Snippet Saturday
Hmm I think this is the first time I've shared anything from my novels on my blog. This piece is from Andra.
Quick overview:
Claudia is the MC and Selma is her best friend. Selma has recently discovered that she can converse with plants and told her best friend. In their world, you have to be very careful what you say and do because there is a special police force ready and waiting to punish anyone that breaks the rules.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked, setting my bag down in the kitchen and looking around. Her house looked very similar to mine. Only the absolute essentials, all jumbled together in no particular arrangement. The house looked like its occupants were falling behind on the cleaning: dirt covered the floor and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere but the countertops where food was prepared.
“Working.” She dropped her bag to the floor with a loud crash. “Now come on.” She half-ran out the door and dropped to her knees in the grass. She stroked the grass with her fingers and I felt like an invader on the moment. I glanced though the open archway that served as a back door and through the window. Coast was clear. But for how long?
Selma was whispering to the grass, eyes closed, talking too low for me to hear. The hair on my arms rose as the plants around her obeyed her wishes. I could tell that they were listening. Flowers turned their petal covered fronts towards her, grass seemed to sway in her direction, and even the trees seemed to be listening.
I don’t like it. There’s something…wrong about this. Something unnatural. But what’s natural about this?
“Say hello to Claudia,” Selma said talking loud enough for me to hear.
I jumped looking down as all the plants turned their attention to me. The flowers waved a leaf, the grass waved their whole stalks, and the trees seemed to be waving hello.
“They’re saying hello,” Selma confirmed. “And the maple over there says you are a very worthy person to keep our secret.”
I jumped again, not sure what to say. There wasn’t exactly a procedure for this kind of thing. “Umm…thank you?”
“Don’t worry, Claudia. They’re trees, they don’t bite.”
A breeze whistled through the trees and it sounded like they were laughing. That didn’t make me feel any better.
I sat down on the ground. “So…”
“So, say hi.”
“Umm…hi.”
She giggled. “Oh, you guys are so funny.”
I glanced out the window again to cover up my confusion. Still safe.
“Why so nervous, Claudia?”
“I don’t know, let’s see. My best friend can talk to plants and at any minute we could be arrested and killed.”
“No need for the sarcasm.”
I rolled my eyes and jumped as a thistle whacked me. And by ‘whacked me’ I don’t mean I jumped into it. I mean it literally extended one of its leaves and hit my leg with it. I jumped forcing myself to stay put on the ground instead of running from the yard like my instincts screamed at me to.
“Now, Thesa, that wasn’t funny,” Selma scolded, wagging her finger at the thistle. “Okay, maybe it was a little bit. But what have I told you about hitting people? It’s mean, yes. Yes, she might have deserved it, but that doesn’t mean you reserve the right to go around hitting people.” Her voice was pitched higher and she was scolding it gently, like a young kid that touched something they shouldn’t have.
“Look out,” I whispered. Someone was standing outside the window. Someone in a blue uniform. He paused and entered the house. Don’t hyperventilate. Don’t look guilty. And, whatever you do, don’t say anything! He ran a long finger over the counter and wiped the resulting film of dust on the curtains. Then he glanced into the backyard and came through the back archway, stopping just yards away from where we were sitting.
“What are you girls doing out here?” he asked eyebrows raised. His crisp blue uniform covered a muscular form, a white nametag on his chest marking him as the deputy. A gun sat in the holster attached to his belt and he stroked it with one thumb. I flinched at the sight and my mind went blank.
Quick overview:
Claudia is the MC and Selma is her best friend. Selma has recently discovered that she can converse with plants and told her best friend. In their world, you have to be very careful what you say and do because there is a special police force ready and waiting to punish anyone that breaks the rules.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked, setting my bag down in the kitchen and looking around. Her house looked very similar to mine. Only the absolute essentials, all jumbled together in no particular arrangement. The house looked like its occupants were falling behind on the cleaning: dirt covered the floor and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere but the countertops where food was prepared.
“Working.” She dropped her bag to the floor with a loud crash. “Now come on.” She half-ran out the door and dropped to her knees in the grass. She stroked the grass with her fingers and I felt like an invader on the moment. I glanced though the open archway that served as a back door and through the window. Coast was clear. But for how long?
Selma was whispering to the grass, eyes closed, talking too low for me to hear. The hair on my arms rose as the plants around her obeyed her wishes. I could tell that they were listening. Flowers turned their petal covered fronts towards her, grass seemed to sway in her direction, and even the trees seemed to be listening.
I don’t like it. There’s something…wrong about this. Something unnatural. But what’s natural about this?
“Say hello to Claudia,” Selma said talking loud enough for me to hear.
I jumped looking down as all the plants turned their attention to me. The flowers waved a leaf, the grass waved their whole stalks, and the trees seemed to be waving hello.
“They’re saying hello,” Selma confirmed. “And the maple over there says you are a very worthy person to keep our secret.”
I jumped again, not sure what to say. There wasn’t exactly a procedure for this kind of thing. “Umm…thank you?”
“Don’t worry, Claudia. They’re trees, they don’t bite.”
A breeze whistled through the trees and it sounded like they were laughing. That didn’t make me feel any better.
I sat down on the ground. “So…”
“So, say hi.”
“Umm…hi.”
She giggled. “Oh, you guys are so funny.”
I glanced out the window again to cover up my confusion. Still safe.
“Why so nervous, Claudia?”
“I don’t know, let’s see. My best friend can talk to plants and at any minute we could be arrested and killed.”
“No need for the sarcasm.”
I rolled my eyes and jumped as a thistle whacked me. And by ‘whacked me’ I don’t mean I jumped into it. I mean it literally extended one of its leaves and hit my leg with it. I jumped forcing myself to stay put on the ground instead of running from the yard like my instincts screamed at me to.
“Now, Thesa, that wasn’t funny,” Selma scolded, wagging her finger at the thistle. “Okay, maybe it was a little bit. But what have I told you about hitting people? It’s mean, yes. Yes, she might have deserved it, but that doesn’t mean you reserve the right to go around hitting people.” Her voice was pitched higher and she was scolding it gently, like a young kid that touched something they shouldn’t have.
“Look out,” I whispered. Someone was standing outside the window. Someone in a blue uniform. He paused and entered the house. Don’t hyperventilate. Don’t look guilty. And, whatever you do, don’t say anything! He ran a long finger over the counter and wiped the resulting film of dust on the curtains. Then he glanced into the backyard and came through the back archway, stopping just yards away from where we were sitting.
“What are you girls doing out here?” he asked eyebrows raised. His crisp blue uniform covered a muscular form, a white nametag on his chest marking him as the deputy. A gun sat in the holster attached to his belt and he stroked it with one thumb. I flinched at the sight and my mind went blank.
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