I sat in silence as the footage played in front of me. It flickered and danced, as it the film could not believe what it was showing, as I could not believe what I was seeing. Silently, tears streaked my face, trembling as they reached my jaw and then dropping to my shirt unheeded.
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Hello Writers and Readers!
Happy Freebie Friday! This week I am bringing you free books on Amazon.com of the Contemporary Fiction genre!
** Please note** At the time I am posting this message, all the books are free for the kindle version on Amazon.com. They may not be free for long, so hurry and get yours! I hope you find something you like!
Happy Reading!
~ Eileen 🙂
She Sits
She is sitting
Sitting in simplicity
Sitting in silence
Moving gently when the air pushes her
Bathing in the glow of the life-giving sun
She is silk to touch, satin to feel
Divine in all her perfection is she
The grass and weeds that surround her
Bend and stand in the breeze
As if bowing, paying homage to her beauty
Trees bend over her, protecting her
From the elements that could harm
But letting the sun beams filter through
Her face is forever raised to the sky
The very ground is her altar of worship
Many pass by her without a second glance
No passing word of greeting or phrase
No one caresses her nor bends
To catch the scent of her
And still she sits
In simplicity
In silence
In beauty
She sits
Welcome to Wordy Wednesdays!
You ready for some fresh material? Well, here it is!
While perusing for writing resources on the interwebs, I came across a set of writing exercises. The first one said to write a description of an area, one spot, as if it were to be included in a larger story. So, here’s mine.
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The courtyard was full. Sitting on the red brick half-wall, I could feel the heat seeping through my jeans. The multi-colored bricks in the quad were arranged in a circular pattern with a tall clock tower in the center. A plaque attached to the tower displayed the year the campus landmark was donated and the name of the generous, long dead benefactor. The bricks continued in a swirling, artful pattern, out in three directions from the courtyard; walkways leading away from the quad. The wall I rested against was on the North side and behind me was a bridge and a creek with ducks and babbling water and students. Trees stood sentry around the central area, filtering the light that flashed here and there as it escaped the waving reach of the branches.
I often stood here, in this place, watching them from behind my sunglasses. The people that traveled through this courtyard. They seldom looked at the beautiful red brick buildings or the cool water of the creek as it floated by. Their eyes were usually downcast, hands gripping their backpacks and purses, trudging through on their way to another class or study group. I was not one of them, not a student anyway. But I belonged there, perhaps more than they did. The breeze gently brushed me, disrupting my hair and flipping an errant strand across my face. I moved to tuck it behind my ear and stopped.
A boy with slacks the color of sand paused by the clock tower to check his phone. His eyes shifted to the side. I followed his gaze and saw a small, blond, mousy girl walking toward the quad from the East. She was alone, her hair limp and shoulder length. He waited, the boy. I could almost hear his heart beating faster as she approached. She was plain and I wondered why he waited for her, desired her company.
As she came closer, he replaced his phone in its pocket home and turned to face her. Too thin, her spindly arms wrapped around her binder, holding on for dear life, shielding herself from life and ridicule with the flimsy cardboard, metal and plastic. Her eyes were downcast, her step quick, hoping to reach her destination without any confrontations or interactions. Her scrawny legs mercifully held her up and carried her forward, towards the boy with the phone.
He stepped in front of her and I could smell her terror from where I stood. She never looked up, but her body shook. He reached to touch her arm and her body jolted, jumping back from his touch. He spoke again, his words somehow soothing the frightened girl. Daring a glance, the girl looked at him and angled her body in his direction ever so slightly. As she turned slowly toward him, toward me, I could see the confusion and doubt all over her.
She said nothing, but like a child learning to read, her body moved in jerky movements toward the boy as if she had never been spoken to before. And perhaps for her, it felt like she hadn’t. As he talked, her body slowly turned towards him and her head rose. Her hair fell behind her shoulder and I could see her face fully now. The sun flashed through a cloud, bathing her with light and she smiled.
#####
I hope you enjoyed Wednesday’s writing piece. I especially enjoyed writing this one. Happy Reading!
~ Eileen 🙂
Hello Writers and Readers!
Happy Freebie Friday! This week I am bringing you free books on Amazon.com of the Science Fiction & Fantasy genre!
** Please note** At the time I am posting this message, all the books are free for the kindle version on Amazon.com. They may not be free for long, so hurry and get yours! I hope you find something you like!
1. Forsaken (Agilia’s Lament)
3. Lichgates (Young Adult Fantasy)
5. Sojourner
Happy Reading!
~ Eileen 🙂
Welcome to Wordy Wednesdays! Here is the exciting conclusion, Part Five of Five of my new short story, “TEN”.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and let me know what you think!
If you missed previous parts of the story, you can find them at the links below. Enjoy! 🙂
Previous parts of the story:
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#####
Finish Line
As Kyra crossed the threshold, she moved cautiously. Stopping just inside the room, she looked around. There was a large wooden desk to her left in front of a big window pane. Outside, the sky was blue with puffy white clouds and the sun shone in the window warmly. The chair behind the desk was turned as if someone had recently left it in a hurry, not bothering to push it in behind the desk.
To her right, there was a wooden framed couch and chair set with a coffee table and side table in matching wood tones. The cloth on the couch and chair were light gray with splashes of color like someone couldn’t decide which color to put on so they just put them all. Kyra wrinkled her nose and grimaced at the ugly furnishings.
On the floor at her feet was a tiny slip of paper. Kyra picked it up and turned it over to read the message. “Great treasure will be yours.” the paper promised and she smiled.
A lone plant stood in the corner across from the couch and chair and a water cooler was next to the plant. The cooler bubbled gently and Kyra knew someone had retrieved water from the cooler only recently. On the bookshelf next to the desk, Kyra spotted what she was after. Carved from crystal and filled with shining color, it glittered in the light.
Next to the chair was a door leading out of the office. Kyra swiftly moved the chair to block the door and turned toward the bookcase and her prize. Crossing the distance quickly, Kyra stretched up on her toes to grab the crystal treasure. She couldn’t quite reach it. Glancing around, she saw the chair behind the desk and walked to grab it. Wheeling the chair over to the shelf, she prepared to climb up and grab the crystal bowl.
“Kyra!”
The door opened and Dr. Martinson stepped in.
“Don’t climb on that chair, Kyra. You could fall and get hurt.”
Kyra blinked at her. ‘Is she serious?’
“It has wheels.” The doctor pointed to the bottom of the chair.
Men in white uniforms entered the room behind the doctor and took the chair from Kyra.
“You know I’ll get it for you, Kyra. Have a seat.”
Crossing to the couch, Kyra sat quietly, waiting for the doctor.
Dr. Martinson, quite a bit taller than Kyra’s 5 foot 5 inches, grabbed the candy bowl and sat next to Kyra on the couch.
“Here you are dear.” She opened the lid and offered it to Kyra. “Only two now.”
Kyra smiled and picked out two shining wrappers.
“Was that fun?” the doctor asked her with a smile.
Kyra, her mouth full of a chewy caramel candy smiled and shook her head up and down.
“I’m glad.” Dr. Martinson said. Setting the crystal candy dish on the coffee table, she held her hand out to Kyra. “Now give me the messages, dear, and tell me about your adventure.”
Kyra placed the crumpled messages in the doctor’s hand and began to tell the doctor her story. Afterward, she let the orderlies lead her to her room, her backpack bouncing as she walked.
When the girl had left, Dr. Martinson sat at her desk and got out Kyra’s file.
Hello Writers and Readers!
Happy Freebie Friday!
This week, I wanted to share my favorite classic literature with you. Below are 5 of my personal faves for free on Amazon.com. Check them out, download them for free!
** Please note** At the time I am posting this message, all the books are free for the kindle version on Amazon.com. They may not be free for long, so hurry and get yours! I hope you find something you like!
2. The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights
3. Dracula
4. Little Women
5. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Happy Reading!
~ Eileen 🙂
Welcome to Wordy Wednesdays! As promised, here is Part Four of Five of my new short story, “TEN”. Stay tuned as I release a new part of the story every week!
If you missed previous parts of the story, you can find them at the links below. Enjoy! 🙂
Previous parts of the story:
#####
#####
Inside
Kyra stood still, listening intently. The room had gray walls and low lighting. To her right was a large metal desk in the shape of a U positioned in front of a large, blank, gray wall. The desk housed several monitors and served as the surveillance for the operation that showed everything going on. Cameras were placed in the garage, the hallway, the outer room, the room she was in, and in another room. The last room’s camera appeared to be malfunctioning as Kyra could see nothing on it. Kyra watched as the woman in the outer room got up from the floor, mocked tipping her hat at the camera and left. Shutting the outer room door quietly behind her, the woman exited the way Kyra had come in.
On the corner of the metal desk was a now-familiar scrap of paper and Kyra picked it up. “The path is before you.” She pocketed the paper and looked around the room.
To Kyra’s left, there was a closed door. It was solid white and bore no window or identifying sign indicating where it may lead. Kyra took a step toward that door, listening carefully. She could barely see a thin line of light coming from under the door and as she neared, a shadow passed through the light. Standing stock still, Kyra held her breath, her eyes on the handle of the door. The shadow paused in front of the door. Kyra looked to the monitors, attempting to determine which room was on the other side of the door. She didn’t see anyone on any of the monitors, so she concluded the room on the other side must be the one she couldn’t see on the displays.
The only other door in the room was open slightly and read ‘Cleaning Supplies’ on a dingy plaque. This was too easy. Smiling, Kyra turned and stepped toward the Cleaning closet. Breathing quietly, she glanced at the screens and saw a flash of movement in the outer room.
Kyra quickly strapped the case to her back and opened the supply room door. Entering the tiny room, she closed the door firmly behind her and stood quietly in the dark. Using her internal clock, Kyra waited 5 minutes and 27 seconds before slipping a penlight from her sleeve and turning to face the back wall of the closet. Hearing nothing from the room outside the door, she aimed the penlight at the wall seams and immediately located the latch. Reaching to the front pocket of the bag on her back, she slipped out a tool kit and removed a tiny shim. Sliding it into the latch, she triggered the latch and stepped to the side as the tiny door swung open into the closet.
A cool whoosh of air touched Kyra’s hair. She smelled lemons. Standing perfectly still, Kyra waited an additional 4 minutes and 33 seconds before peeking around the open doorway. From her vantage point in the closet, Kyra couldn’t see much in the other room. There was the edge of a chair just barely visible close to where she hid, but there wasn’t much else in her line of sight.
Replacing the shim and kit in the bag along with the penlight, Kyra crouched low to the floor and listened quietly. Deciding the room must be empty, she slowly stood and stepped through the doorway.
While perusing the ‘net, I found this awesome Fiction and Poetry Submission Resource.
(I’ve also added a link for this Resource on my Resources page.)
Haunted Waters Press (HWP) recommends reading one of their issues before submitting your work to see if your piece is a good fit for their publication. If you go HERE, you can Preview the Summer 2013 issue or purchase it in digital or print formats. If you’re going to preview the issue, make sure you click on the Preview link underneath the image of the cover. I clicked on the Sample link and my browser (Chrome) didn’t like it. But the Preview option worked perfectly. 🙂
From the HWP website:
We seek previously unpublished works unless otherwise stated in the call for submissions. We welcome both the profound and the quirky. We are open to most styles and genres of fiction including speculative, dark, experimental, and literary. We love flash fiction of any word count as long as it tells a complete story. We enjoy all forms of poetry including experimental, rhyming, free verse, and invented form. While we welcome deep, meaningful poetry, we also enjoy works that are witty, peculiar, or offbeat. Works of creative nonfiction should be real stories about real people, events, and ideas and should be eloquently written, thoughtful and compelling. As a general rule, we do not accept erotica. Profanity and violence, if used, must be integral to the story. We do not accept simultaneous submissions.
As noted above, HWP accepts Fiction and Poetry. Make sure you read the Submission Guidelines before submitting anything so you can be sure to follow their requirements.
Happy Writing!
~ Eileen 🙂
Hello Writers and Readers!
Happy Freebie Friday! I have scoured Amazon.com to bring you the best free eBook offerings I could find. Check them out, download them for free! Remember to leave reviews if you can, reviews are extremely useful to authors. 🙂
** Please note** At the time I am posting this message, all the books are free for the kindle version on Amazon.com. They may not be free for long, so hurry and get yours! I hope you find something you like!
2. UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale)
3. JET (An International Action/Adventure Thriller)
4. The Three Musketeers (Classic Lit – Alexandre Dumas)
5. The Light Keepers (Fantasy Adventure)
Happy Reading!
~ Eileen 🙂
Eileen Maki 