100/100 - Spotlight

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.*   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 10

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

99/100 - Double reflection

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.*  The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 9

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

98/100 - Sheltered flame

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.*   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 8

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

97/100 - Firelight

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'. *  The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 7

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

96/100 - Ablaze

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.*   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 6

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

95/100 - Torch

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'*.   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 5

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

94/100 - Backlit

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 4

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

93/100 - Light fantastic

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'.*  The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 3

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

92/100 - 'Snuffed'

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'*.   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 2

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away 

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

91/100 - 'Light relief'

 

Because I shall be away for the final for final four days of this one hundred

I'm scheduling a series of illustrations from my very first piece of fiction, written in April 2010 and entitled 'One that got away'*.   The characters in this - Jenna and Eddie Burdock and their daughter Bridie - compelled me to write two novellas and three novels.**

This illustrates part 1

* viewable/available from http://www.blurb.co.uk/my/book/detail/1993522-one-that-got-away

** viewable/available from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SandraDavies

67/100 Jenna & Eddie

37/100 The blacksmith's wife [41]

Who?’  

‘Who is she?’ 

‘Who has done this?’  

‘Who will tell her blacksmith man?’

Owl, slow howling, insufficient strength to say his name.  

Me?   Me.  

He?

Bursts in, bruised, raven-shraak, scattering the what-who-whooed concern around me.  

‘One dead?  Two?’    

Anguished acceptance, seeing blood-smeared thighs akimbo, fleshy shreds, grey-lilac limbs drowned in a crimson pool.

‘Gabriel’ barely-breathed.   

‘She lives!’

Kneels, lifts my hips to slow the scarlet trickle, wraps me to his heart, calloused hand caressing cold-sweat cheek.

Eyes question mine, pledge overdue revenge, frantic for my survival.

Too late. 

Too much blood.

Chorus:  ‘She’ll surely not survive such loss!’

No.

 


This is part 41 of 'The blacksmith's wife'.   The whole is a prompt-led serial  which began on the Friday Prediction, in March  and continued, one hundred words at a time, for forty-one episodes.   One of my aims in this 100 days project is to complete the illustrations for each episode and publish the tale in book form.    The  story can be read in its entirety here.

36/100 The blacksmith's wife [40]

Village harvest festival, marrows big as three-year-olds, piglets with two heads, jams and hams, ale and rose-hip wine drunk to excess by red-faced farmers and their wives.

I, disguised, occupied the fortune-teller’s booth; promised death or love or money as desired to successive gullibles.

But I was the bigger fool:  Mathias the final customer.   He  knocked me down, played Punch to my Judy and, while Gabriel wrestled with a farmer’s son, kicked life from my belly, leaving me in hopeless lonely labour.   With a screech ‘twixt owl and vixen I expelled bloody pulp, then a second lifeless babe burst forth.

This is part 40 of 'The blacksmith's wife'.   The whole is a prompt-led serial  which began on the Friday Prediction, in March  and continued, one hundred words at a time, for forty-one episodes.   One of my aims in this 100 days project is to complete the illustrations for each episode and publish the tale in book form.    The  story can be read in its entirety here.

35/100 The blacksmith's wife [39]

Despite forthcoming fatherhood, Gabriel allowed no languishing; still expected me to skin and gut the animals he brought home. So many were so often full of babes themselves and I disgorged in unaccustomed sympathy e’en as he ate, hand clamped to my quailing mouth as his clutched spoon and bowl of herb-steaming rabbit stew. 

‘Coney-skins’ he claimed, ‘cleansed and stitched together – a winter coverlet for us, and another for the babe.’

‘Or a shroud for me if you persist in forcing me to make it!’ I one especially nauseous day did cry.

But it passed; I grew big, unaccustomedly contented.

This is part 38 of 'The blacksmith's wife'.   The whole is a prompt-led serial  which began on the Friday Prediction, in March  and continued, one hundred words at a time, for forty-one episodes.   One of my aims in this 100 days project is to complete the illustrations for each episode and publish the tale in book form.    The  story can be read in its entirety here.

34/100 The blacksmith's wife [38]

By dark Gabriel’s forgiving sweetness had turned sour.
His hands around my throat, not quite in jest, jeopardised my breathing:  ‘There’s penance to be paid for your promiscuity,’  

He’d forgot that he had likewise sinned, also that I fought dirty, and, hand-slipped, I did.

‘And what of yours?’ I squeezed, then told him of my condition.

‘You’ve lied before, why should I believe you now?’

He yelped again and smacked me;  our bed became a battleground, the loose-weave wool that covered us a sweat-reeked coat of arms – Thor rampant, wife couchant.

By morning status quo had been queasily restored.

This is part 38 of 'The blacksmith's wife'.   The whole is a prompt-led serial  which began on the Friday Prediction, in March  and continued, one hundred words at a time, for forty-one episodes.   One of my aims in this 100 days project is to complete the illustrations for each episode and publish the tale in book form.    The  story can be read in its entirety here.

33/100 The Blacksmith's wife [37]

 ‘Sweetling’ he grinned, ‘‘Tis time you learnt experience eclipses fumbling adolescence every time.   His dangled promise of delight is but soft come-quickly when compared to the stiffness of my intent to prick more than your conscience into cleaving solely unto me.’

I allowed my hair to eclipse my gleeful anticipation:  such a welcome promise to dangle before me, sufficiently dispelling stiffness from the tumble I had taken (and sorrow for the one I’d not, since my jealous spouse appeared several minutes sooner than desired.)

But damn his eyes, he well read mine, and laughed and bade me wait ‘til dark.

This is part 37 of 'The blacksmith's wife'.   The whole is a prompt-led serial  which began on the Friday Prediction, in March  and continued, one hundred words at a time, for forty-one episodes.   One of my aims in this 100 days project is to complete the illustrations for each episode and publish the tale in book form.    The  story can be read in its entirety here.