It's been a while since I wrote The Pond People. It began as a short story which was edited to death to send out for a competition. After extending the story it was sidelined for something else and hadn't been edited beyond the first draft. Posting it as a blog serial has made me get … Continue reading Editing The Pond People
Tag: fishpond
Riding the Waterfall
Those who've been following this blog for a while might have read this already on commaful at https://commaful.com/play/cathycade/mirlings-in-winter/. Or perhaps in my collection Witch Way, and other ambiguous stories (available from Amazon). But for more recent followers who've been reading the mirlings saga, here's a verse I wrote earlier. Skimming down the waterfall, bouncing off … Continue reading Riding the Waterfall
Pond People 33
Riding the Current. He was still figuring out where he was when Eddy landed beside him. ‘Flash… how …? Magic! I might have known.’ Flo joined them. ‘You’re bleeding. Let me look at that.’ He moved his hand away and watched Flo kneel to inspect the wound in his side. She looked up with concern … Continue reading Pond People 33
Pond People 32
Memorial. Molly revelled in the luxury of waking up in the pond, with fresh water to breathe, space to grow and nobody relying on her. It was over. She was safe. She forgot to be wary. ‘Molly, we were sorry to miss you last night.’ Amber and Wally’s parents had come to find her. She … Continue reading Pond People 32
Pond People 31
Cats and Dogs. They couldn’t afford the time to hide from Father, but while Flash and Grandad ran through the grass, Father was busy lifting the tank to the garden table to get a better grip on it. The grass had been mowed recently, which meant they could keep their goal in sight as they … Continue reading Pond People 31
Pond People 29
Raining. Father dropped the net in the empty tank, where it slid down to lie flat on the gravel. The tank tipped sideways, and the jug dipped to collect more water. Each time it appeared, the jug faced the same direction, so after Flash freed Grandad’s foot they scrambled to the far end of the … Continue reading Pond People 29
Pond People 28
Home. Molly had been lucky. The net was directly beneath them when she put an arm around Eddy and said ‘Dive’. She didn’t let go of him until she felt the net pull them out of the water. She looked around for Flo. She knew her friend wouldn’t lose sight of her brother, however exhausted … Continue reading Pond People 28
Pond People 12
Setting Out. They were about to set off from the shallows. Molly was seated behind Flo and Grandad on the larger fish. She turned to watch as Eddy settled behind Flash on the smaller one. Behind them, someone in the garden was lowering a bucket into the pond until water flowed over its rim. This … Continue reading Pond People 12
Pond People 11
Goldie. Flash insisted that he would be well enough to compete next day. Molly was unconvinced, but she was over-ruled. The tournament was rescheduled for the following afternoon. Eddy won the sharpshooting prize. It was a popular win and Molly could sense Flash doing his best to hide his disappointment. He stood a little taller … Continue reading Pond People 11
Pond People 7
Training. Flash recruited his team from the mirlings who trained at the pump, reasoning that their superior strength would help them spit further. He heard that Molly was taking on anyone who wanted to join. He had never relied on anyone but himself, never been part of any team. This would be an opportunity to … Continue reading Pond People 7