Meet Norma from “A Better Life – The Softening” (Book 1) on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWY6PLZV
By thirteen she was plump, by fifteen she was curvy, and by seventeen she’d grown into herself completely — a young woman shaped by warmth, abundance, and a family who taught her that her body was hers, not something to apologize for.
She laughed loudly.
She danced without self‑consciousness.
She ate dessert without guilt.
She took up space like she belonged in it.
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt "Blood seems black in the moonlight" Part IV
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt “Blood seems black in the moonlight” Part IV
Part IV
Fumbling through the night, I notice something in the distance; flashing red and blue lights just beyond the tree line. As a black man in America, I’ve never been so happy to see those flashing lights as I was now. I ran as fast as I could, like a moth to a flame.
There was a sigh of relief, maybe Kassidy was able to call for help after all. Perhaps, just perhaps, Kassidy is with…
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt “Blood seems black in the moonlight” Part III Part III Each step was felt mundane, the darkness was starting to become more disorienting. I no longer knew how far or how close I was to the road or even if I wanted to backtrack to the cabin, just how far had I marched?
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt "Blood seems black in the moonlight" Part II
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt “Blood seems black in the moonlight” Part II
Part II
When I heard the whicker of moving brush and the soft snap of a twig sound coming from the impenetrable unknown night of the woods, I panicked. A deranged killer was lurking in the shadows of the night, and with it being so dark in these woods, it felt like he was just a hand grab, no, more of breath away from me. My pulse was up, and every hair on my body was standing at attention,…
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt "Blood seems black in the moonlight"
Rose Red Snow White Excerpt “Blood seems black in the moonlight”
Part I
Double-clicking the x2 icon on the key fob, I popped the truck to the Mustang. A sleek, edgeless tactical black box the size and thickness of a thesaurus was tucked in the right of the trunk. There was a dial pad like that of a telephone styled in the center of it, with two small oval-shaped glass on each side of the pad. There was a tiny red light just above the number two,…
This is the first chunk of story, the intro to my story. I would love if you would like to read and let me know what you think, and if it’s interesting. As it was written in Nanowrimo, it’s not properly edited and it’s probably littered with problems and writing errors, but I’d love for a little bit of love or concrit on it.
So, here we go!
Goodbyes, Rena has discovered, are the most painful thing she’s ever had to come across.
Her knees press into soft grass, and her fingers gently twirl the stem of a blue rose between them. The midday sun pours down over her through the treetops above, and even with closed eyes she can picture the beauty of the forest around her, the flower filled meadow so close by.
The warmth of light soothes her, easing her nerves if only a little, and she opens her eyes to view the solid marble memorial before her. Even though it’s been a few days since it had been placed here, it still sends a small chill through her body to read the name engraved upon it.
The name of the man who raised her. Mylo Sutcliff, an elderly man who had been like a grandfather to Rena from a very young age and had taken care of her. Thinking about those memories makes a solemn sorrow erupt in her chest, but she’s long since made her resolve.
Before he had died, he had spoken to her seriously in the tone he always used when he was trying to teach her or correct a mistake she’d made. She can still fully visualize the way he was laying in his bed in the cottage they shared, the way his brown eyes flickered over her as if he was memorizing her for the last time. Her pale fingers clenching around the stem of the rose in her grasp, she recalls how cold and thin his bigger hand had felt within hers and what he had said to her.
“Go to Respekta,” he’d spoken, his voice frail and interrupted with racking coughs. “She lives in the city of Almond, not far from here. She is an oracle and she can guide you when I cannot. Listen to me, Rena- whatever she tells you to do, do it. I know you’ve only known our peaceful life here in the Glade, but it’s time for you to spread your wings outside of this place. I can no longer protect you here, and you are destined for things I can’t be part of. Do not be frightened. I will always be watching over your journey, and I trust that you are mature enough to finally walk on your own. Follow the path you choose. Please… take care of yourself, my dear, and remember to cherish what you hold close to your heart.”
Being faced with the death of someone so akin to a grandfather of her own while they weren’t truly related by blood, it had felt like she’d been stabbed with many rose thorns all at once. A bitter pain unlike what she’d felt before and never wanted to feel again- but his words gave her strength.
Leaning forward slightly, the brunette carefully places her vibrant rose- the ones he had always said he loved the most of in the garden he had been so proud of- atop the freshly turned soil where he lies. Brushing her fingertips up over the embossed marker, she exhales slowly.
“Mylo… I’m leaving today,” she whispers quietly to him, the wind flowing through the clearing and sweeping her words away. “I’m going to do what you asked. I’m going to Almond to see Respekta. I’m a little worried… but I’m not afraid. When I’m done with the journey you’ve put me on, I’ll be back. ...Thank you.”
With that, Rena picks herself up off the ground, a little bit unstable, but she draws herself up to her full height with a deep breath and turns away, mentally saying her own goodbye to him.
Although it won’t be the last time she’ll return here, it’s hard to know when in the future she’ll be back. The future is so uncertain… but that must be why he wanted her to visit that oracle.
Her footsteps plodding along the grassy path behind her childhood home, she treads through the beautiful sprawling garden Mylo had kept safe all these years. Flowers of all types and colors bloom along the stone pathway that was shaped around the flowerbeds. She remembers days upon days of sitting out here with hands encrusted in dirt, pulling weeds and trimming rose bushes, watching how lively the older man would become in his own little world. Happy years that she can treasure the reminders of.
Her small bag of items, which includes a change of clothes, medical supplies and some fruit as well as a small engraved knife, sits at the front door of the small quaint cottage. The familiar faded red brick is illuminated by the daylight, and Rena takes a moment to stop and breathe in the world around her once more. The sound of the small pond off just to the edge of the woods surrounding the small clearing, the rustle of thousands upon thousands of leaves in the wind, the scent of the flowers that she’s come to associate with home and family. Off in the distance she can even hear the laughter of the children who live in the small village to the north she used to spend time with.
This little bubble where everything was pleasant and warm, welcoming, has been her home for eighteen years. She steps up to one of the windows, peering in at the house that hasn’t changed at all. Her reflection catches her eyes, and she toys with her long brown curls absently.
She’s grown up, and now she has to take her first steps into the future. That’s what Mylo would have wanted.
All her life, Rena has stayed in this place. Never leaving to the villages beyond, having only snuck past the treeline deep into the forest before losing her nerve and finding her way back. She’s never been outside of this place before. Her entire world is based around books and the beauty of what lies beyond her longtime home. She never felt forced to stay, but it seemed an unspoken part of staying with Mylo, and she never wanted anything outside of the quiet life they’d had before despite her growing curiosity as time went on.
Now, though… despite her sadness at Mylo’s death, she feels a tinge of excitement. Here she is, about to walk forward into the unknown future in front of her. A path has laid itself out in front of her, and it’s time for her to take those first steps in the direction of her destiny.
Steeling herself, she reaches down to pluck her bag from the ground, swinging it up over her shoulder. Shifting it into a comfortable position, she turns away from the home she’s known, and faces the path leading through the trees, the beaten earth winding out of sight.
Her gaze then drifts upward, spotting the familiar sight of the gleaming buildings in the distance, just barely distinguishable against the wide and beautiful sky. Just an hour’s walk, he had said, and she’d reach the city of light- Almond.
It’s time to go. She’s already said her goodbyes, and there’s no point in putting it off any longer.
With that thought in mind, she builds her determination, quirks a smile to herself, and sets off down the long path before her.
This is the second part of the haibun for my good friend @colleen_chesebro poetry challenge. To see the prose (a short excerpt from my YA novel which I intend to release this summer,) and both pieces of my poetry together pop over to my blog. https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com #YA #novelexcerpt #mysterious #puzzle #shadows #light #darkness #haibun #poetry #poetrystory #poetrychallenge
