Tuesday Tales is a weekly blog featuring diverse authors who post excerpts from their WIPs based on word and picture prompts. Today’s prompt is catch. The snippet is from a dystopian work. Please visit the other fabulous authors at Tuesday Tales.
Kestrel jumped out as soon as the car stopped, before Sam could open the door. Pete, a tall painfully skinny man with pale watery eyes that bulged, motioned them toward the back of the house. She had left her emergency tool kit in the car but gave a nod of appreciation to Sam. He had thrown her magical bag over his shoulder.
Near the dock sprawled a huge cypress tree, its knees gnarled and wet. From a low limb hung three bodies with ropes tight around their necks, all women, one elderly, one middle aged, and the last a teenage girl. The vanilla cream coffee she’d had at the last rest stop threatened to gurgle up. She swallowed hard.
Iris stood close to the tree and motioned them closer. Her short platinum hair lay sleek against her scalp, her brow furrowed, and her gray eyes serious. She answered Kestrel’s question before it could be asked. “They’ve been here about eighteen hours. Kids came in from fishing and found them.”
Kestrel noticed Iris’ clipped words and heightened Scandinavian lilt. The accent tended to deepen in times of stress.
Kestrel moved in for a closer look. The women were all nude, and their breasts had been painted with red swirls. Sam handed her a pair of plastic gloves. She didn’t plan on touching the bodies if she could help it, but she put them on just in case.
“Blood.” Iris’ voice held a note of suppressed outrage. “They are painted in blood. Do you catch the significance of the symbol?”
“Shells of the goddess, labyrinth of the womb,” Kestrel answered, her tone tight and hollow. She tried to avoid the faces of the corpses with their sightless staring eyes and mouths that had been sewn shut.
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Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Very creepy, Flossie. I read a lot of crime fiction. This would definently keep me turning the pages.
This is actually an old manuscript I revisited, Mae. The original was in first person, and I changed it to third and reworked the scene a little just to see how it went.
A nice excerpt for either murder story or horror. Good job!
Carmen, I appreciate your comment– especially since I know first hand how excellent you are at writing suspenseful stories.
Wonderful excerpt!
Thank you, Vicki.
Wow! I loved this piece. It’s sinister and yet sucks me as a reader right into it. Fabulous.
Ooh, how sweet of you to say, Daisy!
OMG! What happened to these poor women?? A bit gruesome, but now you’ve piqued my interest and I want to know more.
It is a gruesome crime for sure. Thanks for commenting, Jean.
Very creepy! Nice details.
Heh heh, thanks, Joselyn.
I’ve got a part in your story 🙂 LOL
Seriously, I’m hooked as well, although I’d hope for it not to be too gruesome. Interesting snippet today!
Thank you, Iris!
whoa. Compelling and intriguing. I’m hooked. I hope you keep going with this.
Thanks for your encouragement, Jillian!
Ooh…gave me the heebie jeebies! I loved it and want more – great job!!
Tricia, thank you so much!