Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Blog Chain Blatherskite


This go around is not only exciting for me, but I have great news to share! Elana, who was before me in the chain (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) is a quarter finalist in the Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest! And guess what? So is another of our talented Blog Chain members, H.L. Dyer! Talk about being surrounded by talent! You can read an excerpt and leave a review (which can help them in the final judging) by following these links :





Okay, back to our blog chain. I was a bit over-excited this time around. Author of the soon to be released The Hollow, Jessica Verday (http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/) started this chain and uber talented Mary (not sure how much I can say about her current project) Lindsey (http://marylindsey.wordpress.com/) will be the next link in this chain.
Here's our task:
WRITE! I want a short story people. 100 words, 300 words, 500 words, 1,000 words - whatever you're comfortable with! The only requirement I have is that the theme of the story have something to do with HEARTS. Someone stealing someone else's heart. Someone pining away for true love. A thief of hearts... Go wild!!
So here is my contribution...
Lissette watched the couple walk down the lit path through the park. She could smell them; each human had their own distinct perfume. Hiding in the shadow of a large Oak she licked her lips. It would be nothing to take them both, to feed on their warm pulsing blood until their heart stopped pumping. She knew he would come then.

A thrill ran through her cold body. It was as close to being alive as she’d been for centuries. The mere thought of the Gede made her feel. She hadn’t felt anything, aside from the hunger for blood, in so long. It was foreign, yet not unpleasant.

Unsure why the council of elders had an interest in this particular Gede, a God of death and libido, Lissette knew better than to ask. She had not survived alone in the dark underworld this long without learning to watch and listen. She had made herself an asset to the elders, but she also knew they felt no loyalty to her or any other of their underlings.

Deciding on an easier kill that would draw far less attention, Lissette scanned the vast park for a random homeless person. In a far corner of the park, about two hundred yards away, she could hear a man’s voice. She listened intently as he bragged to his companions about beating a woman and leaving her for dead. She could hear the man’s heart race as he relived the violation that he had inflicted before the beating. Just retelling it excited him. His two companions didn’t seem to share his rapid pulse. She could actually smell the fear emanating from one of them.

“Nothing like a bit of street justice to make a girl feel better” Lissette murmured to herself. Not that she really cared about the woman he had spoken of, she had done worse herself. She knew that this would make for a very angry ghost, one that she could easily control to draw the Gede to her.

It was over before either of his companions realized what was happening. She had started to drain the man before he could even register her presence. The other two men ran without looking back. Warmth flooded down Lissette’s throat. She could hear the man’s heart pounding in his chest. She listened as she drank, waiting for it to slow.

Seconds before she completely drained him, forcing his heart to stop pumping, she reached down, shoving her hand through his shirt, entering his humanly frail skin. Reaching up behind his rib cage, her hand instinctively found his heart, her fingers wrapping around the moist organ. She gave a quick yank and the arteries tore away. Pulling it from his body, she held the heart in front of his face. Lissette spoke to the man looking into his dimming eyes, “You belong to me now”.


She would wait; wait for Gerard, the strongest of the Gede, to find her. She knew he would come and she wondered what his blood would taste like. She had smelled it. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, the blood of a God. It made her light headed just thinking about it. Someday, she would grasp Gerard’s heart, beating and strong, unlike the slippery useless flesh still dripping in her fingers.

14 comments:

Michelle McLean said...

ooooo very nice!!! A god of death and libido? :D excellent! :D Really, awesome story. If this was a novel I would be flipping pages as fast as I could :) LOVE the pictures too!!

TerriRainer said...

Actually, the Gede is a Haitian Voodoo Deity of life and death, (life = libido/the act of reproduction).

The two published works I had were about the Gede, who is also represented by the Catholic Saint, Gerard (handy name there).

I had sooooo much fun with this.

:) Terri

Anonymous said...

Nice - I can see why you were jumpin' out of your skin to post this. LOVE THE PICS TOO, BTW...

H. L. Dyer said...

Thanks for the shout-out!

Do you feel better now that you finally posted?

Yay, you! And bonus points for illustrations. ;)

Jennifer said...

Oooh, awesome. :)

Elana Johnson said...

Ah, here's the vampire story! Very nicely done! :)

Elana Johnson said...

Oh! Stupid return button. Thanks for the plug on ABNA. You're made of awesome. And I love that last picture of the bloody heart. What does that say about me? LOL.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I think you need to continue this story, Terri! I'd like to find out what happens to Lissette and Gerard next.

Kate Karyus Quinn said...

I agree with Sandra - this feels like a teaser for something bigger and leaves you wanting more.

The pictures were great as well - especially that last one!

Mary Lindsey / Marissa Clarke said...

Gerard, hm? Where in the world did you come up with the inspiration for that name?

Kathryn Hupp-Harris said...

Nice. I agree with everyone here. You need to continue this.

Annie Louden said...

Love the name Lissette! I like how she decides to go after the man who killed the girl, but not in a justice way, as she admits, "Meh, I've done worse."
Also, like everyone else, really liked the pics. The first is my favorite.

Anne Spollen said...

Ditto the name Lissette - and yeah, finish that piece! : )

Vodka Mom said...

ooooh very very very cool indeed!!!