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CODY
"It's the color of a
ruby." The child's awe-filled voice broke the eerie silence following the
storm. "Just like the Book of Legends says."
Murmurs rose and blended into a
single, querulous hum: "That's all it is. Legend. Only part ruby. Rest …
black as night. Not exactly a slipper."
An old woman stepped forward.
"Might be. Fashions change."
The child reminded them, "The
Book says she came on the wind."
The hum countered, "Aye …
seven generations ago."
The woman said, "I've heard
rumors of ominous weather down there."
The leg twitched, accentuating its
unseemly length. The crowd, except for the woman and the child, stepped back.
The child cried out, "She needs help."
The hum accelerated to an angry
buzz: "She's not our kind. What can we do?"
"Whatever we can."
"There could be
consequences."
"There's always risk."
"Not if we don't get
involved."
"Unthinkable!"
At Amazon |
In
the dark shadows of the forest Mira stood out like a psychotic rainbow amongst
the bland browns and greens. She had always been different; a bit wild, forever
disregarding the rules, particularly when it came to fashion. Her choice of
colors had never caused her harm; in fact it would often bring smiles and
laughter to those around her. She loved
to smile. She loved to laugh. In the forest, she did both as she skipped and
danced along the path in her favorite red and black shoes. The bright pinks, yellows
and blues of her outfit swirled around her. It was not, in the end, the colors
that killed her, though they did attract the fairies. The creatures didn’t harm
her either, though their sudden presence startled her. Later investigators firmly attributed her
demise to the 40 foot fall down the ravine. Cause of death: six inch heels.
IDEN
I
had two reactions to this picture the instant I saw it. In both, I sense the
wearer of this get-up is a young girl dressed up in atrocious cast-off clothing
from the seventies or eighties.
Those
ridiculous heels, they’re good for a laugh. All kinds of scenes—right out of
any sitcom—spring to mind.
At Amazon |
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sandra Carey Cody
Sandra Carey Cody's latest
book, Love and Not Destroy, examines the ways in which
destiny is shaped by family secrets. An infant is abandoned in a carriage shed
on the grounds of a small town museum. Twenty-two years later, the body of a
homeless man is discovered in exactly the same spot. The foundling, now an
adult working at the museum, is haunted by the coincidence and thus begins a
search for identity that explores the nature of family, of loyalty and
responsibility. Sandy
also writes the Jennie Connors mystery series, published by Avalon Books. Her
website is: http://sandracareycody.com/
Jen Wylie
At Amazon |
Before settling down to
raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University
and worked in retail and sales.
Thanks to her mother she
acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school.
She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing
most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and
short stories.
my website: www.jenniferwylie.ca
Matthew Iden
I write fantasy, science
fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction
with a psychological twist. A Reason to
Live is the first in my debut detective series featuring Marty Singer, a
retired DC homicide cop who helps the victims of past crimes while waging his
own war with cancer. Marty’s story continues in Blueblood (August, 2012) and Signs
(October 2012).
Find out more at my site http://matthew-iden.com and my Goodreads
page (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5313211.Matthew_Iden).
Book link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081MW9LM
Feel free to join in. Add your vision (150 words maximum) in the comments!
Feel free to join in. Add your vision (150 words maximum) in the comments!
8 comments:
Three very interesting takes on the same picture. To some people, a picture is only a picture, but to a writer, it's only the beginning of a story.
This was so much fun, Ellis. Thanks for including me with these two talented writers.
I agree, Earl, that an image can set a writer's imagination soaring.Don't you love it!
I agree with Earl. But as your wonderful experiment continues, Ellis, it's clear that writers see things differently. What a great exercise. Kudos to Sandy, Jen, and Matt for their interpretations.
Inspiring exervise, Ellis! I love the different takes on the picture. Such creativity!
It's those diverse views of the same scene that make fiction so much fun. A murder or a moment of relaxation? An eye for wild fashion or an uncaring free spirit? What fun!
Earl, you said it so well! "To some people, a picture is only a picture, but to a writer, it's only the beginning of a story." I borrowed that comment for a post (but I gave you credit :-)
I love seeing the completely different takes on the same picture. How wonderful to have such imaginations at work.
These are always fun and this one is no let down. Thanks for the glimpse into your minds.
I enjoyed how Cody picked up on the 'ruby slippers' angle -- that was my first thought as well -- but brought it into the present and ... oh no, she's still alive! LOL Love the line "accentuating its unseemly length."
The Wylie interpretation was total delight and I laughed out loud at the ending. Love the "psychotic rainbow."
And then I giggled over Iden's "from humor to horror in an instant" ...
This was great -- thanks so much everyone.
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