I was recently reading my Entertainment Weekly and came to an excerpt from Uncle Stevie or as you might know him Steven King. I haven't actually read any of his books but I really enjoyed his column in the magazine. He is only a guest columnist now but I miss his weekly rants. I also like the idea of his excerpts running in the magazine so I am going to copy him. After all imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right?
Chapter One:
He watched her. Hidden in the shadows, low to the ground and daring not to move an inch, he watched her.
Lily marched triumphantly down the street. She had gotten the lead in the play! Ha! Finally all her hard work had paid off. All those acting classes. How many head shots had she labored over, debating over which pose and hair style before selecting the top three. And the voice lessons, don't even go that direction. Eponine from Les Miserables was hers and no one, especially that tart Julia, could take that away from her.
As she walked home, she felt a tickle in her shoulder blade. Idly scratching it she continued on her merry way, whistling a cherry tune and waving to the people she passed. It was dusk and the sun was setting on the glorious day, at least in Lily's mind. What could possibly go wrong on this wonderful day! Pausing at the sidewalk, she bent over and retied her shoe lace. That nagging sensation washed over her again and this time she looked over her shoulder. Just a couple of bushes next to an old church. But... a small tremble. She peered closer and felt the wind blow through her hair. "Lily, get a grip. It's just the wind for Pete's sake." Straightening she continued her march home as she skipped across the street.
"She almost saw me," the shadow thought. "So close... maybe next time." His hatred for her was as pure as white snow and deep as a well. It had always been this way, he was raised to believe in certain things and hating the tall brunette was one of those things.
But... sometimes he felt that his hatred wasn't pure. Sometimes he worried he wasn't going to be able to fulfill his goal. In those times, he would sit and think hard on the subject. His entire life in question but what would he do if she wasn't there? His mother would banish him for sure and when he thought of that it was too much and banished all other thoughts.
Soon it would be dark and then he would plan. Planning was crucial to his plan. Everyone in the clan knew that he planned and thought he was crazy. "Why plan?" they would say. "Just act. Why do you wait? She will get away from you. There are more to taken. Hurry!" They didn't understand his need for the perfect moment. Then and only then, would he act.
Lily reached her sidewalk, her keys jingling in her hand. "Lily!!! Lily!!! Did you get it!" Lily turned her head and saw her next-door-neighbor Aaron rush out from underneath the hood of his rusty 1963 Mercury Comet, his pride and joy. Wiping the grease from his hands on his shirt, he moved across his yard to hers with surprising speed for a 6 foot tall man. Hands on his hips, he asked "So? Do I live next to a famous person yet?" She lowered her head and whispered something. "Oh Lils. I'm so sorry..." "Gotcha!!" "What! You got it!? I knew you would!" With a whoop and no care for her clothes, he lifted her off her feet and carried her over his shoulder doing a very Rockyesque imitation. Laughing, Lily held on for her life; it would be a long way down if she fell.
"Aaron!! Put me down! You're ruining my outfit." "Who cares about your outfit dollface! Let's celebrate." "Only if you shower and clean off first." Aaron looked down and grinned, not at all sheepishly. "If you say so. Order a pizza and I'll bring the wine. You can tell me all about it!" She laughed as he raced inside his house. "What a fool," she said with a smile on her face.
He watched the man lift his target and run like a baboon around the yard. "Idiot man." An unfamiliar sensation filled him and for the first time he seriously considered abandoning his plan. "Get a hold of yourself. Now is not the time to have second thoughts. It's almost time." Yes, yes it was almost time. The days light was growing dimmer by the minute and soon he would be cloaked in darkness, his favorite time of day. It was his own personal playground at night and only a few of his family attempted to go out during the day. It wasn't done.
He passed by her house. Yes, tonight was part of the plan. Her lights started flickering on and though he wished he could stay and watch, that was not on the agenda for the evening. No, tonight was the trial run and he couldn't afford any mistakes. All the kinks had to be ironed out before he went to her.
He prowled the street looking, just looking. "Ahh..." he thought as he spotted his mark. "This will be fun..."
So readers of my blog, are you intrigued? Are you on the edge of your seat with anticipation? Let me know if you want to know more about Lily, Aaron, and our mysterious italicized menace!
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