July 23, 2008
July 23, 2008
Welcome to the Groovy Grove Writing Society. This is a place for me to showcase the works of the authors that I enjoy the most--my family and friends. Over time, I hope to fill this area with short stories, poems, novellas, screenplays and other works. If you are interested in contributing, please, feel free to send me .
Here is the first submission to the Society. It is called "The Chosen" by Ed Nordfors.
Excerpt:
"The alley was deserted and quiet. The tall buildings on either side blocked the neon light that flickered from billboards throughout the city. Ahead, I could hear sirens and the voices of a crowd, noises common in a city of this size, as I walked on. The darkness of the alleyway suited my purpose, concealing my movements through the city. Over the years, I had become adept at moving silently through the night, a stalker. This darkness was my home, and its shadowy folds were more natural to me than sunshine and the open sky.
I stepped over a sprawled figure, one of the homeless drunks living in these streets. His glazed eyes saw nothing as they stared past me, and my mind darted back to another figure--one sprawled in an alleyway long ago. For a brief moment, I felt the kinship of circumstance. It flickered and then faded. Like that figure so long ago, this one was dying. This one, though, would pass away slowly, consumed by inner bitterness and disease. I left him alone to die.
Ahead, the darkness was broken by a blaze of light and sound. I could feel the blood and death from here and hurried, drawn by purpose to the scene before me, eager to continue my eternal work. I was Chosen--destined to haunt the darkness for the lives and sake of my once fellowman. Many call me a vampire."
Download the entire story in PDF form.
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at Adobe.com
Contribution number two, also from Ed Nordfors, is "The Keepers."
Excerpt:
"It wasn't so bad there, really.
Breakfast waited in the corner for me to wake up every morning, and I always woke up hungry. By the first angry rumble in my stomach, I was biting into a soft, round loaf of oat bread that melted so sweet on my tongue I barely had to chew.
And there was fruit. Sometimes apples neatly sliced into juicy pinwheels, or thick banana coins. Some mornings I awoke to the scent of plump strawberries. Those mornings, I would share extra bread with Mia, because she didn't like strawberries. I could eat them until I popped.
Slabs of sticky peanut butter came in metals bowls late in the day. Any bread left from breakfast got smeared with it, or I would plunge my fingers into the bowl and giggle and lick.
When Mama and Papa got moved to the cage next door, I could still see them through the clear walls, and the holes all around the sides of my cage were so big I could stick my head right through them to talk. Sometimes I wished I could sit on Papa's lap when bedtime stories were told, like I used to. But I could touch Papa's fingers through the holes, if I stretched my arms very far, and I could almost hold his whole hand when Mia pushed me from behind.
At night when Mia got scared, Mama sang out from her cage next door. Since I was the big brother, it was my job to pat Mia's hand and tell her the stories Papa told me. I reminded her that it wasn't so bad there.
At least Mama and Papa were right beside us. A lot of kids had had their parents taken already."
Download the entire story in PDF form.
Yes, I joined up for the insanity known as NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. If you want to see my sad attempt, I put up a spare blog page for it. Don't laugh too hard.
Presentation of these works by Solonor's Groovy Grove of Mystical Wonders is made possible by a limited license grant by the authors, who retain all copyrights. Reproduction is permitted, so long as no charge is made for copies, no copies are placed on an electronic online service or database for which there is a fee other than a flat access charge, there is no alteration, and this copyright notice is included. For all other uses of these materials, prior advance written notice is required. Send e-mail inquiries to or write to: Lester Norton, 1134 Martex Drive, Apopka, FL 32703.
