Life of the Story

Sometimes a story take on a life of its own. For the writer, this is akin to driving down a dark country road on a moonless night with no headlights. Occasionally you catch swift glimpses of your surroundings, but mostly you have no idea where you are or what's out there in the dark. That is exactly where I am at the moment. In the dark.

There are options. I could just stop and wait for a light to appear in the darkness. The trouble with that is that I have no idea how long it will take or what form the light will appear in. I can stumble on, hoping that I don't break a leg in a rabbit hole or step on a snake. Or I can seek out someone with a light and ask for help. I'm more or less doing all three at once. And yet, I'm still in the dark. It seems that I must put this story to the side for now and meditate on it until some glimmer of light lets me know that it's safe to journey on.

There is no shortage of stories in my head. The trick will be choosing the one with lights along the way. I will have to make my decision carefully lest I waste yet more time on a story line that goes no where except in the dark. Time is a precious commodity for a writer. There are only so many hours in a day and once gone, they can never be retrieved. This weekend I must do some serious thinking about the road I will travel come Monday morning. In the meantime, my blog cohorts and I have decided to bring our blog Saga to a close. All good stories have an ending. It's time for this one to do so.

Anny

“Em, let it all go.” Zoltan took in the militant set of her mouth. “Yeah you can – you’re just scared.”

“Of what?” Emmeline hated that Zoltan knew her so well.

“Being normal, being with me.” He kept his hand outstretched towards her.

Was that it or was it she just liked adventures? Emmeline looked at the man before her. It always came back to Zoltan. She reached for his hand. His flesh was warm, firm and comforting.

“Where are we going?”

“To somewhere we’ve needed to go for the longest time.”

“Where would that be?” Emmeline shivered before squeezing his hand tentatively.

“Home.” Zoltan clasped her hand in his, refusing to allow her to move away. “We haven’t been home in years.”

Her quills clacked as she considered his answer. Perhaps he was right. After all, when they left home so long ago, they were just youngsters, eager to see the universe. Reluctantly she admitted that she was tired. Tired and finally ready to settle down. There was something attractive about the thought of being home.

A mood of nostalgia settled over her. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be where she could inhale the scent of the marackapoo trees with every breath? Where the sky was a glorious tinted gold and the grass was a million shades of red?

What would it be like to finally turn in her tool kit and peeler to the High Council? Retirement. She savored the unfamiliar word. Gardening. Backrat hunting and fishing for pooketts. Maybe she would even learn to cook.

There was just one tiny thing to take care of. “Uh, Zoltan?”

“Yes, darling?” He turned to her with wide smile on his face.

She stunned him with the peeler, whipped out her cuffs and clamped them on his wrists. Fishing in her pocket, she dug out the tiny gold nipple rings she’d purchased in San Francisco. It was the work of a few minutes to pierce the little nubs.

Then she hauled out the collar and leash from her pack and fastened the collar around his neck. In the late afternoon sunlight the jewels glittered and flashed. “Emmeline’s man.”

She patted his whimpering form. Pretty soon the peeler’s effects would wear off. Best to be on their way before that happened.With a happy sigh, she gripped his arm. “Now we can go home.”

There are contests galore between Amarinda, Kelly, and me. For my February Scavenger Hunt, check my webpage at www.annycook.com and find the contest box for rules and clues. For Amarinda's check her blog at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com and for the chance to win a beautiful necklance stop in at Kelly's blog at www.kkirch.blogspot.com

For details on the Eternally Yours contest check any of the author links below or the contest box on my webpage. www.annycook.com

Sandra Cox Silverhills
Mona Risk To Love a Hero
Brynn Paulin Tribute For the Goddess
Bronwyn Green Mystic Circle
Cindy Spencer Pape Stone and Earth
N.J. Walters Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke
Elyssa Edwards Mating Stone
Amarinda Jones Shades of Gray
Kelly Kirch Time for Love
Anny Cook Honeysuckle

Blessings on your day!