To anyone who saw that I was going to be posting that writing series at the beginning of June, I’m extremely sorry. I obviously didn’t do that. I am still planning on doing those, but maybe not until the end of this month/beginning of next month. I’m still waiting on a few articles from some other folks and getting mine finished. I don’t know what I was thinking, saying that I would do it in June!!
However, just so you have something to read on here until that time, I thought I’d share a bit of a story I’ve been working on. Since this is my writing blog, It seems only fitting. 🙂
So, enjoy this little tidbit from my short story (the same that was entered in a writing contest and won 1st place in the adult division), “Running from Disgrace”.
The wind made the rain drops splatter across her face like tiny flying rocks. She wrapped her arms around herself and squinted her eyes to try to see further than the few feet the weather was allowing her.
“Hello?” She called out in vain. The wind carried her words straight behind her and lost them in the growing darkness. Looking up at the sky, she blinked hard to keep from crying. Escaped tears joined the trails of water left on her cheeks from the rain.
She continued stumbling forward. Her dress was heavy, soaked as it was, while her hair hung in limp dripping locks around her face. She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Hugging herself to contain some warmth, she tried to ignore the reaching fingers of the tree’s branches. They looked like hideous monsters in the dark. Each branch seemed to grow long and reach out to her, wanting to snatch her up and hurl her into the wind. She shut her eyes to close out the image. It was too much to bear. At that moment she could care less if she were dead or alive. It wouldn’t matter in a few moments anyway. They were sure to find her. Perhaps she would be dead by then, and her worries would be over. She opened her eyes and looked around at the desolate forest. It would be a lonesome place to die.
Stumbling on, she no longer felt the hunger pains. Starving for three days made her feel nothing. She was numb. The past few days were a blur. She didn’t know when or if she slept. She just kept going. It was the only way to survival, and, although death would surely be a mercy, she wanted to live. She had done no wrong and did not want to die with her name disgraced.
As she came around a large tree, she saw a light ahead. Blinking several times to be sure she wasn’t dreaming again, she stared at it. There! Movement in the window of a cabin. Gathering every last ounce of strength, she forced each foot to move, every step a conscious effort. Slowly, painfully, she got closer. Trembling, she reached out to take hold of the porch rail. She paused a moment, catching her breath, trying to slow her pounding heart.
Then, she heard it behind her. It was that mournful cry again. The same cry that had haunted her since she had left. She turned slowly and stared at the image of the little girl. A sob caught in her throat as she watched the form run away behind a tree. It was gone. She was gone. The little girl vanished, just like she had in real life. Disappeared.
She stared at the tree, willing the little girl to come back, wishing to see her face again. Instead, three men appeared. They saw her standing on the porch and pointed. Closer they came. She stared, not sure what to do. Her mind told her to run, but her limbs refused to move. Each muscle ached at the very thought of it. Then, the men were upon her. One reached out and gripped her arm. As his fingers squeezed and pulled her towards him, a scream rose in her throat and escaped out her lips. She pulled away, but suddenly a black veil slipped over her eyes. Slowly, the forest, the men, the cabin, all was lost. Gone in total darkness. She seemed to slip through time, falling through the past months like passing through a lake of water.
Visions of past events flashed through her mind. The sunny day when she and the little girl were playing in the meadow. The afternoon that James had proposed. Dreams of what she would look like in an ivory gown with lace and a creamy veil. Her mind turned to sadder days when she was accused of the dreadful deed. James had walked away, ashamed to have known her. All of her hopes and dreams had been shattered. Then, the days just seemed to meld into each other. The running, walking, and begging for a meal. Pitch darkness took over again, and she last all track of time.