We're talking fever, chills, joints screaming at you with each movement, skin that's sore to the touch, intense sweats, sensitivity to sound and light, uncontrollable coughing fits (my chest is killing me)...horrible. The worst part is that I can't even take anything so I've had to just grin and bear it as best I can. I don't think I've had a flu bug this bad since I was a kid and back then being sick was somewhat entertaining because I'd hallucinate when my temperature rose too high.
I digress...
Needless to say, I haven't been able to sit and do my work or blog posts since Saturday. That's why today, I'm going to post whatever the heck I feel like and we'll get back on track next week. :)
Another murder to resolve at West Hawk Lake.
I announced at the end of last month that I finished NaNoWriMo. This year, I decided to focus on the sequel (finally) to the award-winning Dark Water. This next book in The Watcher Series is called Still Water. There are different young characters, a new mystery to solve and a focus on the Native culture and spirituality. The main differences in this book are that not only is the main family from an Hispanic culture (I had to get my kids who are in Spanish-Immersion to help me with a few phrases), but the main character is blind.
Yes, you read that right. Do you know how difficult it is to write a sensory-rich scene without referring to anything you can see? I have no idea why I create these enormous challenges for myself...BUT...life, for me, would be boring if I didn't.
This is the first scene where the young mysterious girls who will be staying under The Watcher's protective wing over the summer are 'introduced'. Here, the girls learn what each of their roles are in assisting with bringing justice to the victims of the current crime in play. This time, though, time is of the greatest essence as the key to resolving the mystery lays in the hands of the one person who knows everything, but whose voice will be forever silenced as summer comes to an end.
Will they make it, or is this case too big this time for The Watcher to keep his promise of peace to his precious waters?
Let's see....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He stood, shin-high, in shallow water of his lagoon. The bottom of
his cream-colored robes floated around him. He held his hands out in front of
him toward his two new guests.
“Come with me, my dears. Now that you have energy, we must discuss
our plan.”
Each girl took one of The Watcher’s hands, and the three of them
waded to the shore. He guided the girls to the grassy patch in front of his
hut, motioned for them to sit, then lowered himself onto a tree stump.
The girls were both in their mid-teens. One looked like a Native
princess with her waist-length jet-black hair, parted in the middle and poker
straight. Her dark brown eyes seemed to have decades of knowledge behind them,
and much sadness. Her build was slight, but muscular like a trained athlete.
The other girl was taller, but with the same slight build. Her wavy
shoulder-length, sandy-blonde hair emphasized her pale skin and aquamarine blue
eyes. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, they listened as The Watcher spoke.
“We have two very important goals, my children. The first is to help
a young man continue on his life’s path, even though it has changed
unexpectedly. It is imperative that he sees life in his new way so that he
keeps moving forward. The other is to plant the seeds needed to resolve old
mysteries, so that healing can finally begin.”
The Watcher stood, lacing his
fingers together. “These goals will be met by you two working together. Each of
you have essential gifts and knowledge that will help us on this journey. You
must pool your gifts, with my guidance. For as you will soon see, both the
young man’s journey, as well as what we must do to bring justice for old wrong
doings, are deeply intertwined.”
The girls said nothing, but bowed their heads as the old man
approached them. He put one hand on the top of each of their heads and said,
“You must be very careful, my dears. This journey has many paths, some twisted
and dark. You must be strong and focus on each step at a time.”
He moved his hand under the Native girl’s chin, gently moving her
head up to face him. “You, in particular, must be very cautious never to allow
any of the troubled family to see you until the right time comes. For if they
recognize you all will be lost forever, and I will not be able to help you
further. We will have no second chances.”
The Native girl closed her eyes, and nodded. “I understand. I will
be careful.”
He took his hands from their heads, then slid them up his sleeves.
“Our first focus shall be on the young man.” His gaze set on the blonde. “You,
my dear, must go plant the first seed. You know what to do.”
As she stood, a gray-and-black wolf appeared by her side. The
Watcher clipped a leash on the animal’s collar, then put the other end in the
girl’s hand.
The girl wound the leash around her hand a few times, until her
fingertips touched the animal’s shoulder. After a gentle tug to signal she was
ready, the wolf led her to the path winding behind The Watcher’s hut and up
into the woods above.
As the two disappeared into the lush vegetation, The Watcher closed
his eyes, and raised his face to the sky.
“It has begun.”
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