Interesting notion, the defining moment, that flicker of time that changes everything in life and in a fictional story just as well.
I’m working in the frameshop and the fire siren goes off just a mile or so from me uptown. Its continued wailing and a quick glance at my watch tell me it’s not the noon whistle. There is a fire, or an accident somewhere happening within the borders of my town. And someone’s life has changed.
It reminds me of another Saturday a few years back, coming out of the shower to answer an unrelenting ringing of the phone. Being told I’m needed to do CPR. Racing next door to try to help a neighbor. And as I cross the lawns I’m very much aware of the siren wailing out its announcement of a change.
There’s only so much planning you can put into writing; sometimes the alarm goes off all by itself.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology