Ceridwen shivered as she closed the door, Joey was a nice lad, a bit rough around the edges but he had a good heart – and he had Cullen’s approval; she smiled at her feline companion, she’d had him since he was barely weaned, having seen him cowering in the bushes all alone and mewing piteously, she’d known immediately that his little soul had been reaching out to hers.
She drew her cardigan around her narrow shoulders, armour against the unexpected feeling of foreboding that had accompanied Joey’s passage across the landing.
The feeling persisted as she fed Cullen, and as she nibbled on her own frugal supper; she glanced ceiling-wards where she could hear Joey moving about, the feeling was one she couldn’t quite describe, almost a vibration in the air, something she hadn’t experienced since that young woman had brought the strange little amulet to her.
The nagging feeling accompanied her through her dreams, faint glimpses of things that made no sense.
In the morning, sipping her herbal tea, she heard Joey’s rapid footsteps on the stairs; moments later the front door slammed. It was immediately apparent: what had been troubling her had left the building along with Joey.
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: BEEN, SEEN, WEAN
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: SCRIBE
More #SixSentenceStories here!
Photo credit: illustration from a book somewhere on my bookshelves which I cannot presently locate 😉
Aha! Now we are seeing where the story is headed.
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Hope so, Sadje, although I suspect you know more about the Jade Camel than most 😉
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Who me???
I don’t have the faintest!
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Ah, but it’s a while since you followed my scouse friends’ adventures I think?
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Oh yes, I’d forgotten that. 😎
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😉👍
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🤩
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Allow me to start the casting dance, milady:
Dame Margaret (Maggie) Natalie Smith for Ceridwen.
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An excellent choice, now you come to mention it, Spira!
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Ah……………….. the plot thickens!! Love it!
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Thanks, Di! 🙂
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Looking forward to next week. Just about to schedule the 3tcs………………
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May the words be… helpful 😜
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would you like to know in advance?
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Oooh, temptress, Di! But no, much more fun to be put on the spot 😉
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hehe. I thought you did.
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Those vibrations are swirling again, Chris. I wonder if Joey has noticed them properly yet? Bring on #4! 🙂
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Oh, I don’t think so, Tom. Not yet.
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🤔 Give it time then! 🙂
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Somehow, possession of an amulet never seems to end well for anyone involved.
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Ah, that was just a brief nod to Ceridwen’s backstory. She and I go way back.
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I look forward to further developments!
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The plot thickens! 🙂 Love where this is heading.
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Excellent, Tom. I’m delighted to hear it 🙂
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What a viscerally riveting story. Every unfolding moment made me curious. Keep up writing, Chris my friend.
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Very kind of you, sir!
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O thank you!! It’s my pleasure 🌟🤗
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Very intriguing 🙂
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Thanks, Pam 🙂
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I mean, Deb of course, Pam, not Pam!!! Sorry.
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It seems that Ceridwen has an amulet as well as Joey. She seems to sense that something is wrong.
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Ceridwen is sensitive to such things.
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Great narrative, Chris! The intrigue is building and building, as only you can do it. 🤗
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Ooh, thanks very much, Susan! 😊
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What spira said …food six
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Thanks, Paul 🙂
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Ok, so it looks like the amulet and the jade camel are somehow connected…🤔 But I’m wondering why Joey slammed the door on his way out?
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Ceridwen has demonstrated an unusual empathy with certain objects that have passed through her hands (silver lockets, fine gold chains) but Joey’s usually so quiet, I’m wondering about him too… 😉
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Hmmm…
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…featured in the odd excerpt as the literary bus trundles through the streets of Liverpool 😉
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Good cliffhanger, I do not like to take chances with amulets and jade camels
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Very wise, Larry!
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Thank you
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I like the little backstory of Ceridwen and Cullen. Powerful things are in store I reckon, what with objects of antiquity and neighbours being so closely aligned!
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Anything could happen… and probably will!
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The cat knows it’s not Joey, yet something is accompanying him… this is intriguing and rife with possibility.
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Cullen, like his mistress, and you, D., is very perceptive!
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Cue the subsonics, yo*
“…footsteps on the stairs; moments later the front door slammed”
Nice job in setting detail. I’ve lived in enough old houses, including tenements to hear the distant, but personal tone of sounds of other tenants.
The closest I’ve come to that kind of audio ambiance had been in my fortunately few stays in a hospital, the people reinforce the character of the place.
Also like the element of animals awareness (of beyond the day-to-day world), nothing creepier that watching a cat or dog react to something that isn’t there (to us).
Excellent low-key foreboding
*ok, put just a touch, not yet ready for a full-on Tubular Bells in the soundtrack
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In close proximity within a shared house, one becomes (too) intimately familiar with one’s neighbours’ activities *slight shudder a certain memories* I’ll spare my readers the details.
Mike Oldfield will be perfect for later, once the animals suddenly start staring over our shoulders…
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I’m beginning to think there is a spiritual connection here to those other Liverpudlians, The Beatles, especially the late John (although we know Paul’s been dead since Abbey Road). I am thinking as this story unfolds that Ceridwen’s going to end up singing ‘Everyone’s got something to hide except for me and my monkey-like cat, Cullen.’ Or maybe not.
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She might hum something from the Fab Four’s psychedelic phase!
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🙂
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We wait further developments with bated breath.
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Include me and my characters in that, Mimi!
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Oh no i’m lost…where do i start?🤗
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Start at the beginning, always best. Here’s the link if you’re up for reading, Mich🐪
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Yay thanks Chris..
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🥰hope you enjoy!
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It didn’t take you long to get us hooked again. Great use of ‘scribe’ by the way!
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Thanks very much, Keith!
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“like catching falling leaves”.. i adore this line Chris..
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Thanks so much for that, Mich! 😊 (confused me there for a minute – I thought we were in the park behind Ceridwen’s house)
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Ooh, fabulous feeling of mystery and foreboding building up. You do this brilliantly, Chris.
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You’re making me blush, Jenne! 😊
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Is “enchanting” the adjective I’m looking for to describe your writing in this story?… Whatever it is, it’s attached itself quite firmly to your readers (appears there is indubitably, consensus on this point 😀)
I’ll 2nd the call about Dame Margaret Smith. Good one, Spira!
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Thanks, Denise. Maybe it’s the camel’s influence?🐪
Casting Dame Maggie as Ceridwen could put a whole new spin on my old character.
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I say it is interesting that the downstairs neighbor was also ‘enchanted’ by the Jade Camel….
One can only hope that progress is positive. But then… reactions to actions are not always what we wish them to be…
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That little statue definitely has a far-reaching influence. Positive? We’ll see… 😉
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For every action a reaction…
And the pendulum isn’t always equal 😉
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Also, true!
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A great introduction to Joey. It raises a lot of questions.
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I’m toying with those questions now!
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[…] Previously […]
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