Yep, late last night between tables of drunk Halloween revelers a few of us gathered to have pie, coffee, talk and write, and I kicked off with 2245 of a first draft. Here’s the first page of the first draft to tease.
“The Price of Mendacity”
An Akiniwazi novella
The sweet cool burn of alcohol washed down Von’s throat, cheers from years gone by rang in his mind. Under his bare feet, the wood of the dock was worn smooth by years of use. It was comforting. Its solid cool indifference to his presence was gratifying, and soothed the roil of his conscience. The last droplets drained from the stone jug resting in the hook of his arm as he finished off the drink. Empty, he let it fell with careless ease to the dock. It bounced once and rolled over the side and into the pond with a hollow splash.
Von ran his unsteady hand through his damp blond hair that stretched down between his shoulderblades. His scruffy unkempt beard reeked of beer and mead and even some Aquavit from the hours of drinking alone. His trousers muddy from various trips and falls as he made on his way out to the Fotrishkode festival grounds. The sky above was filled with the green, blue, and yellow feathers of the Aurora Borealis which spun and turn, eclipsing all the stars that could be seen on the warm spring evening. Below his feet, the ripples of the dropped jug spread across the glass smooth pond, making the swirling light from above smoothly ripple. It was magical.
He stood for a time he could not determine staring at the wonders of nature. The sky and water mirror images, separated by the hard black frame of tall pines and birch, thick with new leaves and high with the scents of early summer. The crickets sang and the frogs trumpeted from every side, silent on for a moment as the ripples passed.
Von stood alone, swaying to the music of the glorious night.