Good evening, all!
This week's prompt was rather interesting. I tried to go for a more humorous feel, but I believe it turned into a more serious tale than first intended. . . Still, I hope you enjoy!
Unlike my previous prompts, this one features characters in no relation to any current WIPs. I went fresh with these! And I kinda think it'd make an intriguing tale. :]
Unlike my previous prompts, this one features characters in no relation to any current WIPs. I went fresh with these! And I kinda think it'd make an intriguing tale. :]
> > > > > < < < < <
So, it's Week 4 of my Link-up! And tomorrow is the deadline for this week's prompt.
Click HERE for the info!
> > THE PROMPT < <
This one felt REALLY long. And there's so much I wanted to add, but I kept hitting the max number and going over until I just couldn't shorten it any more. Heheh. . . So, if it feels stilted, blame me for the rule of a maximum word count. But in my defense, it IS just a prompt meant to get creativity flowing (which it did!), and it most certainly doesn't have to be perfect (no matter how much my perfectionist brain wants it to be). So, enjoy! And I'd love to know what you think. :]
> > MY STORY < <
A grumbling sigh
escaped her lips as she trudged up the rickety stairs. Whatever had
possessed her grandmother to purchase this unbelievably old house and
then will it to her, she’d simply never understand.
Still, she couldn’t
deny the Nancy Drew curiosity that welled within each time she drove
up to the place.
Perhaps she would
move here. If anything, she could open up a bed & breakfast.
Grandmama had seen to everything when she bought the place. Each
room had been remodeled and updated, and she had to admit it was
rather gorgeous with its vintage & Farmhouse-style décor in the
Civil War-era architecture.
But as she made her
way up the ladder, she cringed. It was…
THE ATTIC.
For whatever
reason, this vast room was the only space left untouched by the
remodelers. Boxes and boxes of junk were stacked all over the open
room. From the looks of it, dust bunnies had long since claimed this
as their domain. At some point, she
would come
and clean this up. For now, she
would take stock of all the
whatnot—get ideas on how to proceed. A small fortune could be made
depending on what manner of treasure lay hidden here.
Minted
Civil War coins from the decks of an ironclad would be a great start.
A slight smirk quirked her lips, Oh wait, that’s
been done. Durn it.
Hands
on hips, she took in the room once again, noting most all of the
boxes were labeled from previous owners, now obviously forgotten.
John & Elaine’s Keepsakes. Baby clothes 0-9 months.
BOOKS: Tomes & the Like.
Her
eyes lit up at that. One can never have too many books. Who
knew what beauties lay collecting dust?
She’d
just begun in that direction when another box caught her attention.
Unlike the others, this one was absent a label. And instead of
cardboard or plastic, she was surprised to see it was a wooden chest.
No
lock secured it in any way, so she pried open the lid and was
satisfied by the rusty screech of old hinges.
What?
Inside
lay half a dozen glass balls—much like snow globes without the
bases, and all cloudy, like various colors of unmixed inks and water.
Labels
were attached to each: Jack. Cara. Matilda. Brendan. Maurice.
And—Finklestein?
She
picked up the one with the name Jack and fingered the tiny bit
of paper. The colored cloud inside the globe, a lovely dark blue,
roiled with the motion.
Her
phone chose that exact moment to ding the arrival of a message,
startling her in the now-eerie silence. She watched in slow motion
as the ball slipped from her hands. “Ohmygosh!” came out in a
rush as the softball-sized globe shattered at her feet.
Next
thing she knew, she was on her rear staring up into the astonished
gaze of a complete (and rather handsome) stranger—her face a mirror
of his.
She
blinked.
Her
eyes flickered from the shattered glass by her bare feet to the
gentleman standing before her.
In
a Union soldier’s uniform.
Like
a historical reenactor. And his costume was of an amazing
quality—complete with bloodstains and wear, as if he was in an
actual battle.
Piercing
blue eyes met hers, most of the initial surprise now fading from
them. He shifted his weight, crunching glass beneath his boots,
confusion still present in his face. Without a word, he offered his
hand.
She
accepted, careful to watch where she stepped.
“Um…”
Ha. Perfect first impression in front of a cute guy, Kimber.
She felt her cheeks begin to flush. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
she managed, pointedly. “And what were you doing in a glass ball?”
Never mind how he got there.
“I—Apologies,
miss,” he replied, bowing slightly. What era was he from?
“I am Captain Jack Ruffalo, Federal Army. Where are my men?”
Ah.
Just play along. She smiled, “I’m Kimber, lady of this
house. Why were you in a glass ball?” But before he could answer,
she laughed. “This isn’t happening. Men don’t simply appear out
of glass orbs.
She caught his gaze then as he took in her attire:
oversized tshirt, grey yoga pants, bare feet—to which he quickly
averted his eyes. Her blush deepened, making her suddenly
self-conscious.
He
addressed her abruptly, his tone sharp, “What day is this?”
Her
eyes narrowed, “Thursday.”
“And
the date?” he pressed.
“March
29, 2019.”
This
seemed to knock the breath from him, for he deflated as if she’d
taken Thor’s hammer and socked him in the gut.
“It
can’t be.” The words were so soft, she almost missed them. She
watched as he brushed a hand through his hair, sorrow painting his
features. But he veiled his emotions just as quickly as they’d
come and pierced her with another stare. “And the war?”
“War?”
He couldn’t be serious. Had he been imprisoned in that ball
for over 150 years?
“Nevermind,”
he said bitterly, adding with a growl, “When I get my hands on
him…” He bumped into the little wooden box, jolting it enough to
somehow tip another globe from its sanctuary.
“No!”
Her shout was useless to stop it from shattering, and in a blink of
smoke, a grey cat appeared.
“You!”
She
yelped and stumbled against a stack of boxes and an old stool as Jack
pointed an accusing finger at the cat, of all things.
“What
have you done, wizard?”
She
blinked. Again. Then burst into a guffaw, drawing the attention of
both man and cat. “Ohhhkay, this is definitely not
happening. Since when are cats wizards, and why do things keep
appearing out of glass balls??”
The
cat, his back arched, relaxed then and turned to her with a satisfied
grin. “It worked.”
“Gah!”
she stumbled back into the same blasted stool.
Jack,
however, was unperturbed. He addressed him sharply, “I demand you
explain yourself, Finklestein. How dare you draw me into your
schemes!”
The
cat seemed offended. He licked a paw. “Schemes? Oh please, it was
for your own good.”
With
a growl, Jack lunged for him, nearly knocking the box over had she
not jumped to its rescue.
“Ohhh,
no. Not in my house. I may have said I’d turn this place
into a bed & breakfast, but I certainly don’t need any more
guests appearing from nowhere.” She shut the lid, determined
to get a lock as soon as possible, and pointed her own finger at the
two. “Now, you will follow me to the kitchen, you will wait
patiently while I prepare tea, and then you will both explain.
Everything. Thereby proving I’m not going crazy.”
Not
waiting for them to follow, she turned heel and made for the door,
fully expecting that when she turned backwards to go down the ladder
the attic would be absent of magically appearing things…
But
it was not to be. After a brief pause, the heavier steps of a man
and the pitter-patter of a cat began to follow.
So
much for her Nancy Drew curiosity.
> > > > > > > > > > < < < < < < < < < <
:D So? Didja likey? What would you have imagined differently for this particular prompt?
Thank you for reading! I'll have a wrap-up post for this week going up sometime tomorrow. Buuuuut there's still time to join in on this prompt! If you miss the link-up, be sure to put your blog link in the comments---I'd LOVE to read what you come up with. :]
Thank you for reading! I'll have a wrap-up post for this week going up sometime tomorrow. Buuuuut there's still time to join in on this prompt! If you miss the link-up, be sure to put your blog link in the comments---I'd LOVE to read what you come up with. :]
Also,
Sunday is the LAST WEEK of this link-up! I've had SOOOO much fun writing these little short stories. Looking forward to the next prompt. How 'bout you??
Oh my gracious, this was FABULOUS! I looooved Kimber's POV. She had such a distinct voice. I felt like I WAS her. She was so resigned to having to deal with this house and the weirdness it came with. XD Also the CAT being the wizard. THE BEST. Although I think my favorite part was how Kimber wasn't going to deal with any of this craziness BEFORE she had tea. XDD I love her! And she was so commanding, an ancient soldier and wizard were just like, "Yep, better do what this lady says." LOLOLOL. This was gold!
ReplyDeleteI've been loving all your prompts SO MUCH. I can't believe they're almost over. I'll miss them! Doing it again in the summer would be awesome! :D
Awwwwwww, dear dear LAURIIIII! Your comments just make my day every. Single. TIME. I'm so glad you enjoyed this short tale. I felt a little more rushed on this one, but it was still quite fun to write & I'm happy with how it turned out. I love stories that throw in a bit of Fantasy with the real, ya know---all manner of possibilities open up! xD
DeleteThank you for reading!!! I KNOW, March is GONE. So will I! But I'm definitely planning this again---ya can count on it! <3 <3 <3
This was SO MUCH FUN! I loved the mystery and the humor!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, THANK YOU. I really like this idea--it would be so much fun to expand it. But I don't do too well writing historical fiction (too much work!) xD
Delete