May 31st!!!!! The end of the month but not the story.

Wow. Chemo and exhaustion and the start of a story written. Thank you everyone who has kept reading. I wasn’t sure what to do for the last day. This isn’t the ending of the story, of course. More story is left to tell. Chemo goes through til October. Also in October my novel is published by Plum Tree Books!

In the meantime, I’ll post a few things here. I’ve enjoyed this month, but I’m glad it’s over.

Thank you again and again for being here.

Hannah peered under the door to make the hall was clear. She saw nothing but the tight weave of red carpet.

“Careful,” the old woman said, “They know how to lie in wait.”

But Hannah had gotten this far. She felt sure of herself. “We’ll be fine. They can’t know I’m in here.”

She opened the door.

The guard had her by the throat before she realized he was there. She grabbed his wrist. She kicked. He pinned her to the wall. He said nothing, and she couldn’t speak.

His stare frightened her more than his grip, and she slapped him to get him to speak if not to break his stare. She tried to kick him again, but a heavy feeling weighed down her legs. Moving was becoming more difficult while he stared. Her throat hurt. She looked away.

A strange gagging sound escaped from him. The noise pushed her fear further, but she risked a sideways glance. His face contorted. Suddenly, he let her go.

Hannah fell forward, and he fell alongside her. She screamed and pushed and kicked. He offered no resistance. It took a few more kicks for her to realize he wasn’t moving at all.

“What…” Hannah gulped for a breath.

The old woman stood there next to the body of the guard. “What happened?” Hannah asked her. Her eyes refocused.

The old woman held her knife. Specks of blood dotted her hand. She looked down at Hannah and her voice was calm “You mustn’t let them touch you because you can never fight back.”

Hannah slowly looked back at the guard. A stain grew in the carpet underneath his body. “You killed him?” she asked.

“I saved you,” she replied. The old woman reached out a hand to help Hannah back to her feet. “You’re in deep now, child. I hope you can run.”

May 25th. Did not miss it!

Well, I missed yesterday, but I wrote something today. Thank goodness.

Hannah let herself be led out of the basement and into the hall. She didn’t trust this nurse, but she had no place to run.

Your heart is bent on chaos, the nurse had said. Holding the nurse’s hand Hannah knew it was true. Like her grandmother. Her grandmother caused trouble. Hannah knew that much. She slipped the metal pick-pocketing tool into her hand. If the nurse wanted trouble, she’d give it to her.

Nurse Meredith knew the Asylum and she knew how Security thought and acted. She also knew they’d checked this corridor already. They wouldn’t be back for a while yet. “You want to unlock everything. Is that right?”

“And what if I do?” Hannah answered.

“Then start with that door over there. I assume you’ve a key or something. I’m going to start on this side of the hall. You start over there.”

“Seriously? You. But you work here. Why are you telling me to—”

“Get to work, you little fool. Before Security starts thinking. Just unlock the door and move on to the next.” Meredith pointed. “Face what you wanted.”

Hannah hesitated, but she took the lock-pick and knelt at the door.

May 23rd and the long weekend looms

I’m afraid I’m writing myself into a corner. Oh well. There are worse things. Tomorrow I go in for blood work to find out how my white blood cell count is doing. It was too low a week ago. Also, this weekend, I’m taking my son to his regional speed skate competition. Somehow I will write something.

Nurse Meredith understood the Asylum better than any of security or management. She knew that the basement had grown so good at keeping secrets that it would hold any secret for anyone.

The basement cameras didn’t fool Meredith. She’d long ago understood how useless those cameras were.

That the intruder turned out to be a girl surprised her, but after a moment’s reflection, it made sense. Meredith noted the bag hanging from the girl’s shoulder. “How did you get that?”

The girl shrugged. “I found it.”

“You found it?” Meredith didn’t believe that. “What’s your name, you little fool?”

“Hannah.”

Meredith laughed. “You break in, you steal, but you don’t lie. You really are a fool. Well, come with me if you don’t want to disappear into this place forever.”

Hannah remined rooted to where she was. Her expression revealed her confusion and fear.

Meredith took Hannah’s hand. “You didn’t come here for peace and quiet, did you?”

Hannah shook her head. This was the chance she hadn’t known she wanted. “Come with me, Hannah the fool. Because I know your heart is bent on chaos.”