The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 180: Only a few of the statues had been carved anew when the church Anya knew was built.
Only a few of the statues had been carved anew when the church Anya knew was built. The saints were still sacred and consecrated even if the building around them was destroyed. So they were preserved and given a new home. Anya suspected it also cut down on building costs.
It meant that each of the statues had varying degrees of age. ‘Bendeasa was the oldest statue with Polara not too much behind in age.’ Anya thought. Polara had started to go fuzzy along the edges, but some of the details could still be seen. The folds of the robe were still clear and in places the feathers carved into her neck ruff could be seen. ‘Bendeasa was almost worn smooth, with charcoal stains from a fire and only vague features.’
The statue in her dreams was crisp as though newly carved. Anya shook her head and realized the fire was burning low. Time passed while she thought through her knowledge of statues. There was no way to connect them to her dream, even if her mind wanted to. ‘Maybe it is just because those are the statues I have seen.’
Regardless of the statues, both remembered and dream, time passed. Enough time in fact that Anya elt she ought to go check the space by the stone basis. Anya set her empty mug to the side and once again banked the fire. This time, she put on the extra winter robe that had been given to her when the season closed and she thought she would be in the proper room with the bathtub.
While it was warm and clearly designed for out door use, it was also a grayish white fur. The fur was supposed to be worn on the inside, and wen Anya wore it like that it was warm and cozy. However like the rest of her clothing, the coat was dark on the outer side. When she visited the stone basin, even though she was only there for a moment, the darker color made her feel more exposed. And so she turned the coat inside out, keeping the lighter gray fur exposed so she would attract less notice.
The cloak wasn’t quite as warm turned inside out, but she didn’t plan to be outside too long. Anya tied it securely and then left her quarters, She slipped through the passageways as quietly as possible. There were no people living in this side of the building complex, but she knew that Marta used the stone basin and there was always the possibility that someone might follow her or even use the basin for their own ends.
As Anya took the final staircase, she carefully placed each step, avoiding scraping her feet on the stones and making noise. She reached the small door leading to the outdoor platform and the stone basin. It was a different door to the one she first walked through to the space. That door had come at the top of a set of wooden steps. They sighed and creaked with her movements. They were wide enough for two people to climb while walking side by side even if the door was relatively small. The walls were paneled and Anya knew that one of the panels swung in to lead to a hidden study.
The stairs she used know ere narrow and carved from heavy stone. The walls too were stone and her shoulders brushed the walls with her passing. Instead of running straight, they spiraled up. The door was shorter than a normal door as well and Anya had to stoop to step through it. It was heavy as well. The door was made of wood but the outside of it had thinner stones affixed to its surface.
Ten til Midnight 