David slid his glass over the bar. Back and forth. Back and forth. The lazy sound wandered the room.
In a distant corner of the old inn, a wedding reception swelled and quieted over the passing hour.
David's mind was drifting when the feeling struck him. A warmth. A breath of fragrance. He turned and started. A touch of his drink darkened on his pants. Someone had slipped into the room behind him.
He didn't register her face at first. Only her eyes. He stared down at them. Blue as the winter hills before dawn. Brilliant as candles shining in dark windows.
"My God," he whispered aloud. And it wasn't just the gin talking.
From "Caroline," a new short story series I will be posting to kick off the new year!
(Picture from my winter adventures Dec. 31st. Wayne County, Pennsylvania.)
I LOVE that pix! Sigh...kick some snow down this way!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! More stories :-D
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo btw.
Beautiful shot. And that excerpt shows promise. Or is it threat? ;)
ReplyDeleteHe turned and started. A touch of his drink darkened on his pants.
ReplyDeleteVery well done, that last line.
Very intriguing, Jason!!!
ReplyDelete"Blue as the winter hills before dawn. Brilliant as candles shining in dark windows."
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how well this description goes with the picture. The candle part gives them such depth, as well as the writing.
Beautiful photo, will be looking forward to reading the rest of Caroline.
ReplyDeleteRobin, sure, I'll get the snowblower out. ;)
ReplyDeleteTerri, thanks! More pictures to come. I got some good ones on this trip, if I do say so myself.
Anne, I don't want to spoil it. ;)
M.G., thanks!
Kelly, stay tuned. :)
Mermaid, see how dedicated I am? I went out and got a picture of winter hills before dawn just for this post. Er, well, the other way around actually.
BeadinggalinMS, I'm really looking forward to this one. Glad you'll be along!
What a wonderful excerpt. I'd read that story. Very nice, Jason.
ReplyDeleteTanya
That is a gorgeous shot!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you!
jason- Yep, very nice photo. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the photo. Very moody. It has atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteSo you are teasing us, are you?! And the pic is stunning! I love it!
ReplyDeleteTanya, soon. Very soon. ;)
ReplyDeleteJane, thanks! Happy new year!
Jeff, looks like a good sledding hill, doesn't it?
Sandra, the blue light is intriguing.
Livewire, well, um, yes actually. :)
Mundane question:
ReplyDeleteIs he refinishing furniture?
Bernita, my wife had a similar confusion. I think I'll make the tweak now that I was going to do in order to clarify.
ReplyDeleteAhhh!
ReplyDeleteGot it. Nice.
you've got a really talent for matching up images with text - there's nothing quite like it and i can't wait to read the next exerpt - i'm glad you promised more... um, you did promise, right?
ReplyDeleteBernita, :)
ReplyDeleteMysfit, thank you for the compliment! I'm trying to play to my strengths. This excerpt is an advertisement. In a couple of days, I will start the full story at the beginning. In the meantime, I'll have a cemetery post.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteHave you submitted it yet? Or is it still a WIP?
Tanya
Tanya, the story is only in my head at the moment. I will write each segment for the blog separately. I like to see where the feedback goes in order to strengthen the themes people are connecting with. Each of my story segments takes me 1 - 2 hours, from first key stroke to posting.
ReplyDeleteI envy you. I'm too anal for that. It takes me much longer, but it's my own fault. BTW, here's one of my favorite quotes:
ReplyDelete"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again." - Oscar Wilde
:-)
Tanya
Tanya, I know what Oscar is talking about. For whatever reason, I don't have as much difficulty (er, obsession, maybe I should be spending more time) with the shorter pieces.
ReplyDelete