My writing/publishing journal

[Vinayaka]

“Don’t imagine then,” said Feather, wrongly thinking he was adding something.

“That would end this relationship pretty fast wouldn’t it?” I said.

River ignored us. “But now that we’re here and the conversation’s started, what are you gonna do about it? We saw you going so decided to come along and as you know, we can be soft and sneaky if we want to.”

“Yes, I know. Did you shadow me around town? Did you watch me buy the water bottle? Isn’t that being extra nosy?” Obviously, I wasn’t happy. On the farm it was safe to meet. But in town we could be overheard. Not that our club or sect or whatever it was, was illegal or anything. But it was private and secret and exclusive.

River looked disappointed. “We helped actually. I’m sorry you feel this way.”

“Now how could you help?” Right then Mom approached the car so I panicked. “Quick – into the trunk with her groceries. Stay there until we get home, when we can continue this discussion. Not now, please.”

Feather had the last word, “Now you want us to ride in a dark dirty trunk! How rude you are!”

I didn’t hear from them again until after getting home, retrieving the water bottle, and arriving at the clubhouse. Excited words burst forth from River. “We helped by slowing your Mom down so she wouldn’t see you hiding the water bottle.”

“Thanks,” I replied, although I had no idea how they might have delayed Mom.

Borrowing red paint was easy, as was filling the water bottle ... diluted of course. I used string to tie it around Scary’s thin neck, and found the oldest shirt and pants I owned. He and the hatchet would have to be carried sideways across the front handlebars. One uneventful day I moved him a hundred yards up the road and out of sight. Nobody missed that poor rotting guy.

 

[Vinayaka]

“Don’t imagine then,” said Feather, wrongly thinking he was adding something.

“That would end this relationship pretty fast wouldn’t it?” I said.

River ignored us. “But now that we’re here and the conversation’s started, what are you gonna do about it? We saw you going so decided to come along and as you know, we can be soft and sneaky if we want to.”

“Yes, I know. Did you shadow me around town? Did you watch me buy the water bottle? Isn’t that being extra nosy?” Obviously, I wasn’t happy. On the farm it was safe to meet. But in town we could be overheard. Not that our club or sect or whatever it was, was illegal or anything. But it was private and secret and exclusive.

River looked disappointed. “We helped actually. I’m sorry you feel this way.”

“Now how could you help?” Right then Mom approached the car so I panicked. “Quick – into the trunk with her groceries. Stay there until we get home, when we can continue this discussion. Not now, please.”

Feather had the last word, “Now you want us to ride in a dark dirty trunk! How rude you are!”

I didn’t hear from them again until after getting home, retrieving the water bottle, and arriving at the clubhouse. Excited words burst forth from River. “We helped by slowing your Mom down so she wouldn’t see you hiding the water bottle.”

“Thanks,” I replied, although I had no idea how they might have delayed Mom.

Borrowing red paint was easy, as was filling the water bottle ... diluted of course. I used string to tie it around Scary’s thin neck, and found the oldest shirt and pants I owned. He and the hatchet would have to be carried sideways across the front handlebars. One uneventful day I moved him a hundred yards up the road and out of sight. Nobody missed that poor rotting guy.

River said, “That’s sad. To die, but never have a funeral, or a burial. But I bet he gets cremated eventually when they burn the house down. Hey. Maybe we should.”

 

[Vinayaka]

“Yeah,” said Feather. That’d be exciting to watch.”

“I’m not burning it down. People would come. We’d get discovered.”

“Not likely at 3 AM, Hungry.” River was accurate in his assessment but I wasn’t one to take chances.

“Still, I’ll wait for Duggan to do it. Scary’s funeral can wait.”

We pulled out at 11 sharp. Lights weren’t yet out in the main house. Ever since I had moved Scary down the road, no Real suspected anything. The Imaginary brothers were waiting. Their intuition often outweighed their silliness. I never quite understood how they timed it. With a shudder and a “Good luck” all around, we were off. Fortunately, it was a cloudless sky and the road was dry from recent hot summer days. I peddled like a hamster in a wheel until I got to the hill before the first house where a dog roamed. Stopping to listen, River spoke, “Go relatively slow. Feather and I will go onward and distract it. Once we get it barking you can ride furious, because those idiot things can’t hear over their own noisy barks.”

I let them go and waited atop the hill. Soon enough the dumb critter was howling away, as if responding to coyotes. I sped down the hill and cruised right on by until I got a quarter mile past. When I stopped to rest, I heard them arguing.

“You didn’t have to go so close, Feather. It has better hearing than you think. You could have gotten bit.”

“How can a dog hurt an Imaginary, Riv? That’s dumb.”

“You’re dumb. It was a Real dog. But they have Imaginary critters all about them. They appear magically from a dog’s thoughts. People have Imaginary friends, but dogs have Imaginary enemies. They think anything that moves is a life-threatening danger. Rustling leaves, moving water, even shadows can be menacing to such a dumb critter. Real can’t hurt Imaginary, but Imaginary sure the heck can. What if that dog would have gotten into a fight with one of his Imaginary foes? You could have got bitten by the Imaginary dog. Not the Real dog, Stupid.”

 

[Vinayaka]

I interrupted, “I agree. The last situation a kid wants to go into is a dog fight. Those beasts can bite you instead of the other dog. I learned the hard way. Scars tell stories.”

“So what? said River. “We made it this far, didn’t we? Let’s continue. Feather’s safe, and poor old Syne is anxiously waiting for you.”

The next house was dog free. Beyond it, we popped over a small knoll, and saw headlights to the north. “Dive to the right ditch!” yelled River. “Keep the bike low. With luck, there will be no reflections!”

“Why to the right?” I asked.

“Just go. I’ll explain while we hide. Don’t hesitate!” I did as he instructed. Once I was hidden in the tall grass he explained, “Cars have headlights pointed slightly to the right, our left, even worse if they have the dimmer switch on. They can see in the right ditch better. Does that make sense, Hungry?”

“Yeah, Hungry?” added Feather, being Feather.

“Yes, it does,” I replied, “but how would you guys know that?”

“Guys?” questioned River. “More like guy. Feather can’t think like me. He can tail but not lead.”

“Besides that, why exactly are you guys taking cover with me? The people in the car can’t see you.”

“You never learn, do you?” grumbled River. “Maybe the driver’s dreaming about some Imaginary person, or maybe there’s a creative kid like you in that car who knows our kind. They can see us! Sheesh!”

“Oh, yeah I forgot. Sorry.” I didn’t completely believe him. Sure, other kids had Imaginary pals, but could two kids’ different Imaginary friends actually interrelate? Something like, “My Imaginary is smarter than yours!” Once the car swished past I climbed to the road, bicycle in tow.

 

[Vinayaka]

“That was close!” said Feather.

“How?” asked River. “I thought we were safe like in the treehouse. Safe like the moon.”

“Nope, it was close. I didn’t believe River about others of our kind. I’ve never met any, so I jumped up closer to the road to look in the back seat as it passed. I saw a three-eyed kid, and the car drove right through me.”

“Nope,” said River. “You’d feel that. It would tickle. I know because I did it once. Hungry felt this one though.”

“I did?” I asked.

“You quivered like you were going for a freezing swim. You didn’t get what caused it because you’re not sensitive. Your imagination was on the road. But we have to make a move. The next place has a dog, but it’s deaf.”

“How do you know it’s deaf?” I asked.

“One day Reals were going into that yard honking their horn and the dog did nothing but yawn.”

I wasn’t convinced. “I’ve been there and the dog was growling at me and Dad.”

“That’s cause the dog saw you. He has to see you. Then it barks like any other dog.”

“Ringer’s deaf too,” added Feather.

“No, she’s not!” I insisted.

“She doesn’t hear me when I call her.”

I ignored him, and turned back to River. “Oh, I suppose that makes sense, Riv.” I replied, cautiously trusting him.

“It’s okay if you don’t trust me,” he said. “Feather never does. But the little joker still comes along.”

Within the hour we arrived at Syne’s place. The moonlight reflected off the old siding making for the most open of circumstances. A light wind gust rustled some leaves in the trees alongside the road. “Listen to that,” said River. “He came to meet us. Now it’s all up to you.”

 

[Vinayaka]

“How do you know it’s him?” asked Feather. “Maybe it’s Hungry’s panting.”

“Who else could it be?” asked River. “You think it’s the prime minister of Transylvania, or a duck trying to fly at night?”

“You’re right I bet,” agreed Feather. “So now what?”

“We keep him here and Hungry goes in to set up Scary on the table. Then Hungry stands right in the front door facing inward, perfectly in the middle. When Syne goes back to the house, he’ll ease into Hungry, and Hungry can let Syne make his way downstairs, kill Scary, and the deed is done. Easy as balancing on a power line.”

“Easy as jumping over the moon, like that cow did,” added Feather.

“Walking on a power line isn’t easy,” I said. “Nor will this be.”

“For you maybe,” assured River. “But for me, I like walking on power lines cause they tickle my feet. Except when uneducated Reals shoot at insulators. Then it gets scary.”

“How do we keep him here?” asked Feather. “Won’t he want to follow Hungry?”

“I’ll engage him,” said River. “We’ll get nostalgic, talk about the old days, how gorgeous his wife was. We’ll inquire about his life. He may be a ghost but still his mood can be manipulated like any Real’s can. It’s ego. But you, Feather, should stay quiet. You could ruin the whole plan by saying something stupid.”

“Oh,” said Feather. “I’ll just listen.”

River stared at me impatiently. “What are you waiting for? Get a move on. We can’t wait all night. There’s a killing to be done. There’s a releasing to be completed. Twenty-eight years too late. We can’t stall Syne forever. Maybe only 15 minutes. Move!”

“Yay!” cheered Feather.

 

[Vinayaka]

I dropped the bike, untied Scary and the hatchet, and determinedly strode toward the old house. Once I got to the open door, I turned on the flashlight. Like some machine I headed straight downstairs and laid Scary face down on the table. I memorized the layout well because I knew the flashlight might scare him off. The slaying had to be by the light of the moon alone. It suddenly occurred to me I should know whether Syne was left-handed or right-handed. He’d want to swing the hatchet with the correct hand. Any murder by axe would be with a man’s strong arm. I went with the percentages and held it with my right arm. I climbed back to the front door and waited, as per River’s instructions, standing perfectly still except for one ridiculous thumping heartbeat.

It didn’t take long. Despite no wind the door creaked and I smelled him. Quite ghastly he was. I imagined he smelt like his corpse – twenty-eight years of rotting flesh. My left arm twitched first, and I switched the hatchet over. I stood still to allow him to get comfortable. In about a minute I heard River’s soft hypnotic whisper, talking to Syne, “Go kill him. He’s in the basement on the table, passed out from booze.”

“Who?” Syne asked. A deep voice it was.

“The vagrant who murdered you. We found him and when he got back here all the memories got to him. We fed him some booze. He stayed over in the trees all day, sulking and feeling guilty for what he did to you. We convinced him to come in and apologize. Now he’s passed out down there. Is that where he killed you?”

“Yeeesss,” moaned Syne.

River never talked to me, only to Syne. At first, I stepped cautiously, forgetting Syne was inside me. Once I truly knew he was in me, I sped up. Still he didn’t want to wake Scary, so he snuck down the stairs. He waited a few seconds for his new and temporal eyes to adjust to the moon’s dim glow. Then, methodically, he raised the hatchet and took aim. River whispered again, “Aim for the neck.”

 

[Vinayaka]

He swung that hatchet with all the force he could muster in those boyish arms, and managed a direct blow. The blood spattered all over, nailing his shirt and pants.

“Good job, Mr. Syne!” yelled River.

Syne turned toward River’s voice. “Thank you. I’m done. Now I can go. Thank you. Thank you.”

“It’s okay,” whispered River gently.

Syne continued, “Not just okay, but great. I felt so young again.”

I felt my leg move, but not because I wanted it to move. Then the other leg. I looked down and watched both legs moving, as if watching a stranger’s legs. They were heading for the door.

When he’d entered, I allowed it, trusting River that it was temporal. But this was way different. This time I resisted.

“Uh, oh,” whispered River. “He’s not leaving. He wants your body forever!”

“Tell him to leave!” I pleaded.

I heard River’s voice again. “Mr. Syne, we had a deal. You told me you were just going to use the young boy’s body temporarily, long enough to get revenge.”

“I’ve changed my mind, kid. I like this body. It can run. I can run.”

River spoke frantically, full-on desperation in his whispery voice. “I’m gonna lose you, Hungry, and I have no idea what to do. Once he’s completely in I have no idea where you’ll be, and when I talk in this ear, I won’t know whether it’s him or you. Good luck. I’m so sorry.”

I felt the familiar whoosh of his leaving, as a small droplet of tear hit my shoulder. I panicked at the thought of being alone, without his wisdom and friendship.

I yelled, “Get out of me, Syne! This isn’t your body, it’s mine!”

 

[Vinayaka]

“Too bad, kid. You’ll have to fight me for it.”

We had arrived at the door, and both wanted out. Syne wanted to breathe the fresh air again, and I craved to run home. As I reached for the door, I realized he had only gained control of my legs, but I still controlled the arms, and more importantly, the hatchet. The possession was happening from the feet up.

I tuned the hatchet around to the blunt side forward, and frantically swung it at his leg.

I didn’t feel a thing. Not my leg.

“Get the heck out!” I yelled again. “Get out or I’ll bust your leg up so bad you’ll never walk again. What kind of life would that be? Hobbling all over, never able to run. Get out, Syne!”

I waited for some pain, but it didn’t come. Because I could still use my arms, I knew I’d slowed his takeover down. I moved the hatchet to my other arm, and held it away from the unbruised leg. “Get out now, or I’ll smash the other one. Then you won’t even be able to hobble. Scram! Beat it! Get!”

Pain hit like a brick. Never in my life had I been so relieved to feel pain. I fell on the step, weeping. Blood oozed through my jeans.

I lay still, hatchet in hand for a full five minutes, my breath slowly relaxing, until River’s voice returned. “Wow, Hungry, you beat him off. I’m impressed. Now we can get out of here.”

I looked at him cautiously. “Did you see him leave. Is he gone for good?”

“Yeah, he high-tailed it toward the highway.”

River stared at the oozing blood. “That needs a bandage. Take off your shirt.”

“No need,” I said. “I’ll borrow Scary’s”. I hobbled back downstairs and rippled a sleeve off of Scary’s shirt. I figured he wouldn’t mind. When we returned to the step, I took my pants off and tied the sleeve tight around the seeping bruise.” Arm in arm we walked toward where Feather waited patiently.

 

[Vinayaka]

“What happened? What happened?” asked Feather.

“He left,” I said. “Our strategy worked. But I’m bloody.”

“It’s not blood, Hungry.” Feather announced. “It’s red paint. You put it in the water bottle, remember?”

Neither River nor I felt like explaining it to him. The fact that we were together was enough.

I addressed Feather. “Oh yeah. It seemed so real I forgot. But it was blood to Syne. For sure he thought it was. But I still need to clean it off. Mom will wonder why there’s paint on my shirt. Where is the nearest slough?”

“How would we know?” piped in River. “We don’t need water.”

“Sorry, but let’s go. Maybe there will be some in a ditch somewhere on the way home. I can always use the horse tank.”

River added, “Or you can lie to your Mom that you tried to paint something. Maybe a sign for your granary house.”

“What about my leg?”

He reassured me. “That will heal, just like always. No different than your baseball bruises.”

“Sure. Let’s go. Are you guys gonna take care of those dogs on the way home?”

“What do you think?” asked River. “Some kids never learn.”

“Yeah,” agreed Feather. “Some kids never learn.”

 

[Vinayaka]

So that's the end of the first story of Book 1. Thanks, mods, for allowing me to put it on here.
If anyone liked it enough to want the rest, and you don't mind PMing me your email, I'll send the entire document as an attachment. No strings attached. It's also on Amazon Kindle, and in hardcover, but please don't order from them. You can order it directly from me. Not Kindle, I'll give you the document.

I'm currently working on the first book of a second series. The protagonist is a sea otter who through magic, can temporarily transform into a person. She has both animal friends and human friends, and lots of adventure. It's at a slight lower language level than. Next project (soon) is the editing of Imaginary Book 2, which should be in print by early spring, with no glitches. Soon there will be a website, and the characters (Feather, especially) will be writing a blog.

I've given away about 20 books, and sold exactly 5, but that's all been through word of mouth. Thank Siva I'm no attached to that aspect. Still, if someone smiles, that's great, so if anyone knows a quirky bookstore owner, a literary agent who might be interested, and all that 'stuff' you could let me know. After Book 2 is out, I might put some more effort into that, although I despise marketing. For those of you who read this much on here, thanks.

 

[Vinayaka]

Book 2 went to the printer today, in rough form. Covid and marketing don't mix, because I won't sit in a bookstore for 3 hours watching 100 strangers walk past and 5 come talk to me. Website has an addy but nothing else. My daughter is helping.

 

[Vinayaka]

So Book 2 of the series is out. My printer/distributer guys are ridiculously slow, but the end product is nice. I gave up on Amazon entirely, and will be doing a few local book signings come next fall. Not caring (as in not being attached to results) is both a boon and a detriment. It's a boon in that I'm not disappointed, but a detriment in that it won't get out there. About 3 people from here read the first one, in e format.

I have gotten about 6 actually real good reviews from trusted friends and a couple of strangers. The format and my voice is a bit different than standard books, so that puts some people off, and it's a unique genre so some friends said, 'Good writing but not my genre." That's all fine. if anyone here wants to read it in manuscript form, and doesn't mind, I'll send it as an attachment, with the hopes of getting a review from you. If not, that's fine. At book signings it's useful to have something besides the books for by-passers to look at. Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

[Vinayaka]

A very positive review today ... from my dentist, who I gave a copy to earlier. "Well, Sir, you are a very good writer." He commented how amazing it was that Hungry could keep River and Feather so distinct. He reads a lot too. This is always encouraging. Once it freezes here, and I can no longer do landscaping, I'm going to bookstores.

On another vein, I have a dilemma with a different novel ... having a difficult time over to use third person or first person. Any suggestions? The gist is a transforming mystic, who discovers she can transform from sea otter, to humanoid, and then the learning about the human world, (humour) from a sea otter' POV. (Of course I'm just guessing on that.) I entertained the kids with bedtime stories of 'my' life, (the sea otter's) and have been writing it down. The first try 133 000 words was all first person, but her voice was kind of boring, so then I re-wrote it all in third person, but it just doesn't seem tru to the story. In the meantime I work on #3 of the Imaginary Brothers where Hungry becomes friends with a girl of all things.

More updates in a few weeks.