To Make a Long Story Short

I love to write, obviously.  I love to write in all kinds of different formats.  I also love a challenge.  So today’s “interest” was to write a short story using a prompt I found online.

I searched through many different sites, but I really enjoyed writersdigest.com.  So, I picked the following prompt, and then I wrote the following story in under 500 words.  Enjoy.  :)

You’ve just moved into a new house and are fixing it up. In the process of painting you find an odd crack in the wall. As you explore further, you find out it’s a secret passageway—and you have no idea where it leads. You decide to grab a flashlight and go exploring.

“She knew what another crack in the wall above the bookshelf would mean to her husband.  It would mean faulty foundation issues and another argument with her about renovating this house.  But she had fallen in love with this house, a house they inherited from his grandmother when she passed away.  The quiet farmhouse meant peace.  It meant hope.

And this crack was going to ruin all of that.

Just as she was contemplating whether she could hide the crack, a gust of wind ran through the house.  No, wait, it came from inside the house, behind the bookshelf to be exact.  She probed every inch of the built-in bookshelf until she found the small button.  One push, and the bookshelf became a door, opening to a small, dark path.

The flashlight from the kitchen cast a yellowish haze along the passageway.  She thought about calling her husband, but it was close to midnight.  He was sure to be asleep.  She followed the path until it opened to a large room.

The room was sparse, except for a long conference table surrounded by chairs.  In front of each chair was a neatly placed folder.  She noticed a name at each setting, all names of her husband’s family members.  His sister, mother, father, even a couple of cousins had a place at this table.

She found her husband’s seat and folder.  The front of it read “Top Secret”.  She opened it flat and read through the papers.  It was a dossier on an individual they code-named Griffin.  It had his personal information, a schedule of his daily routines, and a picture.  It was the picture that made her heart pound.  She knew that man, and quickly, she was realizing what this was all about.  Her fingers traced over the signed order to kill on sight.

In a moment, she rushed from the room, back through the library, carefully leaving everything the way she found it.  She grabbed her keys and headed to the car.  She needed to think.  She had to figure out what to do.

But she knew what she had to do, and she had to do it fast.  She dug through her purse to find her phone.  She dialed the familiar number and waited.

“Yes,” grumbled the tired voice on the other end.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but I have confirmation on the location of the eagle’s nest.  They have information of your whereabouts.  I’m awaiting new orders.”

Suddenly, the voice was direct and professional, “Gather as much information as you can.  Do not call again until I have secured a way out for the both of us.  I will contact you soon.”

“Yes sir.”

The call ended.  She dialed one more familiar number.  It went to voicemail.  Claudia smiled. “Hey honey, I’ve almost finished painting the house.  I can wait to see you again.  Love you!”

With that, Claudia returned to finish painting the house before her husband came home.”

The White Queen

I love to read.  I have been reading pretty much since I have been able to talk.  And I am generally a real book with musty pages and hard covers (or paperback as well) kind of reader as opposed to using an e-reader.  If I could read blogs in paperback form, I would.

A friend recommended a series by Phillipa Gregory, starting with “The White Queen”.  I knew Gregory from The Other Boelyn Girl which became a movie some years ago.  While I didn’t read that particular series, I do love a good historical fiction.  So, I thought I would try it out with her more recent book series

The story is about the actual queen of England, Elizabeth Woodville, during the War of the Roses in the 1400s. The War of the Roses was a civil war between the Lancaster family and the York family over the crown.  Elizabeth’s first husband died on the Lancaster side and left her to raise their two sons.  So, she seeks out Edward IV, the York man who is claiming the throne, and ends up marrying him and eventually becoming queen.  Of course, that’s not the end of this story, only the beginning (you didn’t think I would give away the ending, did you?)

Gregory interweaves the true history with legend and magic.  Elizabeth’s mother was actually charged with witchcraft, which is a thread through Gregory’s entire book.  They are from the Burgundy family line which claims the water goddess, Melusina, as their direct ancestor.  Gregory uses that plus other legendary stories about Elizabeth throughout her book.  I like how Gregory extensively researches her stories so that they can be as close to truth as possible.  It’s both educational and entertaining.

The book, itself, is an easy read.  It gets a little intense at times, but never graphic.  As far as the amount of profanity, sex and violence, there is actually very little.  There is a lot of innuendo, but never outright graphic as I have seen in a lot of other adult novels.  If you like historical fiction or British folklore and history, this is definitely a book you will want to read.

The Book Thief Review

My book for this month was “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.  It was recommended on Pinterest by people who liked the Hunger Games, so I thought I would try it.  I didn’t even really read the synopsis before picking it up at the library.  I just wanted to read a story without knowing anything about it.  And I really enjoyed this surprise.

When my husband asked me how the book was, I replied that it was both depressing and wonderful.  The story takes place in Nazi Germany right before World War II.  The book is mainly about a girl named Liesel and the death that surrounds her in her adolescent life.  In fact, the story is narrated by Death, himself.

The story starts out with death.  Liesel and her brother are on their way to a foster family when her brother dies on the train.  Liesel and her mother bury her brother in a no name town, and Liesel manages to steal a Gravedigger’s handbook from the graverdigger’s assistant.  Thus begins her illustrious book stealing career.  The story continues as she learns the importance of words, and also how words can give life to those around her and bring death as well.

Death discusses more than just Liesel’s life, taking in moments about the war and the concentration camps.  He also talks about a Jewish man named Max and how his life intertwines with Liesel.  Although one of my favorite quotes was when Death was discussing World War I and how the boys in that war “thought they were running towards each other, but in reality, they were running towards me.”

Another theme in the book was the beautiful descriptions of the sky.  When Death collects souls, instead of looking at the mangled bodies, he takes note of the color of the sky.  Liesel will describe the color of the sky to Max when he is in hiding.  The imagery and word usage in describing people and things in Liesel’s life were so gorgeous and brillant.

I definitely recommend this book, but read it between happier ones.  It really is quite depressing, but well worth it.

What books have you read lately that you would recommend?