A summery of my busy week and ANOTHER story I've started - Excerpt!

Whooooie, my week was busy!!
Last Saturday I spent alll day shopping in the City. This week is the Stock Show and Rodeo so it's really hopping down there! I really hoped to go to the Rodeo but ticket prices have spiked: $38 an adult{+12} O.o Since I don't have that much money to blow at one place I instead took full advantage of the huge rodeo sales going on in all the Western stores{3 shirts for less than $25!} And came away happy - though with purse considerably lighter... *sigh* I always feel a pang when I hand over money to the clerk. Not for the money's sake but because I think "there goes a part of that violin...." or{a new want} "There goes my chances of getting a colt this summer." And oooooh I want to soooo badly! I want to learn to break my own horses! But money never fails to get in the way. I hate the stuff. We should go back to trading beaver skins and sugar! lol!

  Monday Youth Orchestra started up again. We're playing Viva La Vida. Sound familiar? :) Tuesday the College Chamber Orchestra started; and Wednesday was my usual violin lesson. Oy. And it doesn't end there: In a few minutes I shall be heading off to play at a coffee shop's 'Open Mic Night'. Wish me luck!

Right. Now down to the good stuff! Another story decided to make itself known to me this week -- one that I'm already inthralled by. Here's a doodad I put together for it{note: I didn't make the pic itself -- I just added the words}

Here's also a rather long{*coughs*} excerpt -- enjoy!! {I haven't edited any of it yet}

  -THE STOLEN WORD- (c) SJM

 “Sooo...” Trent tapped the granite counter top. “Do you want anything to drink or... something?” He wasn’t sure what else to say.

Senira was gazing unabashedly around, as if she’d never seen the inside of a house before. She sat slowly in one of the stools by the counter, putting her ever present backpack on the one next to her. Her eyes eventually focussed on him. “Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

Trent repeated his question from the inside of the fridge. “We’ve got coke, grape juice,” he made a face. He didn’t remember his mom buying grape juice in awhile. “chocolate milk, Monster,”

   “Monster?” Now it was Senira’s turn to make a face. “What in star’s heaven is that?”

“It’s an energy drink,” he answered, closing the fridge door. Where was she from?

   “Hmm...” Senira leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand; her ice-blue eyes were still flicking around the kitchen. Trent closed the fridge and stood expectantly.

   “Do you have any tea?” she said at last. Long pauses in conversation didn’t seem to bother her.

“Yeah, I think so.” Trent turned his attention to the cupboard. “My mom’s big on natural stuff like organics and recycling,” he continued, glad to find something to talk about. “Dad hates it, though. Thinks she’s taking it way to far. That’s one of the things they fight about a lot.”

  Senira looked at him with pity. She had just witnessed one of those fights. And from Trent’s dismissive air it was normal. 

  Trent felt uncomfortable with the look of sympathy she was giving him and quickly grabbed the box of ‘Coconia Green: Every leaf makes a difference’ the label went on to say that each bag was made of 2500% recycled fibers. He also grabbed a packet of instant cappuccino for him self and stuck two mugs of water in the microwave punching “80” on the number pad.

  Senira was shaking her head, a smile flitting across her lips. “It’s amazing what you people come up with,”

Trent couldn’t quell his curiosity any longer. “Where do you come from, then? I mean, you’ve told me you don’t have family and that you’re living in the City Park, but where did you come from?”

  She stared at him a long moment as if weighing something in her mind. 

The microwave beeped.

   “It’s... complicated,” she said at last, taking the now steaming mug from him and tearing into a packet of green tea. She seemed momentarily puzzled by the bag until she saw Trent ripping his packet of cappuccino and dumping the powder into his water, then she followed his example and tore the tea bag and dumped in the leaves.

  Trent thought about saying something, but Senira began speaking again before he could comment.

“I know you won’t believe me. Your kind is very close-minded about seemingly impossible things,”

Trent was about to protest, but she smiled and continued,  “I am not...” she chewed her lip, trying to find the right words. “I don’t belong to this world at all,”

Trent blinked and stared at her for a moment. Not from this world? “What?” he said aloud.

  “Oh, how do I explain this?” she wondered aloud, rubbing her temples. “You must try and understand that your world -- this world -- isn’t the only one.”

Trent didn’t believe her for a moment, but decided to play her game a bit. “Really? How many are there, then?”

She shrugged, seemingly surprised by his acceptance of the fact of more than one world. “We don’t know yet. There could be thousands. Or maybe just two -- Earth and Palendaí. We have only discovered and Written Earth so far. ”

 By this time Trent allowed a snort. “Really?” Sarcasm dripping from the word.

  Senira sighed impatiently. Seeing he had lead her on purposely, she said tersely, “You’re kind is so thick! Must you have to see everything before your very eyes before you believe it!” 

“Yes!” Trent said, becoming rather hot himself. 

  Senira jerked her backpack on to the counter and unzipped it, still muttering at the stupidity of humankind. She pulled out a thick leather bound book, ornately tooled with swirling designs and intricate knots.  

  Curious in spite of himself, Trent leaned closer to look at it. A change had come over Senira. Delicately she fingered the cover and her eyes had a soft light in them. “Well, open it.” Trent pushed.

“I only hope that my judgment is right,” she said solemnly. “You must tell no one of what I’m about to show you. No one.” Then she laid back the the leather cover. Trent’s jaw dropped. Instead of paper lined with words, he looked down, or rather up, at a carved ceiling; its swirls and spirals echoed those on the front of the book. It wasn’t like he was looking at an electronic screen of some sort, it was real. It was a window, an open window to another world.

  He reached his hand forward, unable to believe what he was seeing.

  Senira watched him wordlessly as he passed his hand through.

How can this be? Trent thought, his mind numb with disbelief. His hand was inside another world! He could feel a cool breeze wafting over the back of his hand. He felt the impulse to reach further in. Abruptly Senira slammed the book closed, trapping Trent’s hand between the cover and what felt like ordinary paper.

“Ouch!” he said, more out of shock than pain.

“You were starting to drift,” she explained, then smiled. “Do you believe me now?”

  After trying to speak without success, he waved the hand that had seen  the other world, Palendaí. 

   “How?” The words came at last. Senira’s smile widened, her eyes sparkling. “It is a difficult thing to explain, but I shall try and give it to you in a nut shell: I am a Writer. Part of a selected few who divide fact from fantasy until all that is left is pure fact.”

  “What?” Trent had no idea what she was talking about.

  “When we have gathered every single fact we write it down, creating a gateway to another world, you see?”

   Trent stared at her blankly. “No.”

  “Hmm. Well, take your world for an example. In Palendaí we had many myths and legends about a place called Earth, and every story has at least one grain of truth in it, so we set out to find it.”

 “Using a pen?”

  “Of a kind. When we had gathered everything - the very essence of your world - we wrote them into a Book. One just like this,” She fingered the leather binding gently. “But there is a danger in Writing things down. Once you have something in solid form it can be destroyed, though not as easily as an ordinary book.”

Trent pondered what she had said. “So,” he began, thinking aloud, “This Book. It’s your whole world?”

  “Yes.”

  “So,” he said again carefully. “If I threw this on the fire in the grate, it would destroy Palendy?”

  She raised an elegant brow. “Palendaí. Yes it would.”

  He smiled mock-evilly. “But,” she emphasized, “Keep one thing in mind. We have yours.”

Trent was about to reply ‘isn’t that risky’, but before he could speak their attention was caught by the Book. Its spirals were shining with intense blue light, piercing their eyes.

  Hurriedly Senira threw back the cover revealing the face of a young man. He was fair like Senira, with the same ice-blue eyes, but his hair was jet-black. “Oronin!” Senira exclaimed. 

“Senira!” The young man’s face was full of fear.  “You must come back!”

  “What’s happening?” Senira’s eye were wide as Oronin appeared to pick up the Book and hide behind what looked like a bookcase. The light from an explosion not ten feet away illuminated all three of their faces. “The Book! Earth! It’s been taken!”

Please note that ALL{that means EVERYthing - ideas, etc.} is OFFICIALLY COPYRIGHTED by me, SJM. 

Thanks;) Just a precaution. Please send feedback!! By the bucket loads! Pleeeease!!! :D 

Must dash to the next musical event! ~Gwyn