Tuesday Tales 2022-2-1 Running

Greetings! We’re having a real winter here in Florida. Last night the low was 25 degrees! Tonight the low is seven degrees warmer. I love the cold spell, along with my socks, sweaters, and hat.

It’s time for Tuesday Tales, where authors write excerpts based on word or picture prompts. The word prompt this week is running. This snippet is from an early section of my current Highlander Romance, before Lana makes her time switch. The title of the book has changed a gazillion times so far. When done reading here, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.

Someone called her name. Waking a fraction, she flopped over onto her stomach. “Not tonight,” she begged the god of dreams. “I need sleep.” Still, the voice persisted, deeply male and disturbing. “Lana.” Murmurings, love words, whispered low, tantalized her ear. A trickle of excitement rippled deep within. She tried to see him, reaching out in her dream. Blue mist hovered over an unfamiliar hilly landscape of forest and crag, gorse and heather. He waited for her, beckoning her to cross the mirrored waves.  Her stomach lurched with the sensation of swirling and falling. Sea and sky collided. She could not get her bearings. Seen faintly through the mist, the man called her name once more. She settled on firm ground, still dizzy but cherishing the earth beneath her feet. In the distance he stood, legs apart, mist shrouding his features. Urgency propelled her forward. She had to get there. She moved. Running toward him, sucking in air to go the distance, she still made no headway. He remained barely within sight, but out of reach. Despair coiled in her abdomen, an unpleasant suffocating sensation. A shriek sounded, and then words. “Begone! Begone!” Waves of shock reverberated around her. Her very bones quaked. A dark form sprang up. Its face loomed directly ahead, the features twisted and hideous. Whether man, woman, beast, or demon, she could not say. Ravenous teeth bared in a snarl. She screamed over and over, silently, bereft of air.

Lana bolted to a sitting position, gasping for air. It seemed as if every cell of her body vibrated and trembled. She looked at her feet. They shook violently as if she were having a seizure. She edged them to the floor and stood.  The tile felt cold beneath her soles. She leaned against the mattress with trembling hands, her fist balling around a swatch of sheet. Holding onto objects and walls for security, she made her way into the kitchen. The movement and touching began to ease the trembling. From the fridge she took a bottle of water and removed the cap, letting it fall to the floor. The slight clatter pleased her. Leaning on the counter, she sipped water and felt herself grow more solid.

Gran’s door opened and she stared at Lana for a moment, and then approached, touching her shoulder. Her eyes were rounded. She whispered, “Where did you go?”

I hope you enjoyed the snippet based on the word prompt, running. Thanks for stopping by. Check out the other authors at Tuesday Tales.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Spirited Stories

All rights reserved, copyright @ 2022 Flossie Benton Rogers