Monday, August 6, 2012

A Glimpse of Things To Come

Hello, gentle readers.  Happy Monday!  Today, I'm going to share with you a brief excerpt from a story I'm writing.
I'm not the type of writer who can stick with just one story. That's probably why I don't produce stories as quickly as some other authors.  Instead, I usually have multiple stories going.
My writing impulse returned last week and, quite by accident, I started writing something different and new. I just picked up the pen and, boom! Suddenly, I had eight pages of story.
Anyway, here's a glimpse at what I've been working on.  Comments and impressions are more than welcome.
* * * * *


The girl, Scarlet, didn't wake up until that afternoon. Charlie checked on her once or twice then left her alone.
He was sitting on his plush couch, reading a dog-eared copy of Aesop's Tales, when the girl woke. First, Charlie heard the bed creek as its occupant shifted position. A moment later, he heard the soft sound of stockinged feet slapping the floor. Then, as he watched, the girl pushed through the beaded curtain separating the bedroom from the common room. She carried her shoes in one hand. Charlie thought she looked ghastly.
Laying down his book, Charlie said, "Hello."
The girl turned to stare at him. She had dark green eyes. They narrowed in suspicion.
"Who are you?"
"Charlie. How do you feel?"
"Awful," said the girl. She leaned against the wall and looked around the room. "Where am I?"
"That's going to take some explaining," said Charlie. "Would you like some tea?"
"No. I'd like to know where the fuckaaagghh!"
Charlie watched, impassively, as a large gray worm crawled out of the girl's mouth. Retching, she batted the thing away, an expression of deep disgust on her face.
Charlie stood, walked over to where the worm had fallen and scooped it up. He crossed to the small tin stove, opened it and tossed the slimy thing into the fire.
"The first rule you need to learn," said Charlie, turning back to the girl, "is no swearing."
"What was that?" demanded the girl. She was still wiping her mouth. "How'd it get in my fuckackackack!"
She bent over, eyes almost crossing, as another worm emerged from between her lips. With a sigh, Charlie walked over and plucked it off the shuddering girl's face. He held it up before her green eyes.
"What did I just say? Don't swear unless you like coughing up swear worms."

* * * * *

I still haven't decided on a name for this story yet, which is a bit odd for me, but I have a couple of likely prospects.

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