Morning all, I hope you had an absolutely fantastic weekend. I am pretty sure what little spring we had is now gone and summer is officially here. I know the fact that it is June should have given me clue, but some years we don’t actually hit summer until around the time the calendar officially declares it to be summer. Some years it comes early. This is an early year. Even though it is early in the day the air is already swampy. Luckily my garden is in a place where I can leave it for a bit and I can focus on my inside work. Speaking of, let’s kick it off with a writing prompt. Timers set for fifteen minutes please.
I kind of like the character of Evan. I always like the idea of a character being thrown completely out of their comfort zone as well. I just need to figure out the story for him. For now, I will just bookmark the character of Evan for later use.
Monday, June 10th: The bees swarmed.
The bees swarmed. For a time there was screaming and running as they all tried to stay out of the way. The swarm of bees flew through the air looking like a solid mass and Evan found himself terrified that it would settle on him. His mind conjured images of people clothed in bees and he found his flesh begin to crawl with the thought of all thos tiny legs and the flutter of thousands of iridescent wings so close to his skin. he rubbed his hand over his arms feeling the gooseflesh rise at the horror of his thoughts.
Evan stayed well clear of the swarm watching it and avoiding the singular bees that fluttered around the edges of the mass like armed escorts. Unlike the others who feared the stings it was the crawling sensations that he was keen to avoid.
Gradually the swarm ceased it’s movement between multiple settling sites, seeming to reach an internal conclusion. They arrowed off in one large blob across the field and towards the woods on the other side. Their buzzing grew faint and then could no longer be heard at all. Others still looked towards the departing bees, curious as to where they were settle.
‘As long as they are not near me I don’t care where they go,’ Evan thought. He knew it was not the common thought as now the threat of stings was gone, curiosity reigned. Evan tried to look interested. He had not been here long and if he had his way he would soon be leaving. He was born and raised in a place where concrete was the norma and green growing things were the anomaly. Where he lived tress were caged and surrounded by sidewalks. He was aware that there were parks but he never went there.
Even though he suspected they were pleasant places and respected the need for nature, Evan’s mind always conjured rival gangs of squirrels threatening passers by with rabies for their nut-based products. Evan would be eco friendly in his life, using recyclables and reusables and he would do his part for the world. He also considered part of his efforts leaving nature as it was and remaining far from it.
This more rural life he had somehow fallen into was not his preference. Had he suspected that the headquarters of Valens, Inc was located in such a place he would have thought twice about accepting the contract with them. The thought that a company the size of Valens would not have their headquarters located in a city had not occurred to him. Knowing the company’s reputation and the doors associating with them could open for him, he accepted the contract before looking up the area where he was to relocate during the contract terms.
The fact that the rural area was listed as a benefit astounded him. Yet he kept his feelings to himself and did the best he could. He would be polite and as involved as needed while he was here. There was no need to make enemies and as his mother often told him, it was good to try new things.
Ten til Midnight 