…Plato
I don’t often get many responses to my blogs, as most of my readers are very busy and read on the run. For those of you who do like to drop a word or six (for which I am eternally grateful), I have a question for you.
Would the following prologue make you want to read more?
“You cannot live in both worlds.”
The words echoed in the back of Anna’s mind like waves hitting the breakwater. Soft, rhythmic. They made no sense, at least not in their current context. She tried to hold onto the silver threads, but they slowly faded into meaningless whispers. All her mind could focus on was the slow, continuous beeping that radiated from some distant point.
Beeping. Then silence. More beeping. More silence.
God, she wished her mind would clear. That her eyes would open. That the throbbing in her head would stop. A lot of demands for a brain floating in a pool of thick, cold porridge. Anna thought about sitting up, getting up, but her body wouldn’t respond. More pain, more porridge. More voices, more beeping. Red flags were popping up throughout her consciousness — something was wrong. Too many mumblings, too many voices at the edge of her hearing. Voices that had no business being in her bedroom.
“Anna, can you hear me?”
Hear you? You are right here in bed next to me, Adam. Of course I can hear you.
But her husband’s voice had a disquieting tenor she’d never quite heard before. His muffled words echoed in her ears, softly insulating her against the harsh beeping that tried to distort her every thought.
A different voice followed. A deep, dark, musical voice — a voice rich with temptation.
Do not close this door we have opened.
Suddenly a swell of emotions overwhelmed her senses. It was as if the dam had burst; the dam that held back her energy, her very soul, releasing a flood of wordless images that pulsed to the beat of her heart. Anna felt a smile spread across her lips, even though the rest of her body refused to respond. How she wanted to linger in the warmth the memories promised. But the voice, the melody, disappeared as the scent of antiseptics whiffed across her nose. Bleach, perhaps. Or ammonia. What happened to the cinnamon potpourri in the crystal bowl on her nightstand?
Anna’s head hurt just putting sentences together, and she still couldn’t open her eyes. So willful her thoughts, so unwilling her body. She could feel her pulse rise, her heart beating faster, her automatic fright/flight instinct taking over.
“She is coming around, Mr. Powers.”
Whose voice is that? In my bedroom? Who in the world would be calling Adam “Mr. Powers” anyway?
More voices now. Closer. Louder. A squeaky high-pitched one and another with a sweet southern drawl. A shadow blurred the indirect light that fell upon her unopened eyes as she heard Adam’s voice echo from a tunnel off to her left somewhere.
Damn, Adam. Speak up! Quit mumbling. And what are all these people doing in our bedroom?
A moment of silence, an eternal moment, until suddenly a soothing sensation danced across her mind, melting her thoughts into puddles of warm milk. Anna thought she heard Adam say something about dying, but perhaps the word was “crying”.
Either way, she decided she would try and open her eyes later. Yes, later. She was so sleepy, so content, that she’d rather follow the whispers that called her name.
Published by humoringthegoddess
I am a writer of fantasy fiction that often surrounds middle-aged women. I am a married mother of two and granny to three, a BoHo Chic kinda gal. I am recently retired and busier than when I worked 9-5. But writing and blogging is my main game.
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Thank you. I have read thousands of openings (as have you), and once in a while one comes along that makes you screw up your face and say “huh?” I dont want to be one of those.
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I like it:) very real!
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I like it:) very real
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I’d love that! Happy Writing. 🙂
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I won’t..and maybe when they’re done I can send a copy to you to see what you think…
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You know what they say, Claudia…the writers who get published are those who didn’t give up. Be positive and persistent. 🙂
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Then I am heading in the right direction, Carol! I’ve done a ton of editing on this novel that is 10 years in the making (can you believe it?). It also has a full-blown sequel, so I’m hoping not to give up this time.
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Claudia, you caught my interest. I want to know more…my imagination is rolling and I am curious as to whether I’m on the right track or not.
Like Carrie, I’m not a great fan of prologues but I think it works here. To be followed.
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Absolutely. Thank you.
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Ahh, but perhaps we “can” live in both worlds. Interesting concept.
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I’m working on it as we speak! It swirls around a time-travel trip…or did it? Its sequel tells the truth…
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Not what you think!
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😊any time.
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So, what happens next? I’d want to read more.
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So, what happens??? Yes, I would want to read more.
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Thanks for your honesty. I feel the same way about prologues and epilogues. I hope the rest blows it out of the water. Heh…
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Thanks for your thoughts, Itty!
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It’s a great lead in, Claudia, alluding to mysteries that will surely follow.
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I would absolutely want to read more. I’d want to know who she is and what put her in the hospital. Nice opening!
Some people are down on prologues, but I never mind them. As long as they’re short and necessary to set up the story, I think they work well, especially in a thriller.
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