“Its Beauty is its Deception!”
Have you ever wanted something SO BADLY simply because it was attractive?
Maybe a new car? A relationship? The dream job? And let’s say you get it only to discover that the car still breaks down, the relationship comes with baggage, or the perfect job is managed by crazy people?
Well, I have! As a writer, I draw upon these experiences to craft my stories. Sometimes I regurgitate it unfiltered through a character and let them deal with the consequences. Now THAT’S fun! Other times I become the magician, getting you to focus on the shiny, red scarf in my left hand while my right hand is preparing to WOW you with a rabbit. Well, not a real rabbit, unless of course that’s part of the plot, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make right now…or is it? 🙂
(For those following the “FREE Book” posts, here’s the conclusion to Chapter 01, Tears of Min Brock.)
Quinn lifted his throbbing head and glared at the women. “Why must you two be so loud?” he thundered.
Elabea remembered a time many summers ago when his eyes sparkled with life, but that was before he went off to fight in the Dark War. Now they were opaque and lifeless. Spying the parchment in the fire, he asked Elabea, “Where did you get that?”
His eyes became icy.
Backing away, she meekly answered, “It was attached to an arrow stuck in our door. What is it?”
“It is from the land of lies!” he slurled.
“Claire!” Elabea whispered, noting that despite the flames, the parchment was not burning.
“Don’t say the word!” Areall yelled, her placid expression now like churning rapids. Turning her fury on Quinn, she shouted, “Your night of drink is making you talk too much!”
“I’ll talk when and how I like!” he yelled back.
While they argued, Elabea knew this was her chance. Darting to the fireplace, she grabbed a small stick on the hearth and plunged it into the coals.
“Stop!” Quinn roared as he struggled to rise from his chair. “Leave it!” Becoming dizzy, he slumped back down.
“Amazing,” Elabea muttered as she dragged it onto the cool hearth. “It’s not burnt and is even free of soot. It’s so…beautiful.”
“Beautiful?” Areall replied derisively. She crept toward the parchment as if an evil spirit possessed it. “Its beauty is its deception!” she snarled. Unwilling to get any closer, she whispered,“Burn it! Destroy it or you will curse us. The Cauldron will know and see. They will come!”
Elabea calmly picked it up. “They’ve never come before! Besides, how can something so beautiful be evil?”
Areall reached for her but Elabea was too quick. She raced out the door.
J.E. Lowder 