Welcome to another Prompt Friday! Every other Friday, I share a creative writing prompt along with a short example story to inspire your imagination. Whether you’re a novelist, short story writer, poet, or someone who simply enjoys storytelling, use today’s prompt as a starting point and see where your creativity takes you.
Today’s Writing Prompt
Write this scene: After getting your ice cream from your favorite ice cream shop, you hear a door slide open behind you, and before you can turn around, you are snatched and thrown into a van. What happens next?
Would it be a kidnapping? A case of mistaken identity? A prank gone wrong? The choice is yours.
June 13, 2026 – 12:35 PM
Marvelle’s Ice Cream Pub
89 Nether Street
Marvelle, New Jersey
Janet Oakwell rounded the corner and sighed. The line was halfway down the sidewalk. She’d been trying to get here for over a week. It was her favorite ice cream shop. They had the best ice cream in the city. The shop liked creating a frenzy for their frozen treats. They always opened on June first, no matter what. Most of the ice cream shops opened in late April. Marvelle’s Ice Cream Pub made its customers wait until the first to create more buzz. They knew their customers would line up and wait as long as needed to get their hands on their frozen treats.
Marvelle’s Ice Cream Pub was made of beautiful sparkling white brick. There was a see-through door for customers who wanted to eat inside and a large serving window with a pink awning above it. The only thing she hated was when the sun hit the building; it blinded her, but she loved the beauty of the sparkling white brick.
She continued walking down the street, passing a few people who had gotten their ice cream. Smiles plastered on their faces as they enjoyed their creamy treat, probably on their lunch break. Lunch break was the best time to stop by because the shop always gave discounts to the first 20 customers. Sometimes the shop would even offer discounts for half an hour to an hour. Janet especially loved that the shop had an ice cream truck and a delivery service. But nothing beats getting your ice cream in person. The people were so friendly.
It was half an hour later when Janet finally made it to the counter to get her ice cream. Her eyes lit up as she licked her lips.
“How may I help you, darling?” an older woman asked with a smile on her face.
“Yes, may I have the Chocolate Cookie Dough with fudge on a large cone?”
“That’ll be five-fifty. Cash, credit card, or Zelle?”
“Card,” she said, whipping it out so fast she almost threw the card at the woman.
Janet paid the woman and was given her ice cream. She was about to take a lick when she heard a door slide open, but before she could turn around, hands covered her mouth, and she was snatched off the sidewalk and thrown into the van. Her head smacked against the metal floor of the van. The last thing she saw was her ice cream cone smashed on the sidewalk, her frozen treat melting onto the hot pavement before everything blurred into oblivion.
When she came to, she swayed in the chair, and there was something over her head. The black cloth was snatched off her face.
“Happy Birthday!” Everyone yelled and then gasped.
Janet saw blurry faces, but two familiar faces came into view. Her brothers placed their hands on each side of her shoulders and laughed.
“We got you! You didn’t suspect a thing, but you might need ice for that knot on your head.”
“Gary and Peter, you idiots,” she rubbed her stomach. “I’m going to be sick.” She lunged forward and threw up on them. When she got herself together, she said, “You made me drop my favorite ice cream.”
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn to write the scene.
What happened after the van door opened? Was it a kidnapping, a surprise party, a misunderstanding, or something completely unexpected? Take the prompt in any direction you want and have fun with it.
Share your response in the comments or save it for your writing journal. I’d love to see where your imagination takes you.
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