Monthly Archives: April 2023

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : “Kindness”

“You are not in hell,” the Voice said, for the first time sounding as if emotion was allowed through. It almost sounded kind. “You have spent your time there. You are free now and are here because these people need you. Tell your friends your real story.  They need to know and understand. Then they will tell theirs. Speak now.”

(SKIP)

“So you and Tweety are two different people or, uh, entities?” Harper asked.

“She was desperate for relief from her memories after the attack,” the Great Spirit began. “She prayed, and I offered to block them anytime I needed the use of her mouth to speak so her tribe, and now you, can hear me. She rests while I use her body.”

“Why do you not block her memories permanently? Would not that be kinder?” Minji’s voice was sharp with anger.

“I could erase them, just like I could Luthor’s, or any of the rest of you. But those memories, bad as they are, would make you, and her, different today. Do you want that for yourselves?”

“Hey, leave Tweety alone! I like her just the way she is!” Harper’s voice was still mostly flat, but a little emotion flared in it.

(SKIP)

A sigh gusted out of her and she knelt beside Luthor. She tugged on his shoulder, trying to make him straighten up.  “Come on, get up. Get up, blow your nose again, and let’s go rescue those prisoners. Come on, we haven’t got all day.”

“Don’t let your sympathy make you do anything out of character,” Luthor growled, sniffling, then blowing his nose again.

Harper thumped his back.  “You know you’d be suspicious if she was nice to you, big guy.”  He stood back as Luthor rose to his feet on shaking legs.

Excerpt from “The Warlord’s Heart”

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For #LineByLineTime : “The Room”

Edward blinked as he took in the bedroom, filled with servants dashing about. One was lighting the fire in the fireplace. Several were hauling pails of steaming water through the room to a door on the side. Lamps were being lit beside the bed and in the attached room. He assumed it was a bathing room, judging by the steaming water. He hoped so. A hot bath and a shave sounded very good to him right now.

“This seems like a rather fine room for a mere courier,” he said with raised eyebrows. He glanced down at the dusty, cobwebbed hair of the maid who had led him to this room.

She surprised him with a nudge of her elbows. “It’s yours, don’t worry. Mrs. Grimsby is the head of housekeeping and assigns the rooms. She has a soft spot for the cavalry, since her husband and all her sons are cavalrymen. She always makes sure any who arrive get the best rooms. Try the bed!”

She tried to tug him towards it, but he fended her off. “Not in these dirty clothes! I need a bath first.”

He wasn’t about to leave marks on the fine furs covering the massive bed. It was magnificent, matching the luxurious room. Richly polished bedposts stretched toward the carved ceiling tiles, with heavily embroidered linen curtains held back with tasseled ropes. He could tell the bed would be a cozy haven when they were closed. The pillows were large and covered in silk, if his eyes didn’t deceive him.

He looked closer at the rest of the room now that the lamps had brightened the area. Finely carved furniture shining with wax polish, big comfortable chairs and side tables. There was a bar against the wall with a tray set with various glasses, a bottle of whiskey and another of wine, a bowl of fruit, a wooden cutting board with various cheeses and breads, and a set of dishes and cutlery. A maid was swinging a pothook over the crackling fire after setting a steaming pot on it. She hung a ladle on a hook beside the fire.

His eyes traveled on. Silk fabric in a rich green and blue striped pattern covered the walls. Beautiful landscapes gave the room a peaceful air. The floor was covered with thick patterned rugs over polished wood.

“Surely even the Warlord’s quarters are not so fine. This is a room fit for a king!” he whispered.

Betsy shrugged. “No. The royal quarters are far larger, and not nearly as comfortable.”