Good morning. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Mine saw a bunch of new sets get started in the greenhouse. Hopefully they will be ready for planting after Easter. I am hoping for a bountiful garden this year. And giving the seeds a good head start before hardening and planting them out is hopefully going to help. And hopefully this summer won’t be as big a scorcher as last year. Seems odd to think about as the temps are currently below freezing, but it will come faster than planned. However I have done my prep work. Now it is time for the daily work. Starting with the morning writing prompt. Are you ready for the first one of the week. Excellent. Let’s go. Give me fifteen minutes on the timer if you please.
I find this one interesting. I fumbled a bit and clearly that would need to be cleansed up, but I like the idea behind it. Not a bad way to kick off the week.
Monday, February 28th: He felt chilled to the bone.
He felt chilled to the bone. How long had he been out here? He lost track. He knew it didn’t matter. He would stay until he found out what he came to learn. There were rumors.
There were always rumors.
But this one had a ring of truth that he simply could not ignore. He tried. He knew it was for the best if he tried. Yet he couldn’t ignore it. It haunted him. He quietly gathered information.
It was less a fact finding expedition and more of spending time in places where rumors floated through the air. He pretended his increased interest was for other reasons and in all honesty, others began to warm to him because of it. It was something else he told himself could not be ignored. He knew he could be perceived as somewhat standoffish.
His childhood was a solitary one and most of the lessons he was taught involved thinking before acting. Thoughts ruled emotions. In the darkness he smiled grimly to himself. He learned those lessons well. Others unfortunately hadn’t.
‘Which is what led to this situation in the first place.’
Their down fall caused him to be more cautious. He knew he needed to blend better and look like he was a part of this new life he had been dropped into. The others believed that his increased attempts to join them were his finally warming to them. Just this evening he had been slapped companionably on the back and told that it was good that he was finally starting to warm to his neighbors. He knew that regardless of what he found here, the increased interest would have to be maintained.
He could argue that it was good for his cover, but there was a part of him that enjoyed being one of the group. It was a peculiar feeling. He was trained to stand out, not blend in. But blending was what was needed. The enjoyment he could take as his reward for doing what he knew needed to be done. His smile faded and he shook his head.
Always his thoughts argued. He was told he was special, above others from the time he could crawl. The last year had shown him differently. He was adapting and while he did truly enjoy the companionship of the others, there was a part of his mind that still wanted to rebel at the idea. He no longer truly felt himself better than anyone, but the lessons in keeping distance were almost as ingrained as thinking before he acted.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his body starting to feel numb. He stopped moving as he caught sight of a carriage pulling onto the street. The horses were dappled gray that looked silver in the frosty moonlight. They snorted clouds into the air and their hooves caused echoes on the cobblestones. They were the only thing moving in the street and he pulled back deeper into the shadows. A cloaked figure emerged from the carriage and looked around. He caught sight of the face, recognized it and stilled. He wanted no motion to draw the eye.
Seeing no one the cloaked figure stepped aside and another figure stepped from the carriage. He blinked and leaned forwards slightly before he could stop himself.
It couldn’t be.
Ten til Midnight 