I feel guilty about how beautiful it is here knowing how bad both coasts are. Still don’t know what’s happening to family members in FL (they don’t communicate nearly as well as my friends who are still safe but the worst is yet to come).
I’m still working on These Haunted Hills. This is over 6 lines but I wanted to capture the moment. At this point Brendan is standing in the clearing in the woods around his cabin, looking at the stars after his conversation with his ex-wife who gave him a gentle nudge to not just look at Joshua as a tour guide to ghosts but rather as an available man. Next week they’ll be back together (and dammit, I want to write more but I have 4 exams I have to write. Sigh).
“Beautiful,” he murmured, thinking this needed worked into his story somehow along with how noisy the woods were. It hummed with insects and something that sounded bigger than that. He had no idea. He pulled out his phone and tried to take a picture of the full moon.
A strange cry split the air catapulting him from the chair which spilled over. His heart pounded. More strange cries followed the first. Brendan thumbed on the recorder, jogging toward the house. If whatever screamed in the woods didn’t kill him, maybe Joshua would know what the hell it was. Brendan raced inside and bolted the door. He shut the windows he’d opened. He’d use a fan if he got too hot.
Shaking, he turned off the recorder then eyed the loft. He wasn’t going to sleep after that. He grabbed his computer and turned on the TV. He’d write the night away and maybe the creature in the night would leave him be.
If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!
Jana Denardo 
Scary—bolting the door and closing the windows sounds like what I’d rush to do, too!
LikeLike
It does seem like a reasonable response.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I think I’d be running for cover and bolting the door too. That sounds scary!
LikeLike
Being a total cityboy, Brendan is utterly freaked.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something wild is afoot. The woods can, indeed, be frightening if you’re not accustomed to them. Chilling snippet!
LikeLike
Thank you. Something wild is indeed afoot.
LikeLike
I want to know what it was he heard.
LikeLike
All in due time.
LikeLike
Something’s spooked him!
LikeLike
Something surely did.
LikeLike
That was spooky. I hope whatever creature is out there leaves him be.
LikeLike
Thanks. He’s safe…for now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s lovely down in the woods tonight, but…. 😉
LikeLike
But there are THINGS in the woods.
LikeLike
City meets outdoors. Might be a good or bad combination. 🙂
LikeLike
It’s going to take a while before this City boy is good with the outdoors
LikeLike
I can’t wait to find out what made the noise 🙂
LikeLike
Brendan wants to know too.
LikeLike
Okay, so… what was it?
LikeLike
Soon, you’ll see soon.
LikeLike