Retelling a parable

Time Spent: 2 hours

I've mentioned this story I've had in my head a couple of times, and it has yet to receive a working title, but it's a retelling of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.

The reason I'm writing this story is because I'm writing a bunch of short stories based on Bible stories. This started with a set of stories I wrote last spring based on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. One is told from the POV of the fallen angels, including the Chief Liar, and the other is told from the perspective of Jesus. I'm trying to look at these stories (some parables, some true) from a different angle, and this one is no different. I tend to think inside the box way too much, and this helps stretch my though processes - not to mention it's a lot of fun to write a story based on something everyone's heard from a POV that they may never have thought about.

What I learned today:

1. Jesus tells this story better then I can.
2. The older brother was a prodigal too, in his own way. The story doesn't end when the youngest son comes home - it continues with the father and the eldest son.

This isn't the first time I've reflected on this story in this way, simply because spiritually, I'm the brother who stayed and followed all the rules, and has missed out on a lot of parties worrying about the ones who left for "better things." But to actually write a story like this is hard - it's just a strict retelling from the older brother's POV without any of my messiness thrown in to the mix.

Most of these types of stories end up being flash, but this one is currently at about 1500 words, and it's not one I want to pare down. I haven't decided yet, but my second "story" might be a series of stories like this. It's a nice challenge for me to write these.