Kith and Kin

For the 30 Days Meme Second Semester, for the prompt “25) write a story set in a library.”

Stranded World (LJ), Autumn


The weather was brutal, and the festival had been more-or-less cancelled. Autumn had still shown up, still set up her booth, but once she lost two pieces to the wind-blown rain, she gave up and closed up shop. Nobody was coming out in this weather, anyway.

There wasn’t much in the small town to do – a café, three churches, and a Chinese-take-out-place – so she headed for the library, ducking in just as the rain began coming down in buckets. She stood dripping in the lobby for a moment, not wanting to endampen the books.

“Oh, you poor dear!” A woman in her middle-second-century or so that had to be the librarian bustled out with a towel, wrapping it around Autumn’s shoulders. “Are you here with the festival? That poor, silly farce of a festival?” She moved her free hand surreptitiously in a pattern that, to a layperson, would probably just look like nervous hand-fluttering.

Autumn could see the strands she was pulling, though, warming the air around them, pulling the water out of it, as she patted the towel. “The festival, yes,” she nodded, wondering why it had been a poor, silly farce. “And I have kin in the area, I’ve heard.”

That gained her a sharp look, and then, moving the towel away, a very sharp look at the inkings along her collarbones. “I see,” she murmured, much of the fluttery-old-lady gone. “Yes, I imagine you do. Come in, dear, and have some tea, and I’ll show you our Archives.”

The List:
1a) the story starts with the words “It’s going down.” (LJ Link)
1b) the story starts with the words “It’s going down.” (LJ Link)
2) write a scene that takes place in a train station.
3) the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings]
4) prompt: one for the road
5) write a story using an imaginary color
6) write the pitch for a new Final Fantasy styled RPG (LJ Link)
7) prompt: frigid (LJ Link)
8) write a scene in the middle of a novel called “The Long, Dirty Afterwards” (LJ)
9) prompt: mourning dead gods (LJ)
10) write a story set in three different time periods. (LJ)
11) Write a movie trailer style trailer for a story, existing or not-yet-written. (LJ)
12) prompt: sweet iced tea (LJ)
13) re-write a story that everyone knows (LJ)
14) write a vanilla story dealing with kinky subject matter (LJ)
15) prompt: ascension (LJ)
16) write a scene that takes place at the end of a long road trip. (LJ)
17) write an uncomfortable story (LJ)
18) prompt: a step too far (LJ
19) write a story in which something goes BOOM. )LJ)
20) Write the end of the story ‘The Purple Bag. (LJ)
21) Roll a d20 twice. Combine the themes of the two previous stories for those numbers. (LJ)
22) Prompt: White Knight (LJ)
23) write a scene that takes place in a place that is war-torn (LJ)
24) prompt: founding fathers (LJ)
25) write a story set in a library

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0 thoughts on “Kith and Kin

  1. This setting seems intriguing, but what I’ve seen of it continues to run more towards color and hint than plot. It’s sort of odd.

      • I am tempted to twist your arm until you write some endings. Endings, they’re important! “The purple bag” exercise came close, but even that left a wide open space for ambiguity and further story.

        • I’ve been writing a serial for three years! Endings are less and less in my vocabulary. OTOH, I plan on making Autumn my nano project, and that story WILL have an ending.

          • Even serials have endings. B and C plots end. Characters die. Eventually, the main arc winds up, and you start a sequel, or a spin-off. Ah, I suspect having a bunch of the world-building all set up for a nano novel would make it go much more smoothly. Cool!

  2. Oh, this is excellent. Of course, I am biased as it has a library… I do like the idea of kin in the area… that is great. Autumn has interesting adventures.

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