Where Fire Blazes - Part 4

Sorry, this is getting extremely long, and it's still not finished! To read the previous parts to this story, click on the links below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Oh, and just a quick note: The word "sum" that I use in the story is actually the Latin verb for "I am." In this case, I'm using it as a name.

I rolled onto my back and let out a long sigh. The air smelled fresh and clean, and not a single cloud dotted the clear blue sky. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I groggily sat up, a thick mantle falling from my shoulders. I caught brief hint of its smell, a strong mix of earth and sweat. Gagging, I threw the mantle off and stumbled to my feet. My foot collided with an empty bowl. It wobbled and rolled a small distance before settling near the ashes of a dying fire. Oh no, it couldn't be! How in all Learsi did I end up back at Hajile's camp? I glanced at the opposite side of the fire where Hajile had sat the night before. No sign of the strange man. Had he found me and brought me back? Or did I actually never leave the camp? I ran my fingers through my greasy hair, trying to decide whether or not to run. Hajile's warning about the Ring of Fire rushed back to my head. Perhaps it wasn't a wise idea to go chasing after my brother's captors, especially alone. Hajile must know more about this group. Maybe, just maybe he would help me. He seemed to care, but the idea of spending any more time with the filthy man did not have much appeal either.

My stomach growled. I kicked the dusty bowl into the fire. I'd never gotten the chance to finish my soup last night. My bag of belongings were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps when I made my run for the woods I had dropped it, but surely this man had more food somewhere. A small bag next to a rolled up mat caught my attention. I pulled it open and rummaged through its meager contents: a few coins, a water canteen, a rotting potato, and crumbling bread. Was this all the man had? I slipped the coins into my pocket and nibbled on the dry bread. It would have to do for now.

“Repent!” A deep voice boomed. I jumped and swung around, dropping my stolen morsel in the process. “Your sin is great!” The voice continued. “But if you repent wholeheartedly the Lord's wrath will be turned away, and he will bless you.”

My whole body shook with guilt and fear, and my heart thumped hard within my chest. I looked up towards the road and saw Hajile standing in the middle, but his gaze was not directed towards me. Relief flooded my body. His preaching was directed toward a passerby on the road, not me. Men, women, and their animals skirted around him, ignoring his commanding words and condemning stare. As a group of horsemen approached, Hajile stepped towards them, his arms outstretched. “Listen,” his voice boomed again, “A day will come when the Lord will punish Airamas for its wickedness, so repent!”

The knights atop the horses neither slowed their pace or appeared to see the crazy man in their road. The horses hooves thundered towards Hajile. Then I couldn't see him amidst the dust, hooves, and flashing armor. When the knights finally passed and the dust began to settle, Hajile's still form lay in the middle of the road. Despite his apparent craziness, my heart went out to him. I ran for the road. As I approached, another man also hurried towards Hajile's still form. “Yes!” I thought to myself. “At least there is one kind soul in Learsi.” But to my disappointment, the man stepped over Hajile and continued on his way.

“Why..how... how could you...” I wanted to yell at the man to repent, but I choked back my angry words, remembering the stolen coins jingling in my pocket. The stranger briefly turned and stared at me, eyebrows raised. I ignored him and knelt at Hajile's side.

♥♥♥

Hajile lay on his mat, his face and arms bruised and scratched; but he was alive. Neither of us had spoken as I helped him back to his camp, yet I believed he was grateful. That twinkle in his eyes seemed to express it. How he had managed to keep that twinkle after such a beating, I could not understand. He still smiled too, as if almost being trampled to death by horses was an every day occurrence. Maybe it was. Hajile still reeked too. How on earth did this man live with himself? It was no wonder he didn't have friends; but perhaps if he could get used to the smell, maybe I could too. I desperately needed his help, and at the moment he needed mine.

“So you decided to stay,” he finally croaked.

“Did I have a choice?” I fired back.

Hajile chuckled. “Did you want me to leave you laying in the forest for the dragons to munch on?”

“Dragons? Here, in Learsi?”

“That's what I said.”

“I don't believe you.” I folded my arms across my chest.

Hajile tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. “You really don't know anything about the Ring of Fire, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Hmmm...” Hajile frowned. At first I was afraid he would become angry like last night, but he just lay silently on his mat. “Where do you live?” he finally asked.

“A farm...not too far from here. Several miles at least; but I'm not going to live there any more.” I choked back tears.

“Why is that, Dear. Tell me what's wrong. What happened?” Hajile's face was solemn, but his concern seemed sincere.

“My new parents...and my brother...the Ring of Fire...” Tears pooled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. “They murdered them, and I think they stole my brother.” I shook my head, as if trying to shake off the sorrow and pain. “B-but what does this have to do with the dragons?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

Hajile laid his hand on my shoulder. “The dragons were brought here by a group of new priests, called the Ring of Fire, whom Lady Isabelle brought with her when she married our King Adar. The Ring of Fire serves Laab, the supposed “god” of fire, and dragons are sacred to him. Unfortunately these priests perform special sacrifices that require the shedding of human blood. I fear your family may have been victims of one of those horrid sacrifices.”

“But why?” I sobbed. “Why my family?”

“Your family has not been the only one to suffer. Many families have been broken up this way, including mine.” A far away look replaced the twinkle in Hajile's eyes.

“Yours?”

A tear rolled down the man's cheek. “My wife and children...th-they...”

I grabbed Hajile's hand and squeezed. “It's okay. You don't have to finish. I understand.” My own tears still soaked my cheeks.

“Leah...She would have been about your age if she were still alive.” Hajile forced a smile. “She had dark curls like yours. Benjamin loved his sister. He would have done anything for her.” Hajile wiped away his tears. “And my wife...She was the most amazing person in the world.” The far away look returned to his eyes. This time I didn't bother him...at least for a little while. I still had lots of questions tumbling around in my head.

“Hajile?”

“Yes?”

“If the Queen's priests are so bad, why doesn't the King get rid of them?”

“The King is deceived, like most everyone else in Airamas. When the priests first arrived, they seemed perfectly harmless. Most people laughed at their peculiar worship practices, yet a few found them appealing. Soon the number of priests doubled, and their number continued to grow. Eventually the King also became a member. As the hearts of the people were won, the priests practices grew from odd to horrendous. They began to demand the sacrifice of human blood. When the King and the people protested, the dragons appeared in the surrounding woods, the priests claiming they were a punishment from Laab. Filled with fear and not wanting to lose the pleasures they believed Laab bestowed upon them, the people agreed. Now human sacrifice is common place. The one and only true Lord, Sum, is displeased with the actions of his people, and he has called me as his prophet to warn the people of his coming wrath.”

“That is what you were doing earlier?” I asked.

Hajile nodded. “But the people ignore. I wonder how long it will be before the Lord's patience wears out.”

My head felt like it would explode with all its new information. I wanted to know more about this Sum whom Hajile referred to as Lord and how he knew he was the only true God. What if Laab was actually the only true lord instead? Perhaps it was his eyes I felt that day as I had left my house. Whatever the case, I couldn't ask Hajile anymore questions at the moment. A gentle snore broke the silence. Perhaps I would go for a walk, but not too far. I didn't want to run into any dragons.

I gazed at the mountains in the distance as I wandered into the valley. The morning was still peaceful, but my heart was caught in turmoil. Then it returned: that cold, tickling feeling of someone watching my every move. I could almost feel them breathing down my back. Thump, thump, thump! A steady beating reached my ears. I looked up, and my heart froze mid-beat. A set of sharp, black claws dove for my head, and I screamed.

Tip Tuesday

I have no clue who this guy is or anything about what he writes, but I stumbled across a quote of his that I thought I might share with you. Ray Bradbury, in Zen in the Art of Writing, stated that “Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.” I love this quote. If plot is only the footprints left behind by our characters, what does that say about the importance of our characters? Our characters are what create or kill our stories. As a result, we need to create characters that are deep and unique. Let your characters be more than just names on a page. Give them feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and character quirks. In this way, you will allow your readers to become emotionally connected with your story and never forget the characters who made it.

One of my characters running toward an incredible destination

My challenge to L.A.R.K. writers and readers this week is to focus more on developing your characters. As your character grows, so will your story. This is an area I'm going to work on too. I'm posting below a list of questions you could ask yourself about your main characters. I looked at some other lists online to help create it. Of course, I know most of us write short stories, and not all these questions would appear that applicable for them, but I encourage you to fill them out anyways, just to see how well you actually know your character. I started filling it out for one of my main characters in Josephine and realized I didn't know my character hardly at all!

Character Questions

General:

1. What is his/her name?
2. Does he/she have a nickname? If so, what is it and how did he/she get it?
3. What is your character's age?
4. Describe how your character looks. Make sure you include stature, complexion, hair and eye color, and any imperfections that make them unique.

Personality:

5. What words could you use to describe your character's personality? Make a list.
6. If you could choose only one word to describe your character, what would it be?
7. Is your character and introvert or extrovert, social or prefer to stay at home?
8. How does your character like to dress?
9. What are his/her favorite types of food? What types does he/she not like?
10. What is his/her favorite color? What color does he/she not like?
11. What sort of things embarrass your character?
12. What are some of your character's quirks or annoying habits? (ex: chewing fingernails, clicking pens, etc.)
13. Does your character have any phobias? If so, what are they? What is his/her greatest fear?
14. What are your character's pet peeves? (ex: nails on chalkboard) In other words, what annoys your character?
15. What is your character's love language? Highlight one or two: Words of affirmation, Acts of service, Gifts, Physical Touch, Quality Time
16. Is your character more optimistic or pessimistic?
17. Is your person a detail person or is he/she more concerned about the overall picture?
18. What is he/she passionate about? What are his/her strongest beliefs?
19. What is most important to your character?
20. What does your character think of his/herself? Is there anything about him/herself he/she would like to change?

In Action:

21. What does your character do for a living? What is his/her job? (if he/she has one)
22. What are some of his/her interests and hobbies? What does he/she love doing?
23. What does your character hate doing?
24. What are your character's strengths? (In other words, what is your character good at?)
25. What are your character's weaknesses? (What is your character not good at?)
26. What are your character's deepest wishes or desires?
27. What does his/her normal day look like?

Family, Friends, and Foe:

28. What, in general, do other people in your story think of your character?
29. Describe your character's family.
30. With whom in her family does he/she get along well with? With whom does she not?
31. Describe your character's friends.
32. Who are your character's enemies or who does he/she not like?
33. Who is your character closest to?

Environment:

34. Where does your character call “home”? Describe it.
35. Describe the town or city or wherever it is he/she lives. Name the places he/she likes and the places he/she avoids.

Anything else you would like to add?

The Aldridges and the Indians Part 1

    One bright spring morning on the Aldridge family’s Ohio farm six children were busy feeding the animals before breakfast.
    “Hurry, Caleb, can’t you milk any faster?” Benjamin grumbled to his twin.
    “Nein, not unless Elsie kicks me,” Caleb replied. “I’m just as excited to hear what Pa has to say as you or anyone else!”
    “Sure you are! Well, I know for one thing that Inga sure isn’t excited.”
    “Why is that?”    
    “She’s been a moping about ever since yesterday. I think Mama’s all ready told her, and she isn’t none to happy ‘bout whatever it is.”
    “I wonder why.” Caleb pondered.
    “Well, I do too, but if you don’t hurry we’ll never find out!”
    “What are you two grumbling about?” Came a small voice from outside the stall.
    “Oh, nothin,’ Sofia. Did you feed Pup all ready?”
    “Yes, and Isaac’s feeding Miss Piggy.” Sofia replied.
    “Okay. I’m done now!” Said Caleb, leaping up from the milking stool with the pail full of milk in tow.
    “Hey, watch it, you spilled some milk!” Benjamin said.
    “Oh, sorry. Come on, let’s go to the house! I’m very hungry, I wonder what Ma fixed for breakfast!”
    “Yeah, me too! Say, where is Isaac?”
    “Right here!” Isaac yelled in Benjamin’s ear.
    “Ow! I ain’t deaf, ya know!” 
    “Oh, sorry, but no one would know with that nonstandard English you use!” Isaac said.
    “What ever does that have to do with hearing?”
    “Hearing your English lessons, that’s what, big brother!” Isaac said smartly.
    “Uh huh. I’m hungry, let’s go!”
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The four children entered the sprawling log cabin where they were greeted by warm air and a pleasant aroma of hotcakes fresh from the griddle. 
    Soon everyone was seated at the breakfast table, except for Adah.
    “Adah Juliana! Where are you?” Anika (mother) called.
    “I’m coming, Ma!” A short girl of fourteen bounded down the stairs at breakneck speed and skidded to a stop at the table.
    “Adah! Why are you wearing your brother's trousers?”
    “Dresses are so confining! You can do ever so much more in trousers.” Adah replied. 
    “Well, you are a young lady. I expect you to go upstairs and change into your chore dress directly after breakfast.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Adah replied reluctantly.
    “Good. All right, shall we eat?”
So Papa said grace and everyone dug in. Soon breakfast was over and Papa cleared his throat.
    “I have an announcement to make,” 
    “Oh, what is it, Papa?” Adah asked excitedly.   
    “Hold your horses now, Adah. I’ve been pondering the newspaper articles of all the land waiting to be filled in the West, and it seems like a right good idea. There’s a wagon train leaving for Oregon in three weeks, and your mother and I are seriously considering going along. What do you all think?”   
    “Leave all our family and roots? You’re surely not serious, Papa! And to go to the unsophisticated west? Where there are Indians and wild people and who knows what else?” Inga said in horror. 
    “Inga Elisabeth! Watch what you say, young lady. Are you completely forgetting your own mother? You yourself are part Indian!” Papa scolded.
    “I-I’m sorry. I-I forget that Mama is Indian. She just doesn’t seem it.” Inga said.
    “And what exactly are Indians supposed to be like?” Mama asked.
    “Well, ah......”
    “Wild and unsophisticated?” Mama asked.
    “No, no, that’s not at all what I meant, it’s just that we would be leaving everything we knew here!”
    “And what’s wrong with trying something new occasionally?” Papa asked.
    “Well, nothing I suppose. But we wouldn’t be trying it, it would be permanent!” Inga protested.
    “We’ll think on it. Nothing is certain yet, so there’s no reason to fret over it. What do you other children think?”
    “I think it’s a grand idea!” Adah said exuberantly. “I’ve always wanted to go west!”
    “Me too!” Chimed in Benjamin and Caleb. Sofia looked a bit uncertain, as she usually tried to agree with everyone, but since Inga wanted to stay and the rest wanted to go, she didn’t know which would be best.
    “Well, if we went by popularity vote, it would seem that we’re going, but since some members of the family are not so willing, we’ll give this some thought and prayer.”
    “As we would anyway, Jakob.” Mama said.
    “Yes, Anika.”
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    It turned out, as you may have guessed, that the Aldridge family decided to go west to Oregon. Soon the three weeks of packing and saying farewell was up, and the Aldridges’ were on their way west with several other families.
    The trail guide had said that the best time to start out on the Oregon Trail was spring time, so that you didn’t get caught in the winter snows when you were trying to go over the mountain passes. It was late spring, but yet still spring, so the Aldridge family decided to take this train instead of waiting until the next spring.
    The trail winded on and on across the endless prairie, stretching out to beyond the horizon.
    “Pa, how long will it take to get to Oregon?” Isaac asked.
    “At the most, until December or around there. With good traveling conditions, we could arrive as soon as October, but that would be pushing it.” Pa replied.
    “How do you know that?” Isaac, ever the curious one, asked.
    “The trail guide told me when I asked. So you see, I’m just as curious as you are, little one.” Pa said, grinning. Isaac laughed.
    “Pa, can I drive the wagon tomorrow?” Benjamin asked from on top of his horse beside the wagon.
    “Here, why don’t you come sit beside me and I’ll teach you some things today so you’ll be fine on your own tomorrow.” Pa offered.
    “Oh, thanks, Pa!”
    “Sofia, do you want to ride Patches?” Benjamin asked Sofia, who was sitting in the wagon doing some stitching with Inga.
    “May I, Ma?” Sofia asked eagerly.
    “Certainly, dear.”
    “All right!” Sofia grinned, hopping to the edge of the wagon, where Benjamin reached out and swung Sofia on to the saddle in front of him before he jumped off into the wagon.
    “Aren’t you the acrobat, Benjamin! Maybe you’ll have to train for the circus!” Inga laughed.
    “Maybe so, sister! Then you could come with me and see all the different cities!” 
    “Ah, wouldn’t that be lovely.” Inga mused. 
    “Hey, sis, we’re seeing some pretty fine sites here on the prairie, don’t forget!” Caleb called up from his position at the back of the wagon.
    “Indeed we are, Caleb.”
    “Say, where is Adah?” Isaac suddenly asked, peeping out from the wagon.
    “I thought she was riding with you, Caleb,” Ma said.
    “She was, but then she headed off that a way. She said she was going to see what was ahead.” Caleb replied.
    “How long ago?” Pa asked, a crease forming on his forehead.
    “Oh, near an hour ago, I s’pose.” Caleb replied.
    “Did she say when she’d be back?”
    “No, sir.”
    Just then the sound of pounding hooves sounded in the distance, and they saw a horse galloping swiftly towards the wagon train.
    “It’s Adah!” Cried Inga.
    “Oh, good.”
    “Why is she coming so fast?” Sofia asked, nudging her horse along as he was lagging behind.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Pa! Ma!” Adah called as she neared their wagon.
    “Adah, what is it?” Ma asked.
    “Indians! Over that way!” Adah cried, pointing to the Northwest. As if from a cue, several spotted ponies topped the rise from the North and galloped down towards them. Before they knew what was happening, the Aldridge family was caught up in the midst of the galloping horses and the oxen were being herded along. Benjamin fought with all his might to contain the oxen, but it was too much for his little strength. The reins slipped from his hands and whipped across the oxens’ backs, causing them even more fright, and the wagon lurched forward again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 coming next month! =)

Tip Tuesday!

Here is a link I found to 34 writing tips! Hope they are helpful!

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/34-writing-tips-that-will-make-you-a-better-writer/

Passing on the baton!

The great moment has arrived for me to announce who the new moderator of LARK will be--but like everyone with a big announcement I  like to build up the suspense a bit by talking about a few other things first. ;)

Fist of all let me say that both of the contestants were wonderful girls, and either would do a great job as moderator/administrator of this blog.

Alright, and now for what you have all been waiting for--drum-roll please!-- the new moderator/administrator of L.A.R.K. is---

Grace!

 Welcome Grace! I hope you have fun with this blog!

 And to you all, good bye! Maybe you will actually hear from me now that I will have more time to write!

 

Don't forget to vote!

There are only two days left in which to vote on who gets the moderatorship--don't forget to vote! Contestants--you can both vote!
Readers--you can all vote too, this isn't an authors only thing!

Friedrich Goltz's Frog

This is a story I have been struggling with for about a month now. I am having a hard time with making my point come home and still keeping the story interesting...Any ideas?

Friedrich Goltz’s Frog

I glanced at my watch as I hopped in my truck and involuntarily sighed.  Already it was eight in the morning, what ever happened to my getting done work at the hospital before six? I rubbed my eyes and mentally shrugged my shoulders. Oh well, that was the way the big guys wanted it so who was I to tell them they were wrong?

As I turned onto the rush hour highway I felt my eyelids getting dangerously heavy and reached over to flip on the radio. My favorite song came on and I began to loudly warble with it---

Jesus took my burdens all away!

Now I am happy all the day!

Oh, joy!

Hip, hooray

About him I will always say,

Jesus took my burdens all away!

 Pulling into my tidy driveway I turned off the engine and leaned back in my seat. I was so tired; I just wanted to rest my head a bit before I went into the house. Blackness began to swirl around me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dipping my toes into the cool pond water I tried hard not to giggle. The water tickled my feet but Grandpa said that if I wanted to catch any fish I would have to be as quite as a mouse so I held back the surfacing laughter. Today was a big day for me--I was going fishing for the first time in my life because Grandpa had finally said I was old enough. I could feel him now sitting next to me and baiting his hook. He motioned that I should do the same but I hooked my finger twice and let three worms fall into the pond. With a slight twinkle in his eyes he put his big ruff hands around mine and helped to poke the wriggling worm then he turned back to his fishing pole and with an expert sweep tossed his bait far out into the deep water. I mimicked him as best I could but the hook somehow grew wings and flew behind me. Grandpa’s hands closed over mine again and to my great delight I saw my line land many feet in front of me. We sat in silence for what seemed like hours, Grandpa and I, and then gently kissing me on the forehead he quietly stood up and left. I understood, he had told me before we went that he had an appointment and would have to leave early. I was going to keep fishing by myself.

The minutes slipped by but no fish came to bite my hook so I closed my eyes and began to day dream.

Something thin and rubbery passed around my waist and startled I jumped a little and looked down. There was an orange band around my small hips and pulling lightly on it with one finger I found it stretched like a rubber band. Curiously I hoped to me feet and looked around to see where it had come from but there was nothing in sight but water, waving grass and the empty road behind me. I tried to break off the rubber band but when I found out it wouldn’t come over my shoulders easily, I left it be. Daddy could cut it off with a knife when I got home. Right now it wasn’t really doing any harm.

I glanced out at my fishing line again. It will still not advertising any caught fish and slowly I began to day dream again. Minutes passed and I felt a strange sense of timelessness a bug crawl across my knee looking down to knock it off I noticed that my hands looked slimmer. The rest of my body seemed to have lost the childish chubbiness as well and curiously I peeked into the pond.  To my surprise my reflection stretched out much longer than it should have and with a thrill I realized that I had finally grown! Wriggling delightedly I thought how that Jessie Benton would get a nasty surprise for herself when I looked down at her Monday morning!

With a contented smile I readjusted my sitting posture and as I did I noticed another flexible band, this time it was around my ankles. I experimentally tried moving my feet and found that though I didn’t have the movement I would have without the band, I was still not uncomfortable so losing interest I left it there.

I didn’t notice the one that soon passed around my wrists or even the string that slowly restricted my shoulders until I saw my line bob. Then, reaching forward to pick up the pole I had carefully stuck in the ground, I found that my I could hardly move my arms. With a jerk of impatience I tried to snap these annoying things but they quickly changed into a strong rope which dug painfully into my skin. Well, that was inconvenient but I didn’t especially want to tear my wrists up right now so I simply ignored my dancing fishing pole and lay back in the warm grass. As I did so I became aware I had to lean back father than I normally did and a strange thought raced through my mind that I had grown again. I turned my head and saw well toned muscles running down the length of my arm. Obviously I was strong now, probably strong enough to break the band around my wrist but the moment I thought this I banished it from my mind. It hurt too much to even try. It wasn’t really worth sore wrists just to have my hands free.

I closed my eyes and let the sun shine on my face.

I barely opened my eyes to sigh as I felt a strong rope curl around my thighs penning them tightly together. But when another even stronger rope was around my neck I came fully awake and trying to sit up found I couldn’t move. Afraid now I began fighting the ropes and as I did so I noticed my hands, thin, and crisscrossed with blue vanes--they were those of an old woman!

Two faces covered with black cloth appeared above me and I could hear a hoarse cackling.

 “Slow but steady the turtle wins the race, eh?”

Though I couldn’t see anything more than black clothed heads they did not feel friendly  and I struggled frantically to free myself. Who were these men? What were they going to do to me? Had they put these bands on me? My arms were weak and with a horrified realization I now understood that I should have removed the bands while I had the strength, even though it would have hurt. The only thing left to me now was my voice.

“Help me, someone!” My voice sounded old and raspy. How had I aged so quickly? “Grandpa! Where are you?”

“Quick! No one must hear her!” the taller figure grunted to the other. “Hurry up and put the gag in!”

I felt a handkerchief stuffed into my mouth and then I was picked up.

“Ready? Toss her in on the count of three.”

With a shock I realized they were going to hurl me into the pond. I struggled frantically, spitting out the gag, the ropes cutting into my arms and legs until I nearly fainted with the pain.

“One.”

I struggled to keep a hold of my mind. Maybe it would be better to just painlessly drown than to—

“Two.”

No, life was always better, even if it was painful at first; I could always heal.

I threw all my strength into the fight and screamed as the ropes passed through my skin and began cutting deeper.

“Three!”

My hands burst free and I felt the rest of my bonds falling off but a moment later water surged over my head.  Kicking my torn legs and striking in terror with my arms I struggled to the surface gasping for air, my aged strength already nearly spent. The water washed in my rope cuts and burned like fire. I froze in pain and went under again. It almost hurt too much to swim but my will told me I hadn’t gotten this far to die. Exerting all my power I surfaced again and with painful slowness began steadily stroking towards shore. My hand touched the bank and I hauled myself safely up onto the gently sloping grass. What had I just survived--a crazy kidnapping? Had I really lived my whole life sitting on the edge of the pond slowly being tied up and simply ignoring it all? My mind began to swirl again. What was this, some terrifying nightmare?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I jerked awake and looked bewilderedly at my surroundings. I felt my seat belt cutting into my neck and I then with a rush my real life all came back to me. So that was all a dream?

My phone rung and flipping it open I saw it was the doctor calling me.

“Hey girl. The big guys up top said for you to come back in.”

I sighed and thought of the warm cup of tea, soft bed and good sleep I had been planning. Oh well, that’s what the big guys said to do.

“Alright Doc. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Backing carefully out of the driveway my dream came back to me. It was so strange! I wondered where in the world it had come from. Oh well, sometimes you just have dreams like that. They seem so much like they are trying to tell you something but you just can’t make it out. Shrugging I reached over and turned my radio back on.

“Yeah, the big guys up top just announced that all vehicles bought in the next year must be blue with graduating red circles on the hood. This is to help official cars stand more obviously apart from the others.”

Just one more thing, when would all the new rules stop? Oh well, it didn’t matter.  I was sure the big guys up top knew what they were doing.

Tip Tuesday

    Today I decided to be a bit of a rebel and not really give a tip (yes, I know, this is my first time to give a tip and I am already rebelling).  Instead, I would like to present a question.  A question that is very important.  Why are you writing?  Or perhaps it would be better phrased as:  what is your goal in writing?  Perhaps you want to be published (a great aspiration!).  But, if you are like me, you really have no desire to be published (or are not a good enough writer to get published).  So, what then?  Why are you writing?  What good is it for you to write?  This is not a question to discourage, but to make you think deeper about what drives you to write and how you can use what skill you have.  God has given us skills that are meant to be used.  Not tucked away in a box.  So, I challenge each one of you to think on that question this week.  God bless!

Hope's Resting--Part 1

A quick note.  This is not about Hope, one of the writers on the blog. :)  Now, enjoy this first installment.

             “I’m cold,” Essie’s voice quavered.

             “Here,” Adonica could feel the raggedy folds of the blanket as she tucked it around her sister.  “Is that better?”

             Essie cuddled in closer and barely nodded.  Adonica sighed and gently patted her head.  Waiting in the cold and dark could not have been her brother’s plan for them.  They had been waiting by the stream for hours.  While thirst had been easy to appease, hunger was different.  They had not had any food all day, and only a few berries the day before. 

             Essie’s breathing deepened as she fell asleep.  At least she was asleep and not awake to suffer. 

             “Adonica!”

             Adonica started “Seline?”  She frowned, his voice was coming from across stream.  What was he doing over there?

             “Come here.”

             “But Essie’s asleep.”

             “Leave her and come here for a moment,” his voice sounded anxious. 

             Adonica hesitated, then laid Essie gently on the ground and waded through the water, its cold quickly seeping through her bones.  “What?”

             “Ha!”  Hands roughly grabbed her and threw her to the ground.  Lanterns appeared as pieces of cloth were slid off them.  Her arms were wrenched behind her back and ropes were pulled around them burning her skin.

             “Seline!” Nearby he stood, head hung low, his hands also bound. 

             “Паехаnі!” a gravelly voice shouted.  She was jerked to her feet and thrown over the back of a horse. 

             “No!  Essie!” she screamed.  “Essie!”

¨   

              

             “Adonica, wake up,” a hand pushed her shoulder.  “Come on, Addie, wake up.”

             The pet name urged her eyes to open.  “Essie . . .” she sniffed.

             Seline leaned closer trying to comfort her.

             “Quiet over there!”

             Addie shrunk back.  The man’s large frame towered over them as a sneer formed on his lips.  “You two will fetch a good price at the market.”  He laughed, the sound grating at her ears.

             Seline stiffened but said nothing as the man turned back to the fire.

             Her stomach rolled over.  They would be sold and Essie would die out there in the forest all alone.  Tears streamed down her cheeks.