The sisters were unwrapped and unwound at the door. A brisk and hearty maid helped them out of their coats, scarves, and hats, cooing as she collected the crisp, frozen articles from them. Arms piled high, she left, trailing a scarf as she went. Another maid arrived in the first one’s place. This one was younger, softer, with little…
Tag: writing 2016
How cold the night was
How cold the night was. The sisters bundled in furs, their cheeks rough red, as if slapped. They walked to the grand palace hurriedly, arm-in-arm, their great white clouds of breath trailing them as they went. “A carriage, Jane, would be prudent,” Bea hissed between her teeth. “A carriage is money.” “Surely we have enough…
As a young woman, the baroness had become quite famous
As a young woman, fit and sturdy with apple red cheeks, the baroness had become quite famous after a fashion for having climbed Mont Blanc with her new husband. She returned, flushed, wildly happy, and completely uncertain as to what all the fuss was about. “We were merely out for a long walk,” she said,…
In Vienna, they sat in coffee shops
In Vienna, they sat in coffee shops filled with glass windows and wooden tables with marble tabletops, set with silver spoons and white linen napkins. There were ferns between tables and palms in the corners, long and leggy, their soft spikes reaching toward the patrons. Women sat in fur stoles, pearls dripping daintily from their…
As sisters, only one was beautiful even though they both looked the same
As sisters, only one was beautiful even though they both looked the same. Same eyes, same color of hair, same cheekbones and coloring, same shaped mouth but rearranged just enough to make a difference. It was the youngest with slightly plumper feature – bigger eyes and a bow-shaped mouth – that stood out. It was…
The first time he set foot on the new continent
The first time he set foot on the new continent, he felt unmoored. Granted, he’d spent the last four months aboard ship and felt somewhat ill-prepared for the battle of land and sea in his body. The ship’s carpenter had warned him that he’d walk askew for a few days, head and shoulders against the…
A sailor can spot a lander in an instant
A sailor can spot a lander in an instant. Their gait. Their belt. Their pants. All of them giveaways. A too-clean shirt. And there, in the eye, a flash of insecurity, of nervousness, a worry of being found out. These two sailors were smaller than the others. One just a boy really. The other, well,…
On the Way to Being Lost and Forgotten
When I finished my last book, I immediately started on my next book. Even as I edited and polished, I moonlighted by writing down the entire plot for the next one. I could barely wait. I was Popeye. I opened a can of spinach that gave me boundless energy and strength. You should have seen…
Kristel Gibson 