Crowfeeder
by David Michael
At our arrival, the closest of the black carrion birds startled. A ripple, like a wave in a black ocean, flowed across the field as the birds flapped into the air, reconsidered once they saw how few we were, and settled back to continue gorging.
We stood on a slight rise, looking down at the scene. The warm morning sun magnified the stench and threatened to gag us, even though we had wrapped scarves across our mouths and noses. All I could think of was that the scariest, goriest bedtime stories of the Crowfeeder had never conveyed the reality of the carnage. My mind couldn’t grasp it. My soul quailed to face it. My eyes struggled to focus.
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Emmy
by David Michael
Emmy projected the sound of a key turning in the lock, the door opening, as she kicked in the door.
She stepped into the house and stood in the small foyer, reaching out with her mind, searching. She detected a man, sleeping, alone. Disappointed, Emmy sighed. She had hoped for a couple, but maybe he was a big man. Regardless, she was here. She would take what she could get.
The door to the man’s bedroom squeaked as she opened it.
The man lay on his stomach, but turned onto his side at the noise. Emmy caught the image of a woman from the man’s mind, his wife. Emmy projected this image back at him, smiling.
“That was a long meeting,” he said.
Writing Progress Report
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, July 19, 2010.
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Writing Project
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Words
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Monday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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1001
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Tuesday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
Edited “Curtain Call”
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1113
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Wednesday
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Edited “Curtain Call”
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Thursday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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909
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Friday
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Edited/expanded “Perfect Hiding Place”
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240
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Saturday
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||
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Sunday
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Edited “Bird Feeder” (from ASSAD)
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Total
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3263
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Marketing/Submission
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Monday
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Posted “Effie Two-Five (3/3)” to the blog.
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Posted “Curtain Call” to the blog.
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Reading List
- A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh.
- Cell: A Novel by Stephen King.
Curtain Call
By David Michael
The first and last performance of the White Hot Hemisphere Community Theater Company’s production of Hamlet closed to thunderous applause. Those in the audience who had been able to sit down through the play now stood up to give a standing, or at least upright, ovation. The ones with multiple appendages clapped their hands, grippers and/or manipulators. The rest enthusiastically stomped feet, revved tread motors in neutral, or banged their single arm or extender against the walls, the floor or the chairs, berths or docking stations in front of them.
Those of us on stage who still had ears or other sonic receivers could just hear the tumult over the rushing, roaring sound of the winds outside the theater. The rest of the players had to satisfy themselves with assuming that the vibrations they felt through the metal stage were from the appreciation of the audience.
Effie Two-Five (3 of 3)
by David Michael
5
Gavin woke up hungry. And thirsty. He had never been so thirsty in his life. His mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, and tasted as if he had tried to eat a full sheet of large grain sandpaper after it had been used. He couldn’t breath through his nose. He tried to open his eyes, but something coarse and scratchy pushed against them, keeping them closed. The same something coarse and scratchy that pushed against his entire face except his lower jaw.
At least he was breathing. He couldn’t imagine how fast he had been going when he hit the floor of the game room. His chest felt his weight pushing against floor, but there was no pain as he breathed. So he hadn’t broken any ribs.
Writing Progress Report
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, July 12, 2010.
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Writing Project
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Words
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Monday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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154
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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165
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Friday
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Edited “Crowfeeder” (from ASSAD)
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Saturday
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Edited “Ambulance Chasers” (from ASSAD)
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Sunday
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Total
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Marketing/Submission
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Monday
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Posted “Effie Two-Five (1/3)” to the blog.
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Posted “Effie Two-Five (2/3)” to the blog.
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Reading List
- The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs.
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Effie Two-Five (2 of 3)
by David Michael
2
“Why don’t you go raid your old man’s liquor cabinet?” Gavin said. “Or at least bring me a beer or a Coke or something.”
“No,” Noah said, sitting up and leaning forward. “I want to see you do it. I’ve … I’ve never done that before.”
“No shit? Really?” Noah looked hurt again, so Gavin added, “I’ll wait for you. I just need something to calm my nerves.” He put the syringe down on the glass top of the coffee table.
“Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.” Noah jumped up to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”
“Bring me an Optimator.”
“Yuck. How do you drink that?”
“What? Just bring me a beer.”
The dark, malty beer helped. A lot. After a couple big gulps, he could feel the buzz spreading through him, blunting the pain of his ribs. He held his hand in front of his face, and it seemed steady. Steady enough, anyway. He picked up the syringe again.
“Are you sure it’s OK to mix beer and … well … drugs?” Noah asked, clutching his can of Coke.
“Now you bring it up? Shit. Just shut up, Noah. Let me do this.”
Effie Two-Five (1 of 3)
by David Michael
1
Gavin clenched his left fist and flexed. His bicep pushed against the elastic tubing he had tied in place. He bit his lip as he watched the veins in his forearm begin to bulge. The syringe in his right hand shook.
The syringe continued to shake, despite his mental attempts to stop it, and despite biting his lip hard enough to reopen the split from earlier–he tasted his own blood for the second time today–as he twisted his right wrist and moved the syringe into line with the largest vein. The point of the needle touched his skin, scratched a feint white zig-zag line.
Writing Progress Report
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, July 5, 2010.
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Writing Project
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Words
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Monday
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Tuesday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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758
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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“Perfect Hiding Place”
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1167
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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“Effie Two-Five” (slight expansion while editing)
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240
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Total
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2165
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Marketing/Submission
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Monday
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Posted “Tucker” to the blog.
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Posted “Darker Than Thou” to the blog.
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Thursday
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Horse Girl submission packet came back “return-to-sender-not-deliverable”
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Edited “Effie Two-Five”.
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Reading List
- House Thinking: A Room-by-Room Look at How We Live by Winifred Gallagher.
Darker Than Thou
by David Michael
From the dance, from the night, a pause
Music pounding, orders shouting
Bottle blue by bottle black
Against the bar, random meeting, a challenge
Left by right, ear to ear
Eight rings, two studs, a chain
Six and three, no chain, a razor dangles
Turn to face the challenge, girl on girl
Eyes flash, brown, twitch and narrow, green
Brows pierced, stud, rusty nut on heavy bolt
Matching safety pins of gold
Nose rings, studs, chains to ears, link for link
Pierced tongues touch painted, ring-pierced lips
Open necklines, yellow, red, green ink swirls
Tribal colors twist barbs down arms
Matching scars crossing wrists
Fingertips, black and blood
Nipple rings, labias pierced, clit rings
Hard pressed to prove in public
Thigh tatts, fishnets, torn
Matching brands, bare burns, mostly healed
Eyes back to eyes, deadlocked electric
Drinks arriving, bass heartbeats pounding
Backing away not backing down
Back to the night, back to the dance
Challenge met, no decision