Promptly Kick-Off Part 2: The Doctor is In

Hey writers,

Welcome to part two of the Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. (I’ve been considering making the title even wordier, but have thus far resisted all tantalizing options.) The first prompt has generated some great responses from a broad range of voices and styles, and it’s been a thrill to read everyone’s interpretations. If you haven’t checked any of them out yet—or posted your own—drop by the comments section.

Let’s try something different today, something that spawned from a discussion about how many fascinating lines can be overshadowed in our favorite books. How about a “Literary Roadshow” type approach—I’ll pull a random, seemingly unimportant, out-of-context line from a book, and use it as prompt fodder. Like “Antiques Roadshow,” one author’s tiny line from the past might become another’s gold.

Thus, from Albert Camus’ The Plague (one of my all-time favorite books):

PROMPT:The Doctor is In
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

“He was going to make them right with a couple of pills or an injection, and people took him by the arm on his way to the sickroom. Flattering, but dangerous.”

Now, he takes your arm. Who is this doctor? Reveal him in scene.