The Strangeling Part IV - (Freewrite #132 - gardening)
Greetings fellow Steemians! Here is my seventh 5 minute freewrite. The prompt is "solitude".
This piece is a continuation of yesterday's freewrite, and the third installment in an ongoing story. Let's see how long I can keep this up, using the prompts provided!
Part I: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@bennettitalia/freewrite-129-fingernail
Part II: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@bennettitalia/the-strangeling-part-ii-freewrite-130-wasps
Part III: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@bennettitalia/the-strangeling-part-iii-freewrite-131-solitude
Unlike yesterday's freewrite post, this one was actually written in 5 minutes, although I did go back in and do a bit of editing once the 5 minutes were up ;)
Freewriting is a daily practice for most poets and fiction writers, designed to loosen up and get things flowing, like stretching before exercise. Visual artists, especially those who draw or paint from life (figures, landscapes, still lives, etc) do something similar in "gesture drawings". After reading several of @poetrybyjeremy's freewrite posts, I got excited to try these again. Many thanks to @mariannewest for hosting this daily freewrite! https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-132-5-minute-freewrite-wednesday-prompt-gardening
https://pixabay.com/en/medium-psychic-female-fantasy-woman-goth-1726601/
The Strangeling (Part IV)
"Follow me", I said, turning on my heel and striding off through the labyrinthine corridors. The wasps followed wordlessly, walking in a tight little group, like kids in a high school clique.
I knew where to find the strangeling. The only place she felt even a little bit comfortable was the Botanical Garden directly across from the four story apartment house in which she lived. Specifically, The Wildflower Meadow on the east side of it, close to the center. She spent nearly all of her waking hours there. It was where I had made first contact with her, introducing the idea that I was an antique book collector (the only books left to collect at this point were antiques anyway, so it was a believable cover) and amateur botanist, a quiet, philosophical, square-peg-in-a-round-hole type. The fact that she couldn't read me at all had surprised her at first, and also seemed to frightened her. But by the third or fourth time we'd "accidentally" bumped into each other she was, by her own admission, starting to like it. It was a relief to her to interact with someone from whom she was unable to pick up anything but the usual human nuances - body language, facial expressions, tones of voice, and so on - just as The Handler had predicted it would be.
Of course I'd already known that the Chameleon experiments had been successful (multiple tests with resident strangelings had shown this to be the case), but it was still reassuring to see that quizzical look on her face whenever my inner life refused to reveal itself. Sometimes it pays to be a human guinea pig.
©2018 Bennett Italia
Authenticity BOT!
Great job! We found more similar posts, but your post is the 1st one posted.
This post has received gratitude of 1.88% from @appreciator courtesy of @bennettitalia!
Bravo @bennettitalia! I love your writing style, very fluent, and the way you described the encounters with the strangeling and her reactions.. keep it going!
Thanks @f3nix! Fiction is brand new to me, I've only really done poetry, songwriting, and nonfiction in the past, so I'm having a lot of fun writing these and appreciate the support. Part V coming up today, can't wait to see what the prompt is going to be!
You got a 1.15% upvote from @allaz courtesy of @bennettitalia!
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I love how you have the wasps in there too. Thanks!
BTW, I know I'm late but here is your friendly reminder about today's prompt: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-133-5-minute-freewrite-thursday-prompt-the-attic
Thanks @wordymouth :)
Waw this story is something I have to catch up with;)
I didn't know that freewriting is an exercice but,now that I'm doing it, I know it works well.
Thanks @hazem91! Yes, I forgot how well it works... although the last time I did freewrites, decades ago, it was always stream of consciousness poetry, and now it's fiction! An exercise in surprise ;)
I enjoyed your last piece and looking forward to reading more :)
hmmmm where is that going... so interesting.
:) Hi Marianne! I'm not quite sure myself... Looking forward to finding out!
ha! 🤓
Hey @bennettitalia, great post! I enjoyed your content. Keep up the good work! It's always nice to see good content here on Steemit! Cheers :)
Thank you @exxodus! Glad you enjoyed the piece. Part V went up last night!
Following you :)
This ongoing story is keeping my curiosity! At first I wanted to be like that girl because I love botanical gardens, but I thought twice because she met you! : )
Hah! I don't know that the Chameleon is me, any more than they all are ;)
I'm glad it's got your curiosity piqued! Just posted Part VII :D