The Shed 14

a reply to: Martin75

RE: Living in PJs - I know it was directed at Night Star, but I would live in my PJs too if I could. Funny - my little "rebellion" in IT is that for the two weeks around Christmas/New Year's I wear slippers at work. We already can come in jeans, but PJs are not acceptable. Some people push it pretty hard though; we've got one dude who either wears shorts or Zubaz's. LOL

Have not tried Hoka, but if I'm able to get back into it I'll check them out. I have worn Brooks Adrenaline GTS's for years and they work for me. I have orthotics for my plantar fasciitis so I can wear almost anything, but certain motion control shoes over compensate when you add in the inserts, so to change I need to go to a store with a treadmill and actually work with someone who knows what the heck they're doing. Luckily there are several in the Twin Cities - between Grandma's Marathon in the Spring and the Twin Cities Marathon in the Fall, running is big here in Minnesota. I like cycling too - before I moved 35 miles away I used to bike to work a few days a week. Really enjoyed doing that but it's not practical for me know. I only average about 14-15 mph so it would take me like 2 1/2 hours to commute one way. I don't need THAT much exercise! LOL

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
2 1/2 hour commute! Ahhhh, yeah maybe a bit too much exercise! LOL
Paul loved the Adrenaline until they changed them. Then he went to Nike Hayward and wore them forever. He still has a few of them stock piled (I am not kidding when I say he has a shoe problem)!

As for your slippers, me too! When it snows really bad I wear my snowboots but bring my slippers to wear inside. It is now kinda a running joke. Is Jess in her running shoes or her princess slippers! LOL

I am starting to bike. I have to find a seat!!! OMG, no one told me about seat issues! I lucked into a free trail bike and decided I would just jump on and go one day. HAHAHAHA I walked like a cowboy for a week!

a reply to: Martin75

A good seat is critical for anything over a couple miles in my opinion. Definitely not something to skimp on. A lot of bike shops will let you take seats to try them out for ride or even a day or two. Just ask.

Thanks for keeping an eye on the shed Shep. Yes, keep the pixies busy.

Jess, YES warmer weather today. YAY! Still wearing my boots though. Not all of the snow has melted yet.

Here's the next episode. As I've hinted it ends in a cliffhanger.
There are elements of this scene that may be difficult to read. I reviewed the Ts&Cs and think it comes in just inside of them, but if anyone feels differently please let me know here or via PM. Mods if I'm wrong please accept my apologies and feel free to edit the post.

Link to all my story posts in Sheds 11, 12 and 13
(Shed 14) Page 6 - The Cipher
(Shed 14) Page 20 - Kaena Returns
(Shed 14) Page 29 - As Good as a Death Sentence
(Shed 14) Page 32 - A Vow by the Lake
(Shed 14) Page 38 - A Bottle of Ink
(Shed 14) Page 41 - Kaena's Mistake
(Shed 14) Page 54 - A Command Performance
(Shed 14) Page 55 - A Cautious Offer
(Shed 14) Page 59 - The Water Drummer
(Shed 14) Page 65 - Regret
(Shed 14) Page 93 - A Limit of the Gift
(Shed 14) Page 93 - The Ambassador
(Shed 14) Page 98 - The Seeress's Secret, part 1
(Shed 14) Page 101 - The Seeress's Secret, part 2
(Shed 14) Page 109 - The Seeress's Secret, part 3
Today's episode: What Must Be Borne

"Seeress, please tell me what this is about."

“I Took the girl’s wounds, her pain, all the damage. It’s inside me, now,” she said, and stopped a moment to catch her breath. “I must now Expel it, or it will become part of me. The longer I wait, though, the less I am able to get rid of. I must act quickly, or it becomes mine. When I Expel it, I will relive her assault – at least, I will experience it in my head and body as she did. I will likely struggle, and I do not wish you harm. The girl put up a terrific fight.”

“How do you know that?”

“To heal someone completely of violence you must Take all of it, even the memory.”

“You know who did this then? Who she is?”

She looked at him, pain burning in those dark pools. “After, Lord Braeghe, I promise. I need your help here, now. He is not going anywhere.”

“As you wish, Seeress. What do I do?”

“Just wait, and watch. Keep me from harming myself, or you. I only ask one thing of you: if I begin to use tamborae, you must render me unconscious. I trust you know how without doing serious harm.”

This was too much. He could be executed for such an act. “Seeress!”

“You must! There's no telling what I might do. I could bring the Temple down around us. You must do as I say!” she said with gritted teeth. Between worsening spasms, she panted, “I need your help, Lord Braeghe," she pleaded desperately, "Please do not make me Compel you.”

Gaalen was horrified. “Seeress, I do not think I am right for this task.”

“You are exactly the kind of man I need for this,” she said softly. “Shall we begin? You may as well get comfortable, this will take some time.”

Without waiting for assent she closed her eyes and seemed to relax.

As dangerous as it had sounded when she explained it, Gaalen became quite bored for a time, while he waited. It seemed the woman was actually just sleeping, but given her condition, he did not begrudge her a little rest. At times she stirred, or seemed to be talking to herself, and once he thought she began humming or singing. Occasionally her arm or leg would twitch, but by and large the minutes passed uneventfully.

As the sun and Greatmoon began to sink down from their high point in the sky, she became more agitated. Gentle tugs against the restraints became insistent, then she pulled at them hard. Gaalen left the window and came back around to the side of the cot. She grimaced, baring her teeth, and her brow – swollen as it was – furrowed. She started thrashing in truth then, throwing her body from side to side on the bed, crying out and sobbing. Her body tensed, tighter and tighter, the cords on her neck standing out, dark hair tossed over her face. Gaalen started to get a nervous tingling in his gut.

Suddenly she screamed, arching her back, and the restraints flew off of her wrists and ankles. Gaalen could feel the room crackle with power, and knew he had to act. Was he too late? As he moved in – trying to choose which method to use to “render her unconscious” as she had so clinically put it – she sat up suddenly, eyes open and dark with rage. Her hand shot out to take him around the neck, and the other joined it. His arms felt pinned to his sides, and his feet could not move.

“Seeress…” he choked out.

“How dare you! I want you to die!”

edit on 3-21-2017 by PrairieShepherd because: formatting

edit on 3-21-2017 by PrairieShepherd because: too many "thens"!

edit on 3-21-2017 by PrairieShepherd because: And too many "actually"s!

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
Shep!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are killing us leaving us hanging like this!!!!!

I love love love it!

originally posted by: Martin75
a reply to: PrairieShepherd
Shep!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are killing us leaving us hanging like this!!!!!

I love love love it!

I know, I'm just naughty.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
Oh, my Lord...

“To heal someone completely of violence you must Take all of it, even the memory.”

I literally have to drop into ATS and out again today, as I am able, because I have other matters to deal with. I just cannot stay here for longer periods. But this -- that I've quoted above -- I have to comment upon. And I have to ask: how do you know this?

Do you know know how few understand this is the fundamental basis of true healing? You have to take all of it away, including the memory!

I'm stunned. I've never known anyone else who knew this. As to how I know this painful truth, I have to humbly say that it was not from my own mind. I am not that deep. Nor would I ever claim to be.

Please, Shep, keep writing. If you are writing just from the heart and not from teaching from a mentor, you are truly blessed, because that kind of knowledge is a true gift.

a reply to: crappiekat
If you believe in the future and believe our young people are what makes that future, then you helped them.

I am certain you did. And for more than twenty years, that's what I've tried to do.

Like I've said several times over the past few years, I work mainly with 20-somethings. Lord, I feel blessed. As I've told them at times: "I love being with you, because I learn so much from you!"

And yeah, I do!

That statement can rock them back on their heels at times, but I mean it. These are smart, determined people who just happen to be very young right now. But "years of age"? Bah. I see that as a minor thing. I truly learn from them and I'm grateful to them for opening my eyes.

I've learned a heck of a lot from my daughter and I'm grateful to her for passing her perspective of today's world on to me. Because she sees it far more clearly than I can. She is still living within it. I am moving past it. I try to grasp at it, but I can't keep up. But that's life. There is no shame in it.

The world has to move in the direction our children will live in, not the world we knew, and they need to pilot that course. It doesn't matter to me what the world will be like in 40 or 60 years from now, because the odds are I won't be here anyway. But it matters to my daughter and her kids. And yours. And theirs.

To me? I am happy to know that after I'm gone, young people will be thinking, will I be looking to the future, will I be imagining things my parents could never have even thought of? I am sure they will. And I'm happy about that and I'm glad for them.

If I can help them just a little to move their minds towards the future that belongs to them and their children, I feel blessed.

My parents' generation gave me space flight, and color TV and so many other things. My generation gave our kids Internet and Smart Phones and CGI and so much more.

And the next generation, who are already with us and just quietly waiting to blow us away?

I don't want to hold them back. I want them to fly!

a reply to: JustMike

As usual, Mike, you leave me (nearly) speechless with your kindness.

I can honestly say I just write what comes to my mind and heart. I am a Christian, so personally I believe that when I'm given wisdom that helps others it is from God. But, I realize not everyone shares my beliefs. That particular item you quoted just seemed to flow from the scene and Siere's character, which is to say no, I was not taught that nor did I read it somewhere else.

I've not had a mentor in my writing, other than those more talented writers whose books I have loved (or not) and consumed in my years. I pick up things from other authors - not necessarily plot ideas or that kind of thing, but more of how to write, what I like, what I don't like. From Robert Jordan, the depth of reality it is possible to create for the reader. From GRRM, the idea that darkness can highlight beauty, and that perfect beautiful heroes are not realistic; from another author I realized I do not really like to write the whimsical or the absurd, but prefer drama, emotion, and realism; from Asimov, the idea of episodes making up the composite epic story. There are others, also, but I suspect those are the big ones.

I will say this about the sentiment in that quote. There is a much more sobering truth to it that comes out in later episodes of this story. There have already been one or two glimpses of it, so some may have already guessed what it is based on Siere's behavior. That's all I will say about it, and leave the readers to decide what I'm referring to.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd

That particular item you quoted just seemed to flow from the scene and Siere's character, which is to say no, I was not taught that nor did I read it somewhere else.

Which says that yes, you are truly blessed. You are being given insights that come from deep, deep within. Share them.

Influences: if you have the time, please look at some works by Isabel Allende, especially Eva Luna, which is a book I have wept over because it is so beautifully written. And The House of the Spirits.

Oh, such words, such thoughts!

To say I learned a lot from Isabel Allende for my own writing would be an understatement. She writes so achingly well, with such humanity, that it is all I can do to try and move my own mere words in that direction. But her writing helped me find my own way. My words are still mine, but we all exist within our words due to others, and she is one to whom I owe an immense debt of gratitude.

a reply to: JustMike

I will check out Ms. Allende, although probably not until May when I have more free time.

It's interesting; I never really understood what power the beauty of words had until I started writing myself. I found I enjoyed it immensely, especially those critical moments of power, beauty, grief, and loss. Those things that touch us to our core. I realized reading Jordan's Wheel of Time that there is a sort of weight or critical mass an author must reach with their characters and story, though, to achieve such moments with the reader. That is, if you attempt something emotionally powerful before the reader has connected with the character, you fall short. I had to live with my characters in my heart for a time to understand them and what brought them to their current situations.

By the way, I admit to not having read all the stories in your .sig line, but I have read "A Basket of Apples." That was beautiful writing, Mike. Truly well done.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
You need to move the reader beyond "suspension of disbelief" to "this is real". They are very different mental constructs.

People have written to me and literally told me this: I had to put down my book and go to sleep, but then I worried about what would happen next. And even the next morning.

Or some others said they just had to stay awake (even all night!) and keep reading, because they could not just let the story go, and go to sleep.

As writers, that's what we dream of.

Words can be immensely powerful, especially when we are fortunate enough that they are read by minds that perhaps see far beyond our own.

I'm glad you enjoyed "A basket of Apples". It was all true, down to the last words. And because it was so true, it was very hard to write.

originally posted by: JustMike
a reply to: PrairieShepherd
You need to move the reader beyond "suspension of disbelief" to "this is real". They are very different mental constructs.

People have written to me and literally told me this: I had to put down my book and go to sleep, but then I worried about what would happen next. And even the next morning.

Or some others said they just had to stay awake (even all night!) and keep reading, because they could not just let the story go, and go to sleep.

As writers, that's what we dream of.

Words can be immensely powerful, especially when we are fortunate enough that they are read by minds that perhaps see far beyond our own.

I'm not surprised at your readers' reactions to your writing, Mike, given what I know of it myself. I like the idea of minds reading our writing that can see even what the author cannot. Fascinating concept to contemplate.

I'm glad you enjoyed "A basket of Apples". It was all true, down to the last words. And because it was so true, it was very hard to write.

I suspected as much. Those are the stories that truly draw people in, but I agree, they are difficult to write. Much of my contest entry for YJA contest this month was drawn from personal experience; it was a difficult couple days putting into words.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
Yes, true, personal-experience stories are the hardest to write. Fiction is relatively easy by comparison, because although our own selves are still inextricably entwined, it's not such a painful experience.

You did well to get your entry done. That could not have been easy, by any means.

I can't see myself getting an entry written in time for the Thursday deadline for the latest competition, unfortunately. Would love to submit one, but pure fiction of any quality on a defined topic requires inspiration that I currently lack, and the only alternative is a story based on my real life (and afterlife), which I'd rather not detail at this time.

To put it another way, I'd rather not publish that experience purely as a competition entry if I have to rush it. Events that change a person forever need a lot of time and thought to put out there.

Just how I see it. Others may manage the same thing quite well and if they can, I am glad for them.

*Marty quietly takes the coffee from the pixie as she settles into the overstuffed chair by the fire. Just close enough to hear The Shed's master wizards weave their magic with words; but without disturbing them or making her presence known*

The two of you have no idea how much your conversation has touched me. You both have a magic with words that is very special.

Mike - You KNOW I am just dying for you to give me #2. Ah! What is happening right now! That is all I will say...no spoilers! But you are right. The book is over...and I wonder. And your hints....only make me wonder more!

Shep - You are just as bad! The difference. I got to finish the whole book before Mike made be wait. You sir, are more of a tease! LOL

Like I said. Please continue as if I wasn't here, LOL.

ETA: I forgot the picture I found for you. Because both of your words reach off the page. They make you feel the characters. as well as feeling for them. It's two different things...you can make them real.

*waves a good morning hellooooo to everyone*

My son and I just endured a trip to the mall, in the pouring rain. It wasn't pouring when we left! But it was about 2 minutes later. Ugh. And naturally he didn't want to wear his raincoat or anything. So we zoomed to the mall and back before toooooo many people could witness the Bad Mother taking her son for a walk in the rain.

We walked 4km in 28 minutes! I think we did pretty well. Maybe only 40 people saw us, HAHA. *sighs* Whew.



I just thought that I would say hello and good morning before I disappear for a week or two (or three). A game I've been very muchly looking forward to is being released at 11pm tonight for me, and I honestly won't even be hiding in the bushes, I'll be zip zip zip zooming away in a spacecraft exploring the Andromeda galaxy!



I'll leave a various assortment of cakes, cookies, and other delectables for the other lurkers to enjoy though. The super secret lurker army must not go unfed. *nods solemnly*

This is a video I showed to my students on the big-screen TV a couple of weeks ago. Beau Dermott, "Britain's Got Talent".

12 years old, first time on a big stage. Warning: have a cushion ready on the floor for your jaw to land on!


This is the sort of thing I like to give my students. To make them believe and let them see that anyone, of any age, can be amazing. To help them dream and to understand that everyone has talent, we just need to discover it.

PS: if you have time, let YT play on to the next video, which is her semi-final appearance. Also magnificent.

a reply to: JustMike

WOW. Just wow.

a reply to: Martin75
Hi, Marty! Thank you so much. :heart-shaped smiley thing:

Book II will be a while yet. I was laying out some of the plot lines in more detail the other day and working out chapter order, and also wrote some more dialogue and scene notes. But there is still a long way to go. This book is far more complex (for me) than the first one, because it has to follow on what from Book I presented but also take the story in an entirely new direction.

I know where the story is going, but I don't know how it will end yet! That will reveal itself later, just like the first one did. The final five chapters of Book I didn't even exist in note form until a couple of months before they were written. I had a different ending in mind. Then, a single suggestion by an ATS member here via a personal message led me in a new direction. She told me, "You need to have a love relationship in Part II."

She was right. That sunk in deep. And one one day, riding home from work on a tram, I got the story line to finish the book, tie in the love relationship and make it all work. I scrapped some of what I'd planned and just rewrote, then went on from there, and during the next ten days I got those five chapters written down: around 50,000 words. Yes, in ten days.

So, if you or anyone who's read Finding the Goddess have any ideas for what you'd like in Book II, then please send me a PM! I'll be glad to consider any ideas and I'm already communicating with one ATS member so I can include a new character in Book II based upon someone he knows. An amazing and very special person. Because special people can give others something special as well. Ok, I might have to push him back in time 4500 years, but never mind. People are people.

If anyone offers me a specific line that I want to use that you have authored, I will ask your permission and then give you credit for it, just as I did with a line of dialogue from an ATS member named Liz in Book 1 and listed in its Acknowledgements page.