My A-muse-ing Life

Samples from NaNoWriMO over the years

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The gravel was digging into his knees, but the pain had been worth it until now. Buck got up from the ground and sighed. She had turned him down again. He couldn’t count the number of times he had proposed to her. She turned him down every time. He grabbed for her hand but she pulled away. “I’m not marrying you Buck, I don’t know what gave you the idea that I might.”
“I’m gonna keep asking, ya know. I don’t give up that easily.” He winked at her. She turned to walk away and he grabbed her hand. She tried to pull away, but he pulled her closer to him. “Marry me.”

She rolled her eyes and pulled back away from him. “No means no Buck. When are you going to give it up?” She shuffled her purse nervously on her shoulder.

He smiled slightly. “I ain’t never given up on you, babe. One day, you’ll see how great I am.” He winked at her again, tipping his cowboy at her.

She shook her head and turned away. He smiled and called after her “Think about my offer. I’ll give you a ride to your car tomorrow.” It was at the shop getting fixed so he had given her a ride home. He watched her walk back up the sidewalk and into her house.

He had pursued Autumn since High School. She always turned him down but he still had to try. From the moment he saw her as a Freshman at Maybell High School, he knew she was the right girl for him. He was a junior, two years ahead of her but that didn’t matter.

Now here they were sixteen years later and he was still very much in love with her. She didn’t return the love, at least not yet. She acted polite and courteous to him, but beyond that she showed no signs of truly caring for him.

Tyler stood frozen in place for a moment, unsure of what to do.  He felt like he had messed everything up.  “Go after her.”  The voice wasn’t audible but he knew it was a voice he had heard since he was a child.  A voice he hadn’t listened to in a long time.  “Go after her.”

Tyler left the barn, running towards the house.  He had to stop her.  He found her in their bedroom, packing bags as fast as she could.  John was awake and she had laid him on the bed between pillows so he couldn’t roll off.  He was crying and she quietly spoke to him, telling him everything was going to be ok.

“Katie, please.  Don’t go.”  His voice was pleading and he crossed the room to put one hand on her shoulder.  She moved her arm away from him quickly and kept packing.  “I’m sorry Katie, I shouldn’t have done it, but I had to.  I had to know John was mine.  I should have known, but I was stupid.  Please forgive me.”

Katie wiped tears away from her eyes.  She was angry at him for not trusting her.  All she wanted was to flee from this moment, to go somewhere where she would never have to see him again.

“I love you Katie, please stay.  I’m sorry.  Forgive me.”  His voice was pleading and he was now crying.  John screamed louder.  Tyler crossed to him, picking him up and cradling him tightly.  He calmed a little.

“Give me him.”  Katie’s words were cold and she didn’t make eye contact with Tyler.

“Don’t go.  He needs a father.”

“We’ll be fine.  Please just hand him to me.”

“Please stay.  I’ll sleep in another room tonight, just stay so we can work this out.  I was stupid, ok?”  Tyler sobbed as he held his son.  He couldn’t bare the thought of loosing her, and with her, his child.

“It’s too late for that.”  Katie zipped the suitcase she had been packing and held out her arms.

John was crying loudly again.  Tyler knew he could sense the tension in the air. “Jesse?”  Tyler wasn’t even sure Jesse was around, but he wanted to get John out of the room for now.

“Tyler just let me have him.”   Tyler walked past her, looking through the house for Jesse.  Jesse was in the living room watching TV.

Katie followed with her suitcase.  “Tyler, give me John, now.”

Tyler handed John to Jesse.  “I need you to babysit for a bit, kid.”  Jesse gave them a funny look, but took John and rocked him gently to calm him down.  Tyler turned to Katie, taking the suitcase from her hand.  “First, we talk.”

There was a time when our worlds knew of each other, when the kingdoms flowed freely between each other. That time was long ago and is often written about in our fairy tale books. It is long sense forgotten, only a myth in most peoples minds. After all, who today believes in fairies, in giants, talking animals, trolls, and the many other creatures we have long ago forgotten?
It is how humans entered the 12 Kingdoms and how the animals were silenced when they entered our world. For you see, talking animals really are as real as you and me but we just do not know them anymore. In our world, the animals have long been forced to stay quiet out of fear and desperation to survive. But if you listen really closely my friend, if you allow your heart to speak instead of your mind, you just might find yourself having a conversation with one of them. I can promise you it will be beyond anything you could have imagined.
To go back to the beginning of the 13 Kingdoms would be a journey of itself. It is a story for another place and another time. But for now, please remove this tale from your shelf and… what’s that you say? It’s in your hands already? Good then. Now I will tell you the tale of the 6th Kingdom. It is perhaps the best place to start because it is here in this kingdom that our worlds collide. It is also here that a King is born, I wish I could tell you a great King, but an evil King he was. He never had a chance though, and so you must hear the tale. Sit down over there and make sure you have plenty of light. Let’s begin, shall we?

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Hope is a funny thing though. Hope kept coming back and seemed to whisper in their ears to keep trying, keep longing and hoping. And so despite the years that went by, the heartache they suffered and the pain they felt, they clung to the small amount of faith they had. It was enough, even if it was tiny.

“Born under the light of a blood red moon
To a mother not of his flesh and blood,
Just before the call of the loon
When the farmers grow not one spud
And no food is found in the wood
Born to a man who cannot lead.
Born to a father who is not good,
Self-indulgence they will feed.
This king will destroy the land
Through his power and his greed,
Until the Lost Son of Adam lends a hand.
Then another shall be born
Born under the light of a blood red moon,
Near a field of corn
Out behind a saloon
The reason the soil turns red is he,
The true king’s son,
His flesh and blood will be.
The battle will be won,
With Galin’s sword.
He will make his way to the throne
To claim his reward
The false king for sure will be overthrown.
The Kingdom restored to its rightful clan
Displayed in all its’ true grander
When thus this boy, now man
Stands tall upon Mt. Ander.”

“But the prophecy describes Roone.”
“The prophecy could describe a great many of young men.” The Elvin king reached for a scroll, opened it and read the prophecy again. He stopped at each line to explain his reasoning.

“Born under the moon of blood red soil is he,…. Both boys were born on the same day, under a moon when the soil was red from all of the blood spilt.
By great sacrifice of the one who gives him life….. Both mothers had to make great sacrifices to bring the boys up.
The king’s own son,….
His flesh and blood will be……Both boys are the kings son.
The battle will be won,…… This has yet to be fulfilled.
With the sword of Galin….. I have given you the sword of Galin because I believe Roone is the one, but the prophecy could speak of Tharin too. Perhaps we should let him try the sword as well. He was after all, raised the Generals Son, and he can yield a sword better than most.
Raised by a man not his own,…. Neither boy was raised by his real father.
So many sacrifices to win….. We already know that there are great sacrifices to be made.
The king for sure will be overthrown…… We hope and pray the king will be overthrown.
When thus this boy, now man….. Both boys are now men,
Stands tall upon Mt. Ander….. But they have yet to stand on Mt. Ander.”
Zevak wrinkled his brow and glared at Galin. He didn’t mean to, but he was growing angry. “Let him try the sword then. I know he will not succeed.”
Galin nodded and held out his hand to Roone for the sword. Roone wanted to pull back and refuse to give it away, but he had no choice. Reluctantly he handed it over. “I will test him tonight. If he succeeds, we will not yet know who the true heir of Ander is, who the prophecy spoke of.”
Zevak acknowledged Galin’s words, but he didn’t want to hear them. His grandson would rule, there was no way Tharin could be the one.