A lady is always right
Everyone say ‘thank you, Marie’. Here’s some more Venice for you. And thank you, Marie. * * * I was not afforded much time to view my ancestral home – Edoardo called for a servant to prepare our food and then led me to the stables without pause. He selected a horse for me and […]
A hint of je ne sais quoi
In Lewisville, there is a place called The Pines Motel. It is on the corner of Interstate 35 and Business 121 and subtle enough that I lived in Lewisville for about four years before I even noticed the place. Merely speculating, I imagine at least one murder has taken place there, and while they have […]
Nice place you got here…
It’s been… a minute. To say there’s been a lot going on is an understatement. Today, I learned about myself that when things get heavy or stressful or overwhelming, one of the first things to go by the wayside is my writing. Which seems… not great. Considering it’s my biggest creative outlet. But it’s work. […]
Homecoming
Our arrival to the Galli estate was both a relief and filled me with dread. I realized that the outdoors now filled me with dread; every unknown sound was a threat and every shadow brought me a shaking, sweating sensation that would have put the hairs on my neck on alert if they ever managed […]
Mild Horror (cw: description of a soured wound)
Mild Horror (TW: description of soured injury) August 30, 2021 Prevot didn’t share my bed again during our journey to Galli’s estate. We hadn’t spoken or engaged in any way, but held each other until dawn when she snuck away again. I understood and only missed her presence for the comfortable closeness I’d needed so […]
Burns and Blossoms
Realization that we were free of the swamp was slow in dawning. I felt the attitude of my companions change first, realized then that we were stopping, and finally understood why. Prevot was eyeing me critically, but I didn’t engage her, instead pondered our next actions as well as I could in my muddled, fatigued […]
The Broken Hiatus
In the last two days, two friends have spoken to me about this story. Thank you. Thank you. Seriously. We were slow. I could feel the tension in Prevot like the threat of rain and did my best to remember her hasty teachings from the day before, but as lost as I was in the […]
Snakes and trees and leeches, oh my
With the knowledge that the rest of our crew expected to meet us in a town we could not yet reach, I was anxious. They would wait, but for how long before disbursing? What would happen with my belongings? I wouldn’t begrudge their sale, everyone must survive, but I didn’t relish the idea of recruiting […]
Swamps and bogs are different, y’all
Captain Dumas was not thrilled about my explanation, but agreed to let Prevot, Emeline, guide us south toward the swampland. Only a mile downstream and the ground underfoot was changing. Prevot, Emeline, was following some path that was muddy but passable and I was particularly grateful that we didn’t have horses. I kept Tiago before […]
Friend or Foe
Rage and fury fueled the storm through the next day. My people visited the public house to warm themselves and check in and I made sure they left with any spare provisions we could provide. I dutifully worked on my hand-stitching and Captain Dumas and others taught Tiago the finer points of barroom brawling. When […]