(Apologies for the crazy linky widget. I’ve fixed it now.) Hi everyone! I’m hosting Friday Fiction this week. Join up by adding your link to the widget below. All you need is a blog or a story/article to share where folks can leave a comment on what they read. If you love to read, then browse through the links to find something that tickles your fancy. (For all participants, don’t forget to read and comment on at least one piece, we all love the feedback!)
Author’s Ramblings: This is a snippet of prompt fiction, thanks to a certain sibling of mine who provided the prompts of “book, sheep, lock and house.” I started with the book and it kind of wanted to runaway on me, so I kept it short. 😛 Anyway, happy reading to everyone and thanks for stopping by!
“Well, are you going to open it?” Lindsey snapped
her chewing gum, her perfectly manicured fingers hovering over the thick,
gilt-edged book. “It looks good.”
her chewing gum, her perfectly manicured fingers hovering over the thick,
gilt-edged book. “It looks good.”
“It’s a book, how could it possibly be good?” Tasha
rolled her eyes, fishing inside her shirt to retrieve the necklace key. “I don’t
know, I’ve heard a lot about these books, Gram just said for us to dust them
off and put them back up on the shelf.”
rolled her eyes, fishing inside her shirt to retrieve the necklace key. “I don’t
know, I’ve heard a lot about these books, Gram just said for us to dust them
off and put them back up on the shelf.”
“Uh-huh and that’s exactly why you’re gonna gimme
that.” Lindsey made a swipe for the golden triangle pendant.
that.” Lindsey made a swipe for the golden triangle pendant.
“Ow, hey! Watch it!” Tasha jerked backwards. “It’s
still around my neck you know, are you trying to pull my head off?”
still around my neck you know, are you trying to pull my head off?”
“Good grief, like no!” Lindsey sighed, extending her
hand in exaggerated politeness. “May I please see that key?”
hand in exaggerated politeness. “May I please see that key?”
“And if you open it and something weird jumps out?”
Tasha handed over the long golden necklace. “Be careful with that.” Her soft
brown eyes narrowed. “And I do mean careful, Lind.”
Tasha handed over the long golden necklace. “Be careful with that.” Her soft
brown eyes narrowed. “And I do mean careful, Lind.”
The blonde rolled her eyes with a particularly loud
snap of her gum. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all, if I’m not careful, then I’ll
never get the chance to do this again and we all know just how hard it was to
convince you to let me help you clean your grandmother’s bookstore.”
snap of her gum. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all, if I’m not careful, then I’ll
never get the chance to do this again and we all know just how hard it was to
convince you to let me help you clean your grandmother’s bookstore.”
“My grandmother’s antique bookstore.” Tasha
corrected. “And no one’s twisting your arm.”
corrected. “And no one’s twisting your arm.”
“Yeah, but you’re always spending all your free time
here and we never get a chance to hang out anymore.”
here and we never get a chance to hang out anymore.”
Tasha snorted. “You mean we don’t get to waste time
and money by standing in the mall drinking milkshakes and eating pretzels.”
and money by standing in the mall drinking milkshakes and eating pretzels.”
“They’re books!” Lindsey scowled. “Big fat books
with big fat locks on them and so much dust, I can hardly breathe! You should
have a vacuum and a feather duster going in here and—wait, what are you doing?”
with big fat locks on them and so much dust, I can hardly breathe! You should
have a vacuum and a feather duster going in here and—wait, what are you doing?”
“Reading…” Tasha mumbled, having found a seat amidst
the stack of books, another pendant necklace dangling between her fingers,
still hanging ‘round her neck.
the stack of books, another pendant necklace dangling between her fingers,
still hanging ‘round her neck.
“You’re reading?” Lindsey sputtered. “Now? How can
you—wait, you have two of these thingys?” She held up the triangle pendant.
you—wait, you have two of these thingys?” She held up the triangle pendant.
“I have more than two.” Tasha turned a page,
settling more comfortably in her seat on the floor, her back resting against a
tall stack of locked, dusty books. “It’s part of my job. I told you that
already.”
settling more comfortably in her seat on the floor, her back resting against a
tall stack of locked, dusty books. “It’s part of my job. I told you that
already.”
“Part of your job is reading?” Lindsey threaded her
way through the stacks of books to look over her best friend’s shoulder. “You
said you just had to make sure the books were in good condition and then—what’s
going on?”
way through the stacks of books to look over her best friend’s shoulder. “You
said you just had to make sure the books were in good condition and then—what’s
going on?”
“Shh!” Tasha waved a hand behind her, eyes glued to
one colorful page.
one colorful page.
“Why?”
“It’s a story about a sheep.”
“A sheep?” Lindsey slowly curled one free hand into
a fist. “You’re reading a story about a sheep?”
a fist. “You’re reading a story about a sheep?”
Tasha slowly closed the book, turning with an
expression of extreme annoyance written on her freckled face. “Lindsey?” Her
soft voice demanded that her friend listen close.
expression of extreme annoyance written on her freckled face. “Lindsey?” Her
soft voice demanded that her friend listen close.
“What?”
“Sit down and read your own book.” Tasha’s eyes
flickered dangerously with a hint of her redheaded temper. “Now, please.”
flickered dangerously with a hint of her redheaded temper. “Now, please.”
Lindsey swallowed. She sat. She waited. Nothing
happened.
happened.
“Put the necklace in the book.” Tasha murmured,
locking and patting the hardcover volume. “Now I have to wait until tomorrow to
finish this one.” She sighed, setting the book down beside her and reaching for
a dusty specimen. “Do it like this. Read it all the way through and then lock
it back again.”
locking and patting the hardcover volume. “Now I have to wait until tomorrow to
finish this one.” She sighed, setting the book down beside her and reaching for
a dusty specimen. “Do it like this. Read it all the way through and then lock
it back again.”
“But-!”
“It’ll clean itself.” Tasha gestured towards the
recently returned book beside her. “See? It’s almost all new and shiny again,
but you just had to interrupt.”
recently returned book beside her. “See? It’s almost all new and shiny again,
but you just had to interrupt.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You don’t have to. The books just work that way.” Tasha
smiled, fondly. “Trust me, there’s some adventures in here that you’ll want to
read over and over again.”
smiled, fondly. “Trust me, there’s some adventures in here that you’ll want to
read over and over again.”
Lindsey opened her mouth to speak, then shut it.
There was something about the smile on her friend’s face, even as Tasha’s
attention turned to the book in her lap. She watched her friend use the
necklace to open the complicated golden medallion on the front and run her
fingers reverently over the first few pages.
There was something about the smile on her friend’s face, even as Tasha’s
attention turned to the book in her lap. She watched her friend use the
necklace to open the complicated golden medallion on the front and run her
fingers reverently over the first few pages.
She looked at the necklace in her hand and then
pressed it to the front of her book and twisted, just like she’d seen Tasha do.
Within minutes, she found herself caught up in a world where fishes were people
and aliens lived in stone castle towers.
pressed it to the front of her book and twisted, just like she’d seen Tasha do.
Within minutes, she found herself caught up in a world where fishes were people
and aliens lived in stone castle towers.
“Wow.”
“Good story?” Tasha shifted to sit back to back with
her. “Mine’s good, it’s about a shadow that sneaks out at night and puts candy
in-”
her. “Mine’s good, it’s about a shadow that sneaks out at night and puts candy
in-”
“Shh! Don’t tell me.” Lindsey elbowed her. “I’m done
with this one, that was wild.”
with this one, that was wild.”
“There’s normal ones in that stack over there.”
“How normal?”
“Houses with happy people kind of normal.” Tasha
wrinkled her nose. “Very normal.”
wrinkled her nose. “Very normal.”
“No wonder it takes you forever.” Lindsey set the
newly finished volume on the ground. The book was virtually dust-free and
gleaming as if it’d just been printed. “There’s only one of you. Looks like I’ll
have to help every afternoon.”
newly finished volume on the ground. The book was virtually dust-free and
gleaming as if it’d just been printed. “There’s only one of you. Looks like I’ll
have to help every afternoon.”
Tasha elbowed her back. “Like I mind.”
© Sara Harricharan