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: mirlings
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
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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
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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
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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
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Missing. Molly found Flo and Eddy sitting in Grandad’s hollow with backs hunched and heads drooping. The faces that rose to greet her wore identical expressions of misery. It was the first time Molly had noticed any family resemblance. But she’d never been observant. ‘You’re looking better,’ she said to Eddy. ‘How do you feel?’ … Continue reading Pond People 30
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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
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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
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Fishing. It was Flash who gave them the news that the fish were to be released into the pond. Walt broke down then in silent tears, and Sylva hurried to comfort him. They drifted away to the side of the tank. Fish gathered, attracted by their trail of salt tears. The fish reminded Flash there … Continue reading Pond people 27
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Breaking Down. Something was wrong with the pump. Here we go again thought Molly, but this time Mother noticed straight away. ‘Henry, can you take a look at the aquarium pump? It’s vibrating, but there are no bubbles.’ It took Father most of the day to get the pump working properly. Mother kept out of … Continue reading Pond People 26
