francene--blog. Year 2013
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Sept 13th

9/13/2013

 
The news story this morning is so sad.

A girl of 16 has been charged with the murder of a newborn baby boy at a house in Lincolnshire, UK. Police were called to a property 5 September. A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was a blocked airway and that the child had choked. Officers are piecing together the sequence of events over the last couple of days. Lincolnshire Police said a girl of 16, who cannot be named, had been charged with murder and would appear at Grantham Magistrates' Court later.

So sad. I can imagine the circumstances and wish I could change things.

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This is the sort of news snippet I used when looking for ideas. I would turn it into a short story in one of my novels in the Moonstone Series. Liliha is drawn into visions, where she sees through other people's eyes and hears their thoughts. She never knows where she'll arrive, but is determined to help.

By whispering into their mind, she offers alternatives.

Here's an example from my work in process:


~~~~~

Too quick. Reach a safe place. Liliha staggered through the doorway and pressed her back against the rear wall behind the shop counter. She dropped her coat and bag and checked the customer gazing at the street outside before tilting within the deviation toward another place.

* * *

I peer down with my tunneled telescopic vision and ignore the fuzzy edges and the surreal floating sensation. Below, occasional cars roar along a wide road. Concentrating on this area, I hover under bright, late morning sun and get my bearings. To one side, shops line the roadside and people stroll along the pavement.

Ahead of a line of traffic, a car slows. The horn sounds.

A child stumbles along the edge of the road--a toddler on unsteady legs, dressed in pink trousers and top. More cars reduce speed.

I zoom toward the closest pedestrian and meld with a middle-aged woman. "Pay attention to the road."

She turns her head and notices the toddler. Her first instinct is to help, but she hesitates. I read a deep-seated problem inside her consciousness.

'Quick. Get the child before a car runs her over'.

Overcoming her uncertainty, she darts forward and swoops the little one up into her arms. "Well done," she whispers to herself. "When I tell my husband, he'll say, 'Good for you, Daphne'." She speaks louder to the child to be heard above the traffic. "What are you doing on the road? Where's Mommy?"

The girl points.

Our gaze swings to a woman lying prone close to the gutter between cars, face tilted sideways. Daphne tucks the child on her hip, hurries over, and leans close, adjusting her burden to compensate. "What's wrong?"

The disheveled woman mumbles. A strong smell of alcohol rises from her swollen lips.

"Mommy, Mommy." The child squeals and wriggles. Daphne lowers her to the ground.

Worry seeps into Daphne's mind. Unless she reports the incident to the police, the child will be in very real danger and she can't remain with her. She's on her way to pick up her grandchildren from pre-school.

She doesn't want to call the authorities. Flashes of her unhappy childhood with foster parents rise to the surface. Welfare services took her from her own lackadaisical mother. She wouldn't wish a similar future on any child.

The slumped woman stirs, but then sags.

'Call the police', I whisper. 'Things might not turn out the same way for this child'.

The toddler tries to wander off again. When Daphne grasps her, our gaze falls on the dial of her watch. Close to the time to collect her charges, she scans the area for someone else to take over.

I issue a strong certainty to her. 'You must call'.

She flicks open her phone and asks for help.

A female voice says, "An officer will be with you very soon. There is one just around the corner. Please remain with the child."

The little girl struggles, but Daphne keeps a firm hold on her dress strap. With a squeal of tires, a motorbike stops. A uniformed officer dismounts, removes his helmet and strides over.

After explaining the situation, Daphne alerts him about her need to leave while he bends to examine the woman. She blurts, "What will happen to the child?"

"Don't worry, Ma'am. We'll keep them both safe for the night, and if all is well, they'll be released in the morning."

Daphne hurries away to meet her charges.

I lift off too.

* * *

Soft sounds in the tearooms eased Liliha's passage--the hum of the refrigerator, an occasional muffled clink. She'd love to find out what happened to the mother and little pink toddler--so innocent. The child had no control over the circumstance of her birth. However, the mother would have been intoxicated before and could be again. She might pull herself together after the humiliating experience of being locked up for the night.

~~~~~


I wish I could have sent Liliha to help the young mother mentioned in the news item before she took such desperate action.

DinoMama link
9/12/2013 07:32:38 pm

What a sad news :( I too wish the girl had some help before things turned out this way.

On the other hand, I love your story~ Makes me want to read more about it.

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:19:31 am

Love you to read one of my books. The first is Still Rock Water, full of similar episodes where Liliha helps.

Amanda Thomas link
9/12/2013 09:30:00 pm

What a sad story... both the news story and the one you added. There is so much sad news on the TV and in the papers these days.

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:20:52 am

It's just that we hear about these things more, not that they happen more than they used to. Hard to know if it's better not to listen.

Marika Charalambous link
9/12/2013 09:47:35 pm

Wow the story broke my heart and I loved your adaptation of it. Really touching.

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:21:56 am

Let's try to help those around us so nobody faces such a trauma.

Sophie Bowns link
9/12/2013 10:57:26 pm

Oh God! That's horrible, what a tragic news story! Your extract is brilliant, you're a really talented writer!

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:23:02 am

Thank you for the comment about my writing. Both publishers seem to rate my writing.

Amy link
9/12/2013 11:09:58 pm

Francene, it's to your credit to be able to take such a sad news story and develop it into something riveting and worthwhile to read. Well done and I agree with Sophie, that you're a really talented writer!

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:23:52 am

Thank you, Amy. If only I could really help instead of just writing about it.

A Dose of Dannie link
9/12/2013 11:29:08 pm

That is so very sad but you do hear these stories time and time again wish i could have helped her obviously she had loads of problems i think....
But your writing is awesome (come guest post for me sometime)
wish i wrote like this

Francene Stanley link
9/13/2013 03:25:25 am

I write for eight hours a day, seven days a week. Only practice will help the writing skills. You're busy with a family at the moment, Dannie. There's time ahead of you.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Francene Stanley, author of many published novels. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books? You'll see them on the sidebar below.
    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life.

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