Friday Snippet #52

Zucca Karla 2013Autumn is in full bloom in the Pacific Northwest, and everywhere I look is red, orange, and yellow. Some green is left here and there.

Today, I haven’t done a lot in terms of writing and editing, but I went for a two hours walk, and I painted the first pumpkin of the 2013 batch.

Waiting on the cover for Gaia, going through edits with Elios, and halfway through with Marie’s Journey as well. Crossing fingers, I might be able to publish three titles before the year ends.

From Elios:

“I have something to tell you.” I added two of the couches from the dorms to the cafeteria’s furniture and sat on the edge of the closest one to me.

Kam stood by the food counter, ready for seconds. “I’m listening.”

I tried to keep my eyes on his face. “I’m sorry for what I did last time.”

He turned toward me, his right hand in mid-air, palm up. “Well, I would be lying if I told you it didn’t affect me.”

Sweat formed on my forehead. “I know, and I’m truly sorry.”

He was back at the counter. “Why would you refuse a Share?”

I lowered my head and then forced myself to face him. “It’s a long story.”

Kam slowly looked around. “We have all the time in the universe here.”

Right. I opened my mouth to talk, but nothing came out. I cleared my throat twice before I was able to whisper, “I didn’t want to share with you that I have feelings for a human.”

Kam’s loaded tray disappeared from his hands. “What did you say?”

I cleared my voice a third time and then repeated, “I have feelings for a human.”

“You’re serious.” After a moment of hesitation, he went to sit on the coach opposite mine.

I waited a moment to confess the rest. I was feeling dizzy.

Kam’s expression changed. “Are you okay?”

“Why—?”

His eyes followed my body from feet to head and then back.

I looked at my hands and gasped. My astral projection was unfocused. It was more a ghost of my Earthly image than a proper solid projection.

Friday Snippet #52

Friday Snippet #49

Rainy Day Space Needle

An image is worth a thousand words, or something like it. Weather-wise, draw you conclusion from the picture on your left.

It’s August. Sneaky month. I didn’t see it coming.

Still working on three different projects at once, and I have a short to write within a week. I’m halfway through rewriting Elios, and almost done editing Gaia. Chapter #1 and #2 of Marie’s Journey are back in my editor’s hands.

Still painting. More on that later.

From Elios:

(Elios has just rescued two aliens.)

The male stared at me in surprise, and then looked for the woman. As their eyes met, a smile appeared on his mouth, and he chirped a long sequence of notes. At her short answer, he pushed himself up, trying to reach her, but fell on the ground.

“Easy, big fellow.” I hooked my right arm under his and helped him on his feet.

Given his size, he was surprisingly light. He gave me a thankful smile, then kneeled by the woman and rested his head on her belly, and while gently caressing it, he sung to the baby.

Feeling I was intruding in their private moment, I looked away and made to leave.

The man grabbed my hand and stopped me. “Tankiu.” He looked at the woman and then back at me. “Tankiuforsevingrea.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“Tankiuforsevingas.” He smiled. “Tankiu.”

I repeated what he had just said in my mind and I finally understood. His accent had tricked me, but he had spoken in Standard, a common travelers’ language.

“Thank you,” he said one more time when I smiled. “Your soul healed us back to conscious life.”

He touched me again and showed me what had happened by triggering a Share. When I had reached for the woman, for a brief moment I had imagined their story could be mine. I had felt their love and their pain in losing each other. With my empathic touch I had jumpstarted their consciousness back to life, like he had just said.

I shivered. “You looked dead.”

“We were in non-life.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Our bodies shut down. We waited for help. Your love saved us.”

Friday Snippet #49