Prompt: Inspiring Inventions

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Then he ran over to another machine, a small shiny affair that kept going phut- phut-phut-phut-phut, and every time it went phut, a large green marble dropped out of it into a basket on the floor. At least it looked like a marble.

-Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Inventions and fabulous gadgetry are a fascinating and dynamic part of many genres. Whether it’s the delicate silver instruments in Dumbledore’s study, HG Well’s Time Machine or even something we now regard as normal being experienced for the first time in a historical novel, they can add a sense of wonder (and more than occasionally threat) to proceedings.

For this prompt, please write a story (200 words or more) featuring an invention or new gadget of some kind. It can be a fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk or wizarding marvel or something a little closer to home, providing it’s remarkable to the characters concerned.

You’ll earn 20 beans for completing this prompt as well as it counting towards the chance to snag our shiny Quill and Ink award.

There is no deadline as such for these prompts but if you’d like it to count towards your chance of earning the award for a specific year, we’ll need it by the end of that school year. If you’re comfortable sharing, then post below. If not, email your story to us via hol.bookclub @ gmail.com (without the spaces). Oh and remember it’s a good idea to check through your piece carefully for spelling and grammatical errors as they make it harder for people to properly enjoy your work.

[Iverian Gnash]

Ahh, the best invention yet. Edible portkeys. Iverian was thinking this as she popped one into her mouth. It had taken years for her to perfect this invention. To transfigure a portkey into a tasty piece of food was hard work, but it seemed to pay off. She was always late for everything. This wasn't always an issue until that time when she missed her portkey. She was going to her sister's graduation ceremony, however, getting all dressed up had taken longer than she expected. She ended up flying there and arriving just before her sister stepped up on stage. Since that day, Ive had worked tirelessly making her edible portkey idea reality. It had been slow at first. A lot of research and screwing around with different spells, but she had finally achieved her goal. Ivy had been able to make a portkey into a piece of food that a person could eat and it would hold up inside of them. They would never miss their portkeys as long as they ate them at most, an hour before leaving. The best part was that they tasted delicious as well. She ate the tartlet delightfully and savored it's taste, right before being transported away. Iverian thought about those first few days of working and thanked her younger self. This invention had set her up for a life as an inventor.