So, the other day Bond told me to write words. Since I don't have any new words at the moment, I've decided to dig once again into what I've written in the past. These are 13 story beginnings. The stories themselves are at various stages, the most common of which is unfinished. Even the finished stuff still needs work.
1. "Once upon a time, there lived a Beautiful Princess named Tonya, who lived in a Pink Castle high atop Cheesy Eesy Mountain in Yesumay Land." This is from a story called A Quest for Special Friends. I wrote it many years ago for the children of a friend of mine. It's one of the few things I've finished.
2. "A quarter of a mile from the house was a rush of water called Cache Creek, which meandered through a grove of cottonwood trees. It was a perfect place for a boy to spend his summer days, thinking about everything and nothing." This is from an unfinished story about. . .yup, a boy.
3. "The air was crisp and cool as the four rode deliberately into town. A sudden, wintry wind whipped down the street, snapping open one man's coat and threatening the perch of another's hat. A third man rode slumped in his saddle, listing to his right, as though a weight pressed down on one shoulder. The fourth rider led a string of five horses." This begins an unfinished story called Bounty, about redemption.
4. "All of my friends had real bikes. Mine had tires, a seat, and handle bars, and it was real. It didn't disappear when you put your hand on it. But the tires weren't rubber. I mean, they were rubber, but it was the hard, inflexible kind. The kind that didn't need tubes on the inside. Of course, they never went flat, but the stupid thing didn't look like everybody else's. It had plastic white rims without spokes, just a couple of bars that criss crossed through the center and kept the wheels from falling off the forks. Not even mag bars, which would have been half way cool. Just two white bars. It had fenders which my dad refused to remove. It was a pukey green color. The handle bars were deep forks, and the seat was banana shaped. It screamed "I am a goober geek head" whenever I rode it. I made sure that wasn't very often." This is from something unfinished that I like to call Life 101. I've actually got something of an outline for this one, and if I worked at it I could probably finish it.
5. "A friend called me today to tell me of the death of a mutual aquaintance. It took me several moments to decide whether I cared." OK, this comes from a dark place and is unfinished.
6. "It is easy to get everything you want, provided you first learn to do without the things you cannot get." Hmmmmm. That's it. It's just a sentence in a word document, saved under the title The Mask of Fate.
7. "Kalfan peered from between the branches of the tree, and spied a yellow haired young Human woman sitting on a split log. He knew less than many of his Elven brethren regarding Humans, however Kalfan did know enough to recognize that this one was crying." This is from a short story called The Yuletide Star. It's finished, but needs quite a bit of tweaking.
8. "The classroom bell rang, and another boring school day ended for Alex McNally. He trudged with heavy shoulders into the hallway and jostled his way through the crowded corridor to his locker. The combination lock was jammed as usual. A sharp rap with his fist forced the troublesome mechanism. The teenager transferred an assortment of books and crinkled paper from the locker to his backpack. He slung the worn straps carelessly across his shoulders and slammed the locker door shut." This is from another finished short story called True Reality. It's actually more of a novella and it needs updating - some of the references are to 15 year old technology.
9. "He let the euphoria wash over him like a wave caresses a beach. The victim, a young attractive male, slid from his grasp to rest on the cold alley pavement." Now this is one I'd like to finish. It's a story about sacrifice.
10. "Scott McKay absently pedalled his mountain bike down Old Seaver Road, coasting along at a reasonbale pace. Suddenly, the bike took control of itself. Scott couldn't turn and he couldn't stop. He couldn't even jump off. It was as if the bicycle had been possessed, by what Scott decided he'd rather not know. After realizing and accepting his inability to immediately affect his speed or direction, for whatever reason, his awareness turned to the busy intersection only moments ahead." Now that's a clunky paragraph.
11. "Charlie and Darrin walked across the hot sand. The sun was bright and a few thin clouds floated lazily in the high sky. It was too hot to breathe. Darrin's complaints were a constant drone in Charlie's ears. Darrin had misplaced his sunglasses. Charlie's patience had run its course. He had his own glasses, new Oakleys he bought with money from his paper route. He refused to share." This is from a finished short story called Tea At High Noon.
12. "It was a dark and silly night. The Bunny was hopping." This is a little something I just started working on, called Fuzzy Bunny Investigations and The Case of The Mysterious Chat Silences. Lots of inspiration but very little progress.
13. "Brant McCord sat motionless in his saddle, the leaves of a large maple tree rustling in gentle protest to a sudden wispy breeze. Man and equine were indistinct, blending thoroughly with their surroundings, waiting patiently for the signal." This is from my novel Outlawed. The book is perhaps 40% complete.
And there you have it. The beginnings of 13 of my stories - and in a couple of cases, the merest hint of a potential story.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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