This rewrite of Scarecrows is more of a prologue of Scarecrows; it's about Ben and Riala and Elspeth (whom readers have not met yet) and how they met and what happened to them in relation to what happens in the present-day Scarecrows. I'm not really sure if it's going to be a stand-alone story or what; it's already almost 10,000 words.
But here's a snippet:
Instead, she said, "Okay. We won't talk about it, then." And she turned, and opened her bag, and started taking out what was inside. A ball of yarn, a few very thin wooden sticks. Ben supposed they were knitting needles, but he'd never actually seen anyone knit before. And she settled down on the bed and started knitting. It looked like she was making a sock. Had she made the socks she'd given him?
"I don't think I thanked you," Ben said after a long moment of silence.
"You didn't have to," Elspeth said, her fingers working quickly to loop the yarn around the needles, and pull it through to make a stitch.
"I should have," Ben said. "You saved me from hellfire. You didn't turn your back on me because I'm a vampire." He sat down on the chair again. "So thank you."
"You're welcome," Elspeth said. "Riala did all the work, however. You should thank her too."
"I will," Ben said, and glanced at the door. "Did you make the socks you gave to me? They're very warm."
Elspeth smiled. "Yes, I did."
Ben knew his feet were much larger than hers. "And you just happened to make them too big for you? And you just happened to be carrying them around?" He couldn't quite figure her out. Nothing seemed to worry her; she was as calm as if they were talking about something completely inconsequential.
"Or maybe I just happened to know we'd find you, although not under what circumstances, and that you would need a new pair of socks," Elspeth said, and looked at him steadily, almost daring him to call her a liar.
"Does this have to have something to do with your curse?" Ben asked instead. "And what about the shoes?"
"A duplication spell," Elspeth said promptly. "Not that difficult, although it's harder to make one left foot and one right foot."
"You did a good job," Ben said, well-aware she hadn't actually answered his first question.
I actually really like Ben.
But here's a snippet:
Instead, she said, "Okay. We won't talk about it, then." And she turned, and opened her bag, and started taking out what was inside. A ball of yarn, a few very thin wooden sticks. Ben supposed they were knitting needles, but he'd never actually seen anyone knit before. And she settled down on the bed and started knitting. It looked like she was making a sock. Had she made the socks she'd given him?
"I don't think I thanked you," Ben said after a long moment of silence.
"You didn't have to," Elspeth said, her fingers working quickly to loop the yarn around the needles, and pull it through to make a stitch.
"I should have," Ben said. "You saved me from hellfire. You didn't turn your back on me because I'm a vampire." He sat down on the chair again. "So thank you."
"You're welcome," Elspeth said. "Riala did all the work, however. You should thank her too."
"I will," Ben said, and glanced at the door. "Did you make the socks you gave to me? They're very warm."
Elspeth smiled. "Yes, I did."
Ben knew his feet were much larger than hers. "And you just happened to make them too big for you? And you just happened to be carrying them around?" He couldn't quite figure her out. Nothing seemed to worry her; she was as calm as if they were talking about something completely inconsequential.
"Or maybe I just happened to know we'd find you, although not under what circumstances, and that you would need a new pair of socks," Elspeth said, and looked at him steadily, almost daring him to call her a liar.
"Does this have to have something to do with your curse?" Ben asked instead. "And what about the shoes?"
"A duplication spell," Elspeth said promptly. "Not that difficult, although it's harder to make one left foot and one right foot."
"You did a good job," Ben said, well-aware she hadn't actually answered his first question.
I actually really like Ben.
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