My small writing group (as opposed to my larger writing group) had our usual pleasant, friendly and interesting get together in the very nice café of a local garden centre. I couldn’t resist a slice of the delicious baked cheesecake to have with my coffee while my chums and I caught up with each other. We talked of many things, although no sealing wax or shoes were mentioned, nor cabbages or kings. We were mainly discussing our latest writing, and a poem was shared and discussed, and then a very creepy story was read. I’m usually quite hardy about ghost/horror stories, but this subtle little offering really gave me the shivers.
I had written a short short-story, inspired by a conversation we’d had last time we met. On that occasion, the two with a scientific interest had discussed cicadas, and how this year will see an extraordinary double-event when “13-year Brood XIX, which is the largest of all periodical cicada broods, will co-emerge with 17-year Brood XIII; these two broods are adjacent“. If you want to know more, see here: https://cicadas.uconn.edu/. . This will be the first time they have coincided since 1803,. The next double awakening will be in 2245!
Back to today, and my short story was inspired by the idea of awakening. First thoughts sprang to Sleeping Beauty, to Dracula, to soppy first love,… I was struggling. I suddenly had an image of someone looking in the mirror as they washed their face and suddenly saw something about themselves they had never realised before. They were stuck in a massive rut, things had to change, they had to get a grip. It wasn’t a particularly great piece of writing, but in a way I’ve been stuck in a massive rut, so anything that indicates I’m beginning to climb out of it!
Here is a link to the lovely garden centrer: https://cleevenursery.co.uk/ and the lovely café https://cleevenursery.co.uk/potagercafe/
Lois Elsden 