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| "Athol" (photo courtesy of deviantArt) |
Athol Elen Maccallum is a proper fifteen-year-old girl who is trying her best to be the responsible older sister of her two mischevious younger brothers. She has never had anything more than imaginary adventures. She has never been outside of her conservative group of friends or family. She has never tip-toed to the fringes of the looming forest just over the hill beyond her father’s property. And she has forever wondered what makes the forest of trees glitter and glow like diamonds on summer nights…
Clem Jamar is a backward boy from the strange forbidden wood who hunts spiders by night and captures deadly snakes by day. He roams the woods day and night and eludes the most skilled trappers and hunters. He had a family once, but abandoned them and never looked back. He has no friends save the lightning fairies of the forest and his pet snake, King.
Fate unexpectedly brings these two together when Athol's two younger brothers, Aiden and Koltan, go missing. In search of her brothers, Athol dares to enter the dangerously strange forest. There she discovers (or more like, she is discovered by) the cynical Clem Jamar and in order to find her brothers, must trust the man who is no less elusive and spontaneous as the forest he lives in...
Note that this summary is subject to change at any time, depending on whatever course my story takes. See, when you're writing 1667 words a day (somedays it's 4000 or more, depending on how behind you are), you don't really have a lot of time to scheme and lay out an intricate plot. I don't like making really detailed outlines anyway. With this story, I started with a generic plot outline and focused more on the development of the characters. My characters have sort of taken over whatever plot I thought I had and every page I write, there seems to be another unsuspected plot twist. But the story is holding together rather well for all its randomness.
I read through bits of the story when I get the chance. I don't read too much, because if I did, I would be spending all my time editing and nothin would ever get written. I was happy to find a general theme in the story that I did not count on. This story is chiefly based off of my brothers and sisters and mine own imagination as children. I took bits and pieces from our past and wove them throughout here, because those moments were so beautiful that I could not leave them in my memory and no where else.
Anyway, my story ended up having more than mere childish memories and for that I'm almost proud of myself. There's a general theme of guilt and loyalty woven throughout the story. I noticed that many of my main characters were acting out of guilt. One character feels guiltily responsible for egging her brothers onto disobedience and eventually danger, so she feels compelled to go and save them.
Another character feels guilty for abandoning his own community in a time of need, and so is "paying pennance" by helping Athol and her brothers. And everyone in the story has broken their loyalty and responsibility with someone or several someones. I'm not sure how it will all resolve in the end, but I'm eagerly looking forward to where my characters will take this story...
And here's an excerpt for your enjoyment. Sorry, this excerpt does not reveal much of the plot sequence or the characters, but...I hope you like it all the same. Disclaimer: I only read through his briefly to eliminate typos. Please don't judge too harshly. ;)
As sly as a snake, Clem slipped from hut to hut through the Lake Village, blending in with the shadows. The town was really no town at all. It was a mere collection of decrepit huts constructed on a slope leading down to the water’s edge of the Lake. No one really lived in the town except during the harshest times of the winter. For the most part, the populace of the forest was hunters and trappers like Clem or thieves and scavengers—all of whom preferred to remain on the move for the most part. There was no order, no law, and no organized community. The forest was fair game and every man who lived there was a law unto himself.
An exceptional number of people were gathered in the town this night, more than usual, Clem noted. This was, no doubt, due to the fact that Alex Raeford was here. His gang always had the best meat and furs to trade. The majority of the crowd had congregated down by the lake, around a roaring bonfire. They were roasting meat and drinking. Clem felt a twinge of envy, remembering how he had once gallivanted about with the same group, how they had laughed and been merry together.
Then his mind took him to a scene of the pale still face of a dead little boy…and his heart surged in anger. Harmless fun was one thing, but downright injustice and cruelty—Clem could not live with that. He had been called a coward, of course, and he had almost paid with his life for his decision to leave Alex's gang. But in the end, he was glad. He had enough guilt on his shoulders as it was. He didn’t want anymore.
Most of the people surrounding the campfire were drunk. Someone was playing a jig on some kind of whistle. Clem spotted Alex in the midst of his best men. His keen eyes stared into the fire. He was probably conjuring up the plan for next season’s hunting. He never knew how to enjoy himself. A few women mingled with the men, an exceptional number really, considering how many women had actually entered the forest. Clem crouched down by a tree just beyond the fringe of light emanating from the fire. He sat and listened.
The conversations were mostly incoherent babble. The whistle stopped playing and a few moments after the fact, Clem saw a a large burly man stand up and shout, “Let’s have some more music, shall we?”
“I’m going to bed now.” A high-pitched woman’s voice sounded. Clem peered further around the tree curious to see who the source of the voice was. She was a short girl, no, a short young woman with bright green hair cropped at her shoulders. It stood out from her head at all ends, making her resemble a potted plant. He did not remember seeing her anywhere before and he was sure that if he had seen her before, he would have remembered her.
“Come on, now, it’s no time to be sleeping.” The burly man laughed and burped, tugging on his beard. The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. Clearly she had had enough. She got to her feet and turned away from the group, making her way toward Alex.
“Alex, I’m leaving now,” she told him. She walked away, not waiting for him to respond. Alex grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Ali, wait, can I speak with you for a minute?” He snapped out of his seemingly trance and jumped up to stop her.
She sighed, annoyed.
“Sure, but make it quick. I’m exhausted.”
Alex led her away from the fire, clearly wanting some more privacy. They stopped beside a shrub a few feet from Clems hiding spot'. He was well concealed in the shadows, but he pressed himself closer to the trunk of the tree all the same. He thought Alex’s behavior strange. Alex had never been the type to be interested in women.
“Al, I appreciate you coming with us this round.” He said in his monotone stony voice.
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved her hand, signaling him to quit beating around the bush. “What is it you want to tell me, Alex?”
“You heard about the kids we picked up?” He scratched the back of his neck.
“No, I didn’t hear about them.” She flared, angry. “When did you pick up kids? And why? Where are they now?”
“Hey, cool it, Al.” He said. “I didn’t bring them because they’re nut cases. I left them behind in my tool hut.”
“What do you mean, ‘they’re nut cases?’” Al crossed her arms.
“I mean when we found them, they started spitting nonsense about flushing us out of the forest and vanquishing the evil here.” He chuckled. Al did not find it funny and said nothing. He stopped laughing.
“Listen, Al,” he put on his best innocent expression. “I know how you feel about these kinds of things, but I think it’s time we start taking people like this seriously. What if someone really is planning on flushing us out?”
“They’re just kids, Alex. And do you really think anyone’s going to try to flush us out of here? After the reputation this place has built up? How many did you find?”
“A couple of little snotty-nosed boys, that’s all.”
“And they’re in your tool hut?” She turned to leave, having heard enough.
“Yes, and you’re not to touch them, Al!” He ordered sternly. She stopped and pivoted around to face him again.
“Why did you tell me about them, then?” She asked. “You know I’m not going to leave a couple of kids tied up in your smelly tool shed. I won't let them escape, if that's what you're worried about, but--.”
“I'm telling you this, Al, because I thought that it would pacify you a little. I know how you hate being left out of things. And I know how you like to act recklessly and interfere with everything. This time, you’re staying out of it, all right? I've given you a fair warning. Don't touch those boys.”
She said nothing. She only glared at him. He was baiting her, she could tell, challening her loyalty to him and then stepping back to await the outcome.
“You’re not planning on doing anything to them, are you?” She asked eventually.
“I haven’t decided yet.” He said.
“Look, Alex, you should just dump them off at the border of the forest and let them go home.” She pleaded.
“Go to bed, Al, and leave this to me,” he said. “I’ve let you have your way too many times already. This is my business.” He stormed off back to the campfire.
Al stamped her foot like a three-year-old when he had left.
“Ooooh! I can’t stand that man!” She squeaked under her breath once he was out of hearing range. “Who does he think he is threatening people and acting like he’s the voice of authority? Oooh!”
Clem could not suppress his laughter. His hand went over his mouth a moment too late. She had heard him, he could tell. Her head darted around to stare into the shadows where he hid.
“Who’s there?” She demanded, squinting in to the darkness. Clem stood up.
“Not so loud, okay?” He whispered. He gestured for her to follow him and then turned and disappeared into the forest. She followed him, cautiously gaurded, but intrigued.
“Tell me who you are.” She demanded when she caught up with him. “And stop laughing.”
“My name’s Clem Jamar,” said Clem.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of you.” She said.
“And you’re…Al?” He thought the name was as strange as her hair.
“Al’s short for Alethea. Alex’s the one who started calling me that. I don’t like the name much, but he does. I usually go by Thea or at least, I used to. What are you doing here? I thought Alex got rid of you years back.”
“He did,” said Clem. “I’m here looking for a couple of boys. And I think you know where I can find them.”
She squinted at him suspiciously.
“I don’t like you, Clem.”
“I don’t expect you to like me,” he stated. “Now, where’s Alex’s tool hut.” He had never heard of Alex having a tool hut. He wondered what kind of "tools" Alex was collecting.
“Follow me.” Thea made her way up the slope back to the dirt road winding through the Lake Village. Clem followed her warily. He did not wholly trust her and he did not know what she was fully capable of doing or where her true loyalties resided. But he was pretty sure that she was on his side when it came to disliking Alex and his ways.
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