward. Perhaps the chair brings back a time when people cared, when what she had to say was important. Perhaps she sees a figure from her memory, a shadowy disciple with her mouth slightly open in awe. Perhaps she imagines the assertive female voice on the radio news burst into form in her sitting room. When she is alone, the words come, all the words stingily stored up.

“I’m sorry. Pesky congregants. No matter how long it’s been, they still seek me out. True believers always believe. Now where were we?”