Fields of Gold

Within

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:42:00 +0000

Synopsis

The creative piece is set in the Cotswolds and written in omniscient narrative style.

It focuses on twin sisters, Imogen and Jasmine. Jasmine hates her sister who does not really exist now.

Imogen thinks she is normal and a detective whereas really she is the one who is ill . When Imogen was younger her parents died, which disrupted her growing up. When Jasmine dies too, Imogen can’t cope and so her brain makes up its own alternative personalities to deal with the reality she can’t face. The death of her parents initiated the emergence of a ‘spilt personality’ but was more recognizable when Jasmine died: this was a stress factor which made her appear crazy.

Chapter 1 is her hallucination period where she thinks she is interviewing a prisoner.

Chapter 5 is set in the present time and she is actually talking to a Psychiatrist about events that have happened: she stills thinks her sister is alive.

The intervening chapters are written in a diary format to give the readers a sense of time.

This story is not finished yet.

Chapter 1

Imogen (Present day)

She grabs her coffee from her desk and brushes her long blonde hair away from her eyes. She walks at ease towards the room and opens the door to a man who is sitting at the desk with a smug look on his face. He’s tall and quite handsome, with scruffy, short hair and brown eyes. She walks towards him and sits on the chair opposite. The room is painted grey all the way around with a window at the end.

He is looking at her with a smirk. Imogen stares at him thinking how dare he look at her like that and who the hell does he think he is? Sometimes she hates her job but someone has GOT to put these bastards behind bars.

Imogen cannot bear that grin anymore. She gets up, walks around the table towards him, puts her foot right next to his chair and leans into him. He looks up and the smile is gone: he looks unsure as to what this crazy woman is doing. She grabs the chair and throws it backwards sending him to the floor.

She screams at him ‘HOW DID YOU DO IT, YOU BASTARD? I KNOW IT WAS YOU!’

Imogen feels weird but she does not know what’s going on, it feels like something is taking over her and she can’t stop it but it feels good and she does not want it to stop. She feels exhilarated. Imogen can hear a faint voice but she is not sure where it’s coming from and does not know what it is saying.

He screams ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, BITCH!’ and is in complete shock. He’s never met this woman before; what the fuck is going on? She looks up with a grin on her face and puts her hand in her pocket. She grabs an object and puts it to the man’s neck, digging it in fiercely. It’s long, thin, with a sharp end that looks like a letter opener. He tries to break free but he can’t: he keeps wriggling. The knife presses harder into his neck, causing it to bleed a little.

He shouts in a trembly voice ‘Get off me, bitch, you’re insane.’ She shouts at him to sit still and she smiles. Her eyes are now serious and dark, her whole face is changing colour. She is incredibly wild, out of control, seems overwhelmed with this new power. She feels invincible. She presses the knife even harder against his throat and asks him if he has any last wishes. Before he answers, she moves the knife away and with one quick swipe, she slits his throat.

His blood drips everywhere. Drops of blood can be heard hitting the ground. It sounds just like rain drops: splat, splat and she can hear the gentle gurgling of blood from his mouth. She moves to the front of him and kicks the chair to the floor. Bringing the knife to her mouth, she licks the remaining blood from it and makes a humming noise like she is enjoying the taste, then licks her lips. She smiles and says, ‘That’s for killing her, you bastard’. Imogen walks back out of the room as if nothing has happened.

Chapter 5

(Present day) Imogen

With a dejected air she walks over to the office. Her hair is worn, discoloured, greasy and lifeless. She is wearing pale blue trousers and a black, long-sleeved top with a picture of a guitar on it and a pair of trainers that look tattered. She takes a bottle of water as she walks by the desk and enters the room.

The man is sitting down at his desk: he is tall, very handsome and mysterious with his green eyes and black hair. He seems to have a friendly face because he is smiling at her with a soft demeanour. He may have a friendly face but she can see straight through it. He moves from his desk and takes a seat on his black leather chair. She walks towards him but makes no contact with his eyes and moves towards his sofa.

She knows he is smiling at her, she can feel it on her cheeks. Imogen says to herself, ‘You bastard, stop it.’ She wants to shout at him but something is stopping her from doing it. She feels herself walking towards his chair and her hand is in her back pocket. Imogen goes to him and slides her hand out of her pocket. She thrusts the metal emery board to his throat. She is going to tear his bloody throat out; who the hell does he think he is looking at her like that.

The guard, who was concealed at the back of the room, suddenly grabs her hand and bends it back making her drop the object. She screams in pain as he throws her to the floor and he grabs both of her hands. He puts a pair of cuffs on. He grabs her by the hair and pulls her head up.

‘STOP!’ Dr Philips shouts.

The guard says ‘Dr Philips, you okay? I am sorry; this is not going to happen again. I am going to take her back to her room.’ He manhandles her and walks towards the door.

Dr Philips says in a stern voice, ‘Its fine, Edwards. I am fine. No, don’t, she will be fine now. If you wait outside I will call you if I need you.

The guard starts to hesitate ‘But’….

‘No buts. She’s got her handcuffs on and she is not going to do it again, are you Imogen?’ He walks back to his desk while he’s talking to both of them.

She looks at him and does not say anything. She wonders why he is so confident. Imogen feels agitated so she starts to pick and play with her fingers.

The guard leaves the room and they both sit there quietly as if they both are gathering their thoughts. Dr Phillips watches her for a few seconds then leans forward.

‘Right, let’s try again. We got off on the wrong foot; obviously it was something I did. I am sorry if I offended you in any way,’ Dr Philips says.

She does not say anything and carries on gazing at the floor. Imogen hears the voice again saying: ‘Does he not know who I am, I don’t need him to analyse me. They have the wrong person, it’s my sister they want, and she’s insane.’ The voice stops and Imogen thinks she could not have said that better herself and she can see he is ready to talk again.

Dr Philips starts to talk ‘Alright, Imogen, you can stop this session at any time and the guard is outside so I know you will not try to attack me. My name is Dr Paul Philips but you can call me Paul. Do you know why you’re here?’

Imogen glares at him now, her eyes are on fire. ‘Of course I don’t why I am here. Your imbeciles dragged me out of work while I was interviewing a man on murder charges,’ she says as she is dragging her fingers down the sofa impatiently.

Dr Philips calmly says ‘Imogen, you were not at work, you were found in your flat sitting next to the dead body of Roger Jones.’ He watches her closely waiting for a reaction but her eyes still stay fixed on the floor.

Imogen’s voice starts to tremble a little ‘I don’t understand what’s going on. I swear I was at work. I can’t remember being at my sister’s flat. You got it wrong, it’s my sister you’re after, she’s the crazy one.’ She knows exactly what he’s trying to do to her; he’s trying to confuse her. Like she does to her detainees.

‘Ok, Imogen, tell me bit about yourself and your sister,’ he says as he takes a sip of water.

What does he want from me? she mumbles under her breath. Imogen decides to keep him happy and be the helpful person she is. Her body starts to soften as she tells him where she grew up, which was the Cotswolds. How she loves how quiet it is and everyone is kind. Her favourite part is the bridge with a stream running through it with rocks you can walk on and she likes to lie on the grass and listen to the water trickle. Her entire demeanour looks different. It’s changed from picking and playing with her fingers and she is more relaxed now.

‘I am 28 years old and I have a twin sister, she is not like me. I have a fantastic career as a detective and she works as a poxy waitress. She’s not like me. I am lucky, she is crazy and she tried to kill herself several times. She’s as rough as hell, not like me, I am normal but I do try to be there for her and I have to be there for my family, don’t I?’

He looks at her in a concerned manner, walks over to his desk, grabs a file and another glass of water. He walks back to the chair and they are both quiet. He flicks at the file and then closes it and puts his hands to his mouth.

Dr Philip’s face looks serious now as he starts to talk ‘Right Imogen. That’s great, thank you. There are some things I want to talk about and please tell me if I am wrong.’

She nods her head for him to carry on, while talking to herself saying ‘of course he’s wrong. Why am I even here?’ Something inside her wants to reach out to him and slam his head across his desk until he stops breathing. She is empowered and can’t control this feeling, it feels good. She tries to get her hands loose but it just is not happening; she is starting to feel frustrated. She once more starts pulling at her fingers one by one. She does not feel like herself. It’s as if someone else is trying to take over her body.

Dr Philips starts to talk again, ‘I have your file here. It says your sister, Jasmine, died five years ago in a car accident. Imogen rolls her eyes as she starts to laugh. ‘Your sister died instantly and you were in a coma for six days. Do you remember this, Imogen?’

Imogen stares at him, still laughing. She thinks this is ridiculous. She does not want to talk to him but humours him, interested to see what other lies he will come up with next. ‘I saw her the other day; she was in hospital because she tried to commit suicide again. Stupid cow, she can never do it properly. Sometimes I wish she would talk to me but she hates my guts. I am the last person she would turn to.’

‘Fine, I see. We’ll come back to that. Shall I carry on?’ he says.

She nods her head.

‘Ok, I’ll carry on but I would like to hear your opinion when I have finished.’

Dr Philips carries on with the questioning. Imogen just sits there and answers when he asks her thoughts and opinions but then Dr Philips changes his questions to see if he gets a reaction from her. He asks Imogen what happened to her mum and dad. She glares at him with hatred but there are tears in her eyes. She closes them and sits still, picking at her fingers and humming as if in a trance. Dr Philips snaps his fingers at Imogen when she does not answer. She jumps slightly and the humming stops. Her eyes then open: they look far away, dull and sad. She then moves her legs up to her chin and places her hands on her chest while muttering ‘They just won’t stop talking to me.’ A tear rolls down her face. Imogen sits in this position for half an hour.

Dr Philips watches her for a while, shocked by the sudden emotion. He feels he has made a breakthrough with her.

Eventually he gets up and calls the guard back in, who pulls her roughly to her feet.

They leave the psychiatrist’s room in silence and she is escorted back to the psyche ward. Imogen now looks lost and bewildered, she can’t believe what’s happening to her and she can’t seem to comprehend what Dr Philips has just told her. She can’t seem to recall what happened in the last half hour. It does not seem to make sense to her because she is not ill she is normal, it’s her sister who has this disease. But suddenly her mind starts to wander back to this morning and all she can remember is walking into a room and meeting Dr Philips and attacking him. She tries to think harder but she can’t remember going to the police station. It dawns on her that she was never there and she never was interviewing that guy and killing him: it was just an hallucination or a bad dream but then Dr Philips had told her she was sitting next to a dead body. Imogen feels mad, she does not know who she is and what’s real and what’s not any more.

Imogen walks into the building and looks up: the walls are white like a radiator. The doors are also white, with a window, and the tops all have locks on them. She walks by the main reception where there are two nurses dressed in white chatting to each other. One has an eye patch on her right eye. They stop talking and stare at Imogen.

The woman with the eye patch mumbles ‘Bitch’ under her breath and says to the other nurse, ‘She will pay for what she did to me’. Imogen is confused and wondering who is this woman.

The nurse walks up to Imogen, only inches away from her face ‘You’d better watch yourself because I can do things to you when you are not even aware. Just be careful when you’re asleep’ and the nurse punches her in the stomach.

Imogen goes down to the floor, holding her stomach. Her shoulders go tense and when she looks up she has a big smirk on her face. ‘Now we’re talking.’ She sees a needle in the nurse’s hand. She lunges towards her, knocking the guard to the floor.

The nurse looks stunned and shouts for the assistant to press the buzzer for help. Imogen grabs the needle with her mouth and stabs the nurse in the neck. The nurse falls to the floor and Imogen jumps on her, opens her mouth and reaches to her neck and bites it.

There are three guards running towards her. They grab her and, as she stands up, she has a chunk of skin in her mouth. She spits it out and licks the blood from her lips.

The guard screams, ‘Imogen, what the hell have you done?’

She looks at them and says ‘I am not fucking Imogen, I am Jas. She’s a fucking whore and nobody.’

They grab a second needle, inject her arm. She screams, ‘Get the fuck off me!’

The guards are taken aback by what has just happened; then Dr Philips runs in and sees the nurse on the floor. The blood is spurting out of her neck where a big piece of skin is missing. Her body is lifeless from the injection.

Dr Philips snaps ‘What the hell has just happened?’ He then shouts to the guards: ‘QUICK, GET HER TO THE INFIRMARY. I WILL BE THERE SHORTLY.’ He moves towards Imogen, who now is sitting on the floor, quiet at last. Her whole body and face looks frail. She goes back to rocking and humming like she was earlier.

‘Jas, can you hear me? It’s Dr Paul Philips. Do you know why you have done this to Nurse Green?

Imogen comes out of her trance and goes back to her confused self, says ‘Why are you calling me, Jas? I am Imogen. Who is Nurse Green and what happened?

She is pale and he can see that Jas has gone and Imogen has returned. He feels sorry for her. She has not got a clue as to who she is or what is happening to her.

‘Guards, take her back to her room, she looks shattered and I will see her later’, Dr Philips says as he walks to the infirmary.

‘Yes, sir, our pleasure,’ mutters the guard.

They drag Imogen to her cell, open the door and throw her in. She hits her head on the floor and they turn around, ‘It serves you right. Watch your back, miss, or we will get you for hurting one of our own’. They slam the door and walk away.

Imogen looks at the door and towards the wall. There is a picture of her family. She puts her face in her hands and cries.

She hears the voice in her head again and it’s telling her to go under her bed. Find a piece of brick that is loose. She finds it, reaches into it and pulls out a letter opener, like the one in her hallucination. The voice tells her to put the weapon to her wrists. Her body tenses, although she desperately tries to ignore it, but it gets stronger and she can’t resist it. She lashes at her left wrist seven times and does the same to the right wrist. The blood goes everywhere. She feels lightheaded and falls to the floor.

Two hours later Dr Philips opens the door and Imogen is lying on the cold floor that has now turned red. He runs to the body and it is lifeless.

Imogen’s body is now placed in the infirmary. It’s very dark down here and there are two other bodies in black bags. They are getting ready to be taken to the mortuary. The large metal doors creak as Nurse Green comes in .She hobbles to the bag and a large white patch covers the hole in her neck. She stares at the bag and says ‘You had it coming you crazy bitch.’

Suddenly the bag starts to move: she thinks she is seeing things so she closes her eyes . She opens them and screams ‘Oh shit.’

Word count: 3074

Granddad

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:17:00 +0000

My granddad had a big fat belly

Big ears which were long and floppy,

Big eyes that were bulging and bright

His head was as bald as an egg

His smile made me feel happy

His cuddles were warm and soft like a teddy bear

My Granddad would always be there to listen

And give you support.

He was brave and bold

Until he turned frail and old

He became a person he was not

My Granddad would always sit in his chair

And was always there

Until one day he was gone.

There sat an empty, lonely chair

All alone with no one to care.

A week went by and another week

And still he was not there

Where has my granddad gone?

Wrath

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:44:00 +0000

My name is Kate Horsedale, this is my story .Not sure where to begin so I’ll start with the night it happened.

The phone rings, it makes me jump. I knock over my glass of water as I try to find the lamp. I lean over the bed to reach my phone while taking a glance at the clock: its 2.00am in the morning. Who the hell could it be at this hour?

‘Hello’

‘Is that Miss Horsedale?’

‘Yes who the hell is this?’

‘We need you to come down the hospital right now; it’s about your sister.’

‘My God what’s happened? Tell me damn it.

‘There’s no time, you need to get here right now and we will fill you in when you get here’.

‘Ok.’

I stare at the floor and sob my heart out. Come on, Kate, you need to get your act together and get in the car. I grab some leggings from the floor and throw a jumper on too. Grab my keys and bag. Stumble out the door in a daze. It should take 20 minutes to get there. I jump in the car and the adrenaline kicks in and I am doing 60mph down a 30mph road and going through red lights. I don’t care; I need to get there to my sister. Everything flashes through my head: what if she’s dead? No, I shake it off. I can’t think like that. She’s going to be okay. I dump the car in the hospital bay. Somebody shouts at me.

‘Hey, miss, you can’t leave it there’.

‘Yes, I can and I just did, asshole’.

I run off to the reception. I barge in front of a man and elbow him out of the way. ‘Where’s my sister, Lindsey Horesdale?’

‘Hey, I was here first go back to the queue like the rest of us.’

The nurse tries to calm us both down and from nowhere my fist hits his face; he stumbles back and lands on a chair.

‘Security!’

“It’s ok, Nurse Jane, I will deal with this. Miss Horsedale come with me.’

My hand looks red and I shake my head. ‘No, where is my sister? I am not going anywhere until someone tells me where the hell she is.’

Suddenly I hit the glass window in anger, glass smashes all over the floor and I just stare in amazement. What have I done, I am so angry and frustrated I just want some bloody answers. The doctor stares at me.

‘Don’t move, I need to get bandages and wipes for your hand’.

I stare at my hand as it drips with blood. It’s the same hand I hurt when I smacked that guy. I don’t feel any pain at all; my body begins to shake with anger. I look up: security men are running towards me, they try to rugby tackle me to the ground. I jump out of the way and one of them manages to grab my foot. I look around and grab the nearest thing to me. I hit him over the head with the chair.

‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, STOP RIGHT NOW!” the doctor is standing looking at me with his mouth wide open. I put the chair on the floor and the two men stagger from the floor.

‘She’s ok, she is with me, her sister is very poorly, she’s obviously very upset and out of control, she is hurt. I will sort her out and she won’t be any more trouble, will you?’

The security guards look at me in disgust and walk off.

I look at him and nod my head. I don’t feel right and I start to drop to the floor: he grabs me, picks me up and takes me to a clinic room .

‘Let’s get this hand sorted so you can see your sister. You truly have anger management issues’.

I laugh.

‘Right, you need to calm down before you go in. We are going there now but I need to talk to you about your sister’s condition. You can see her now but she is in a really bad state.’

I am about to walk in the room when, for the first time, I notice there are police all over the hospital. What’s going on? I then see my sister lying in the bed hooked up to tubes and her face is all bruised. I run to her and hold her hand, sobbing. I raise my head and realise she’s on a life support machine. She lies there so lifeless. She does not look like my sister.

‘What happened doctor?’

‘The police want to talk to you but I think you should stay here with your sister for a while’.

‘Why, she’s going to be ok isn’t she?’ I grip her hand tighter.

‘Lindsay’s in a critical condition, she has lost a lot of blood. She was shot four times: once in the chest, back, back of the head and leg.’

‘What?’

‘We took her into theatre to get the bullets out and to operate. She has brain damage and major internal injuries. Lindsey is not breathing by herself and there Is no brain activity. She can no longer hear, Kate, but you have to make the decision to turn the life support off: if you do, it will be a matter of minutes.’

‘I can’t believe this. WHY HER?’

I put my head in my hands and think. I cannot let her suffer, she is my only sister. Why did I not come to see you sooner, I have been so wrapped up in my own life. ‘You can turn it off, but first, I want to talk to the police’.

‘Ok. I will get them, Kate.’

‘Is it Kate? I am Detective Jones and this is Detective Beans.’

‘Yes it is.’

‘We would like to talk to you outside.’

‘OK. ‘

I kiss Lindsay on the cheek and follow the detectives to the corridor where they sit me down.

‘Kate, your sister was murdered. This is now a murder investigation’.

‘Who would kill my sister? .Everyone loves her. She’s the good one.’

‘Are you sisters?’

‘Yes, we are identical twin sisters. Why?’

‘That makes sense now, they must have made a mistake, Detective Beans’

‘What do you mean, mistake, SPEAK TO ME NOT EACH OTHER!’

‘Sorry, we have evidence that suggests that you were meant to be the victim not your sister. They thought Lindsey was you.’

‘What, what evidence?’

‘We can’t say right now, it is only speculation but a witness has just come forward, that’s all we know . Do you have any enemies, Kate?’

‘I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS. I NEED TO BE WITH MY SISTER!’ I scream and run off towards her room. The doctor is there, ready to turn off the life support machine.

‘Are you ready, Kate?’

Yes, please, leave me for a while.’

He unhooks her mouth piece, turns off the machine and walks out the door. She looks more like Lindsay now, without all the tubes. Oh, Lindsay what have I done? It should be me lying there, not you. They will pay for this; I won’t stop until I avenge your death. With that, Lindsey takes her last breath. I just lie next to her, cuddling her, sobbing and shouting with anger and frustration. They will pay, even if I have to kill them with my bare hands.

This is the day my life ends. I shall find out who did this and kill them with my bare hands.

I run to my car. I notice a note stuck on the windscreen. I grab it and throw it in the front seat. I drive home as fast as I possibly can. I finally get there. I run out of the car and as I get to the front door, it’s wide open. I shout, but no-one answers. The house has been ransacked. I run to the bed and move the mattress and the rest out of the way. I run to the toilet and find a knife and get on my hands and knees and rip the floor boards until .I get to a wooden box and pull the key off my necklace. I open it, and there sits my revolver and black book. I grab the book. Right, I had better start at the beginning. Now it is time to find out which one of you maniacs killed my sister.

I grab my bag and notice a note stuck to it. I reach for it and read it:

‘I know what you did; you are completely out of control Kate. IT WAS YOU.

What, what the hell, I did what? I read the letter over and over again. It does not make sense. I run out to my car I have not got time for this, I need to find the bastards who killed my sister.

There, standing by my car, are Detective Beans and Jones. I move the gun into my bag and head towards them.

‘Kate, you need to stay where you are.’

‘Why?’ I am so angry right now; get out of my way I need to go. I see something moving in the back of the police car.

‘Kate, you’re not going anywhere, you’re coming with us.’

The car doors open and the doctor from earlier on is there and someone else is there in the shadows. I put my hand on the gun.

What’s going on! Are they really the police or are they the ones who killed my sister and they’re now going to get me? I start to panic and I can feel the adrenalin all over my body: how the hell could they do this to me.

‘Kate, you need to take your hands out of your bag and hold them up, come on Kate, we don’t want anyone to get hurt.’

‘I bet you don’t, you bent coppers.’ I spit at them and pull the gun out of the bag. I can feel my anger surging and my finger presses down on the trigger. Out of nowhere I am thrown on the floor and I hit my head on the grass. I feel like I have been hit by a bullet.

Someone runs out in front of me, he looks familiar, I look up and oh, my, it’s Jeff. Oh, how I love him.

‘Kate, why did you do it? I loved her you bitch, you were always jealous of her, you always wanted what she had but you were nothing, you’re mental Kate.’

‘That’s enough, Mr Wellington, she’s not well, we need to take her in and examine her.’

What, I don’t get what’s going on, I look up and it’s the doctor from the hospital.

‘We need to question her first doctor.’

‘Ok, but I am coming with her.’

‘Ok, Kate can you hear me?’ shouts detective Beans

‘Yes, you asshole, get this thug off me and what the hell is going on? What is Jeff going on about?’

‘Kate, you‘re under arrest for the murder of your sister.’

‘What, me, no you got the wrong person, someone is after me, they wrecked my house and look at my book it has a list of my enemies in there.’

Detective Beans grabs my book, and looks through it, while the other Detective goes through my house.

‘Sir, the house is fine, it’s in perfect order, but I think you need to see this.’

They pick me up and take me into my house and there on the walls, are photos of Lindsey and Jeff but Lindsey has been scrubbed out. On every photo it says die in big red writing. It says I am going to make you pay, bitch.

‘Kate, there is nothing in your book; the only enemy in there is your sister’.

What’s going on, then like a whirlwind, I am furious and I shout:

‘I am glad she is dead. She deserved to die.

The Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:39:00 +0000

I find myself walking round town at 9.00 in the morning. Soaked to the bone. Normally I am in my rocking chair with a drop of whiskey, that’s all I have usually but today is different: I plod round the shops. When I come by an unfamiliar cobble path, something pulls me towards it. The shops and the bustle disappear. The pavement bendy and dark. It stops just as quickly as it came. I look behind me: the path has disappeared, then I look straight in front of me, there is a shop. It’s covered with wind chimes. The noise hurts my ears! I wish it would stop.

I have had enough of this so I turn around, I don’t want to go in there, it looks very peculiar. As I am about to go, I hit my head on the brick wall which was not there before. There’s nowhere to go. Oh fiddle sticks; I am going to have to go in this spooky old shop. Well, I had better get some Dutch courage first. I perch myself on the floor just staring at the shop; it does not look like there is anyone in there. I fumble about in my bag. Oh blast, you had better be in there and eventually my bony hands locate the bottle. I take the lid off and take a big, massive gulp and wipe my mouth with my hand to remove any excess whiskey. Then screw the lid back on: oh, one more would not hurt, would It Pearl, so I take another gulp. Now I am ready to go in this freaky shop. Come on, Pearl, hop to it. I start to stumble as I get to the shop and end up falling through the door. Maybe I should not have had that last drop I chuckle to myself.

There in the shop is a beautiful mirror with diamonds all around it. I can’t keep my eyes away. I hear a voice from behind me, saying:

‘Come in and take a look around.’

I glance around quickly but there is no one to be seen and I can see sparkling in the corner of my eye, so I go towards the mirror and see me; but is it me, I look different . I have long, black hair flowing on my shoulders, with striking, green eyes and my skin does not look wrinkled anymore. I look young and radiant and I am wearing a long, black dress with a black pointed hat. I look beautiful and mysterious. The voice comes back soft and quiet:

‘You came here for a reason; you were looking for something in particular?’ Weren’t you, Pearl?

I feel like I am under some sort of spell but it feels wonderful; maybe I am drunk and I shall wake up in a minute: go with it, girl , it won’t harm you. I nod my head.

I am drawn to the mirror again .The voice tells me to look at my hand through the mirror.

There, in my hand is this vial bottle. It’s red with pearls all around it: it looks so small and dainty.

I take my eyes away for a minute and look at my hand and it has disappeared: what’s happening?

The voice tells me to drink but there is nothing here, so I grab my bottle from my bag and take a gulp of whiskey but when I look in the mirror I am holding the vial bottle and this time I take an even bigger sip . It tastes nasty. I fall to the floor, crashing on the mirror.

OH! My head hurts; I rub my head then my eyes. Where am I? My eyes start to clear and then I realise where I am. I am on my rocking chair, nursing a hangover and it is still raining outside. I glance at the clock and it’s 1.00 in the morning .Blimey! I have been a sleep for ages. I must have been dreaming, how weird. Maybe I should stay off the whiskey. I laugh; don’t be silly, Pearl, that is a crazy idea. I go to grab my bottle out of my bag but instead I am holding the vial bottle, just like in the dream. It’s bright red with pearls, exactly the same. I throw the bottle to the floor. I must be dreaming again. I run to the mirror .Oh my, what’s going on?

I look in to it and instead of my old face and grey hair; it is the woman I saw earlier with black hair, soft silky face and striking green eyes. I put my wrinkled hand to my face; it still feels dry and old. Then I hear the voice:

’ Pearl, look closely in to the mirror’.

‘What’s going on’?

‘Look, deep and hard,’ the voice fades.

Ok, Pearl look. There I am sitting in a chair, fast asleep with a bottle in my hand and in my old body and there, standing over me, is a man in uniform talking to a woman. All of a sudden they are violently shaking me but I don’t seem to be waking up and the bottle falls out of my hand. I turn away. What’s going on? I can’t help myself but look again. My skin has changed colour and my body looks lifeless. I glance at the bottle; it is the red vial bottle. I hear the voice again:

‘Pearl, don’t you get it yet? You’re dead, you poisoned yourself!’

‘What, no I am dreaming again’. I don’t understand.

The man and woman walk straight past me and there’s a group of old people coming out of their rooms in their dressing gowns. It’s my friends. Thank goodness. I run over and shout at them but no one’s listening to me.

‘They can’t hear you Pearl, you’re dead.’

‘No, I can’t be!’

‘Come and join me.’

‘How?’

‘Go to the mirror and walk into it and your questions will be answered’

This is silly. I walk right up to it and put my hand through first. It disappears and then I feel something forceful pulling me through the mirror.

NOOOOOOO!

Mirco fiction

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:32:00 +0000

He is sitting on the train in a booth, glaring at the distance looking out the widow with a tear slowing falling down his cheek. He turns to look at his hands and sees blood dripping from them . In the background somebody screams . He gets up and runs to where its coming from. A women is standing holding her face, looking into the toilet . Two bodies are lying next to each other. The bodies are unrecognizable. You cant tell who they are.

The lady turns looks at the man and notices his hands dripping with blood

‘Oh no what’s happening’

She screams ‘murder’

He runs back to the booth and as he gets there he feels something going into his neck: he falls onto the floor .

Myself in 44 years’ time

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:27:00 +0000

It’s 6’o clock and I am not ready, meant to be out at 6.30pm. A night on the tiles, just what the doctor ordered. Right let’s get ready. I look in to the mirror: my skin looks soft and shiny. I look away for a second to get my foundation and I glance back in the mirror to find a face which is no longer sickly and soft but wrinkled and old. Her eyes look dull and sad, with large circles underneath her eyes. She looks so fragile. She turns away from the mirror. I press my hand against the mirror and it disappears though and I feel myself drawn to this woman so I enter the rest of my body through the mirror. I am now in this huge bedroom with flowery paper and it has a bay window with a grey rocking chair. There sits the lady, looking out of the window and I can see sand and sea. She looks away from it and looks straight at me.

“Please sit, Emma.”

She can see me and she knows my name but I do what she asks, there is something particular about her. I feel like I know her from somewhere.

“I have been waiting for you to arrive”

“Who are you, do I know you?”

Before she answers I smell salt and seaweed. I look up and we are now sitting on the beach. The chair I sit on is now white with a weird design on it and the table in front of me with the same pattern and she sits opposite me pouring us a drink which looks like Pimms

“Do you not know who I am?.”

“No but I feel like I know you”

She reaches out and touches my hand it feels rough, dry and wrinkly. I feel a shiver go up my back .I look at her hand and she has a white, gold ring with diamonds on her wedding finger and a ring shaped like a bee, which is sliver with two stones missing. I lift my left hand up and our rings our identical and there are also scars on her hand in the same place as mine.

“Don’t be scared I am your older self and I have come to warn you of something that is going to happen in years’ time”.

One click of mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:18:00 +0000

It takes one click

One click of mouse

That’s all it takes.

Its amazing, how one little gadget

Can control

Your life .

I must get this application sent. All the stress and hard work I have put in. So why can't I click mouse. It dawns on me my life is going to completely change. Can I really leave my friends and family behind? It would be different if I was moving to the next city but I am moving to the other side of the world and I have not told a living soul.

If I press the mouse it will determine my life for good.

Freya comes flying at me for a cuddle and licks my face with such excitement and bang! The kids are playing on drums next door. I shout shut up and bang my fist repeatedly on the wall, which frightens poor Freya to bits and instead of jumping off the chair, she jumps right for my mouse and clicks the button. Nooooooo!

Freya runs for her bed. Oh no , hopefully my application is okay. I walk straight for the computer and on the screen it flashes in big bold red letters SENT.

I kneel down and put my hands into my face and sob my heart out. Freya comes walking over and knocks my hand away so she can lick my face. She rolls over on her belly so I give her stroke and I tell her it’s not her fault. You did me a favor because I would never have sent it. Now my fate has been left to the gods.

Two weeks later I am sitting at my desk at home, Freya is fast asleep on her bed. I take a sip put of my coffee while glancing at the internet. My email box flashes one new email. I log in to my msn account, there in black writing sits the words! Your application has been approved and finalized.

I hear a knock at the door and jump, accidently dropping my coffee on my keyboard and down my trousers. Ahh shit! That’s hot as I jump up and down trying to wipe the coffee off me. The knocking gets louder and louder.

‘Suzanne, I know you’re in there, open the bloody door. It’s freezing out here.’

‘I am coming, hang on, Jane, I have just spilt bloody coffee over myself’

‘Well, that was silly.’

I open the door and shout at her ‘I bloody know you cow, it’s your fault I did it in the first place.’ We both burst out laughing.

‘Coffee?’

‘Yes, please’

She goes to sit down at the coffee table and Freya comes over to see her for a stroke.

‘Suz, what’s this about application? What are you not telling me ?

Shit, I drop the milk in shock she was not meant to see that. Oh god what do I do now?

Terry Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:08:00 +0000

When I was a boy I got picked on for being different and not like the rest of the children. I did not want to play football and rugby with the boys. I wanted to be around girls. Of course you think this is normal being a boy wanting to be with the girls but this was different. I did not fancy them , I just enjoyed playing with them, playing dolls and dressing up with them. My girlfriends thought it was odd at first but they never really said anything in the end, they treated me like one of them. The boys were horrible to me , told me I was a loser and strange to want to dress up like a girl. They would do anything in public to show me up and make me feel humiliated to the whole school but I showed them , I did . I decide to perform for them and be the class joker, and make them look a fool instead. it worked, and the kids just laughed at me because I made them laugh and the boys eventually gave up and left me alone but I knew they all talked about me and called me names behind my back and I could kind of handle that. it made school bearable at the time.

When I went to high school I started dressing like a girl wearing make up and I even bought a wig at the time. You may laugh and think, why did you not just grow your hair long instead? Well, the reason is my parents did not know how I felt about being a boy. I hated being in boy’s body , I may look like a boy but I felt like I was a girl and deep down I knew I was girl. Now you’re thinking how did I know this ? Well I can’t explain it, I just knew I was different and I did not fit in with boys . Maybe it was my parent’s fault I don’t know. My dad left home when I was four years old and I think it was a year later when I changed and felt different. It did not help by mum doing baking with me and letting me play with her makeup and asking me for my opinions on her clothes because she went out a lot when dad left. Come to think of it may be it, was her fault , maybe I had no hope. Oh well never mind.

Where did I get to , that’s right I could never really tell my parents I wanted to be a girl. Dad would have gone nuts because he was a lawyer and he had his reputation to uphold. It did look good for him having a divorce but having a son who was not normal would have been outrage. Mum well she was not interested in me she was looking for the next husband . I bet your saying poor boy but wouldn’t of someone said something to them. Well they both new deep down but choose to ignore the gossip and they would ask me ‘Terry what this stuff about ? They would never say are you dressing up a as a girl. Oh no they would not do that so I would replie with no dad just clowning about. ‘good , good ‘ he would say and carrying on reading his paper or mum would say that wonderful love ,keep it up. Personally they were both not interested as long as I was not embarrassing them then that’s all they wanted. They just did not want to deal with it so it was easy to ignore what was going on with me.

I can see you already with your tissues out and crying. Well it was hard being somebody I wasn’t but I got buy and when I was sixteen I ran away from home . it just got to much and I could not bear it . a couple times I nearly ended up killing myself because I was living lie and not being true to myself but I could never pluck up the courge to actually kill myself until one day I hit my lowest with no money, no where to live, people beating me up for what I looked like. I carried on wearing wigs but started wearing women clothes all the time and starting to wear make up. People would come up to me say how sick I was and disgusting to the human race and a gang of men came up to me and beat the living daylights out of me . I was pleading with them to kill me and get it over and done with it. They give me the final blow to the face and flow to the ground and hit solid concrete. Now I bet your really crying. Well that was the day my life changed and it was the best thing they could of done to me. So I thank you to the gang who nearly killed me. You changed my life forever.

They ran off when they realized I was unresponsive . I laid there in a pool of blood and finally hoping my nightmare was over. I was out of this horrible body but the next thing I remember was being in a hospital hooked up to drips and wires. I came round and there sat in the chair next to me was the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She was fast asleep and I had never met her in my life before until this day. Now your thinking how could I be attracted to a girl when I felt like a women . Well your thinking I must be Lesbian . Well your wrong .

I woke up and the doctor told me I had a nasty bang to the head which may cause me not to remember things.

The Bloody Sword

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:59:00 +0000

The bell rings, yeh it’s lunch time. The sun is shining and we run out to the playground and the dinner ladies let us play on the field today. The grass smells just like it’s been cut, the trees are blowing lightly in the wind. We run around the field playing chase and throwing grass cuttings over each other and laughing until it hurts. We go towards the trees and the long grass.

We see a house in the distance that looks scary to the eye and there’s a black crow sitting on the fence. We move more into the long grass and we see something shiny on the distance; we walk towards it and see a long sharp sliver sword with a gold cross handle, with dry blood on the end of the point and splash’s of blood on the handle. We see a shadow move in the house so we all run away screaming towards the dinner ladies. I go to the dinner lady and tell her what I have seen and hold her hand and drag her to where the sword was, but she will not go with me and she tells me my Imagination is running wild. I turn towards the trees and see someone staring at me and I run so fast, crying and head straight for the toilets.

I eventually come out of the toilets. I go to wash my hands and look in the mirror and I see someone watching with white pale face and bright blue eyes. ‘Help’ I turn around and the person has disappeared. My mind must be overreacting from what I have just seen. I run back to class to forget what I have seen.

During the next couple of days I pick up the courage to talk to my friends about seeing the sword but they just deny seeing it, saying my imagination is playing tricks on me. I feel so lonely and scared. I feel like somebody is watching me all the time. Pull yourself together Mandy .You are having a hard time at home with your mum and dad arguing all the time. It was just a nightmare. I pinch my hand, yes, my inner self is right . I t was just a bad dream.

I go to the toilet before PE starts. I hate hate lesson, maybe you could miss this lesson for today. Yes I think I will .I should listen to my inner voice more often , it speaks good sense. I hear a knock at my toilet door.

‘This toilet is in use go away’

The knocking gets louder and more intense.

I get off the toilet dead quick.

“Give them a piece of your mind, Mandy.”

Yeh I will. I storm out of the door. There standing is a small girl with long brown hair, looking very pale, bright blue eyes and very thin figure. Those eyes, we seen them before. Not now. I need to know what she wants.

‘What do you want? Can’t you read the toilet says engaged? Stop staring at me and speak!”

‘I saw what you saw’ in a faint whisper.

‘What’? I would go, she looks bit odd. Don’t be silly. Not now . I want to know what she is on about .She looks scared.

‘I saw it’, again in a whisper

‘SAW WHAT? COME ON AND SPIT IT OUT’ I shout. If you want to know stop shouting at her. My inner voice is so right. I hate her sometimes.

‘Am sorry, I just don’t know what you’re talking about’ I say more quietly.

‘You do know, but because your friends Won’t talk about it you think it’s a dream. I saw it as clear as day.

Oh my god. I stand there with my mouth wide open and my eyes just staring at her not leaving her stare. Get grip and pull yourself together Mandy . You need to hear the words. Yes you’re right.

‘Saw what?’ It barely comes out of my mouth.

‘The bloody sword in the school field’ her voice is no longer a whisper. I heard every word she said. I run to the toilet and throw up. She puts her hand on my shoulder, it’s ice cold: I can feel her hand through my clothes. I shiver.

‘Listen to me; It’s back to a whisper.

I just nod. Maybe she is lying Mandy. No, stop it. I need to think.

‘He’s watching you everywhere you go and he is probably outside right now. Watching and waiting’.

I can’t talk . I throw up again: my heart beating is so fast. I slump to the floor with my head in my hands. Oh, my god what am going to do? My inner voice is nowhere to be seen.

The Explosion

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:49:00 +0000

I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air. As I step outside the cold air hits my cheeks and fingers, causing them to sting. I look up and all round me is mist and it seem to be covering the whole city. I glance at my phone: it’s 8’clock, bang on. I start to walk up the street when I hear ‘bang’ it sounds like an explosion going off behind me and bang, another one goes off. It must be fireworks, it is November 5^th.I look up in the sky expecting pink and green colours in the sky but instead I see fiery orange everywhere and little black dots in the sky. It is as if the mist lifts a little and I see dead people all over the roads and pavements, cars toppled over, houses falling to the ground. Suddenly all I can hear are screams: people, are running down the roads. What the hell’s going on?

I hear a humming noise but can’t see what it is .When all of sudden, another explosion goes off, hitting the ground. Trees are crashing down around me and on to cars where people are trapped inside screaming to get out. The ground is starting to break in too, people are grabbing hold of fences , posts, anything they can find so they don’t fall down the hole. I turn to help them when I hear another explosion and its heading straight for me. I run as fast as my legs can carry me and the humming noise is getting closer. Its bloody following me for fuck sake leave me alone! I carry on running when the explosion takes me unexpectedly and throws me to the ground I cry with pain . I sit up and feel blood trickling down. I use my coat sleeve to wipe away the blood and in the sky is the object hovering ripped to pieces around me. I try to get up but my left foot is not working, I glance down and see my trainer has been ripped to pieces. My foot is full of blood but with trances of black to. I don’t have time to sort it out because the object looks like its set to launch on me again. So I hobble up and try to get the hell out of here until I reach a dead end and there is nowhere to go. The object is upon me. This is it, this is how my life going to end before its really began. Come do your worse you arse hole. The ground erupts below me, I fall to the ground, screaming, until nothing else comes out. My eyes began to close and my heart starts to slow down rapidly.

My eyes flicker open slowly, where am I ? Is this heaven ?. I open my eyes wider and the room is lit up with tiny lights and the rest of the room is dark and cold . I can see a desk which is messy with half eaten food. There someone sitting in the corner, I move about five blankets of me and someone says “ you’re a wake finally it’s been about week I thought you were never going to wake.”

I try to say speak but can’t . I finally move the blankets to try and stand up. When the guy screams at me, I would not do that if I was you.”

As I look down to the floor I remember my foot be badly hurt. There is no longer my left foot which is now been replaced by mechanical foot. I scream at him what the hell have you done to me!

The stupid old man

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:43:00 +0000

He looks out of his apartment window towards the sea and the sea looks calm. He grabs his coffee and looks back out of the window but something catches his eye on the hill above the beach. What’s going on up there? There’s a huge crowd but I can’t quite see what’s going on. I think I will take a walk and see what’s going on. But it takes a while for him to get up the hill an because his legs are not as young as they need to be. Walter eventually gets to the hill hour and half later. (Where normally it would take ten minutes from his apartment to the hill) I think I will make my way through the crowd and see what all the fuss is about.

‘Hey, you, what’s going on here ?’ as he points his stick at the guy.

‘We are trying to find a volunteer to fly the hang glider !’

‘You’re what, you’re trying to get someone to fly a remote control helicopter ?’ he asks with a smile on his face.

‘I can do, that I had loads when I was boy. Where is it ?’

‘No, we need someone to fly a hang glider’ he shouts while grabbing his coat because Walter was starting to walk off.

Walter starts muttering as he sees the hang glider. ‘I hate these things, when I was younger I fell off one of those bloody things and broke my arm. He ignores the guy grabbing his coat, whacking him round the head with his stick.

‘Oh, mister, Listen to me’?

‘What do you say young fellow?’ as he gets right up close to the glider.

‘Hey, old guy, watch out for that rope! He shouts at the top of voice.

‘What, what boy, speak up I can’t hear you , I have problems with my hearing’

It’s too late as the glider starts to lift off with a woman ready to fly the glider. Walter foot is stuck in the hoop of the rope. The glider takes off and all the people in the group are yelling at the guy to get his foot out,

‘What, you say it’s over there?’ but before he could let go he is in mid air and Walter is being dragged off the ground. ‘Ahhh! get me out of here’ he screams and a look of panicky comes over his face. He starts to wriggle and tries to loosen the rope .

Everyone is screaming ‘Don’t do that!’

The woman on the hang glider wonders what all the screaming is about. She looks down and sees Walter dangling at the end of the rope, upside down screaming and bobbing up and down in the sea.

What Comes Round, Goes Around

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:30:00 +0000

I am sitting in the park plucking up the courage to know what to say to her. I look at my watch, twenty minutes until we meet. I can see the coffee shop across from where I am sitting on the bench and there she sits, patiently, with a cup of coffee I think, as always she is early. Why does she do that? She makes me look bad because I am always late.

The sun shines on her face and she looks so beautiful, she is biting her nails, Amanda always does that when she is nervous. Why would she be nervous, she does not know I am going to break up with her. It’s probably nothing , I shake my head and forget.

Am I doing the right thing? Come on, pull yourself together, Simon. I am not happy; we want different things in our lives. Amanda is not the person I thought she was. I don’t think I shall tell her about the affair I have been having unless I have to, but then how do I tell her I been having an affair and it’s been going on for four months. No, I’ll just go with it’s not you, it’s me. To be fair, it is her fault, though why have I been seeing someone else? If she had just given me more attention than her so-called best friend, then I would not have looked somewhere else, and she would not have moaned at me all the time, for having a life.

I will tell her I am not in the right frame of mind to be in a relationship right now. Yeh, that’s good. I feel very confident about this. I don’t love her and don’t really like her that much, I only was with her so I could get close to her sister but that did not work, she seemed to have a rea dislike for me. I wonder why? I was always nice to her.

Also Amanda’s family are very rich and I could have got on board on her dad’s family business if it got really serious between us . Her family is loaded, which is an added bonus, but no, nothing’s worth that if I am with a woman I hate and despise.

It’s starting to rain and I glance at my watch: it’s about 12.00pm . Right, I had better shake off my grin and look sad. I can’t believe it, I am going to be finally free . Yes. I’d better run over to the coffee shop. Brace yourself, Simon, this is not going to be pretty and get ready for a lot of tears and she’ll probably beg me to reconsider our relationship. Not on her nelly. Not even if I was offered a million pounds, even though I would definitely consider it. Right, come on, the sooner I get it over and done with the better.

The coffee shop is busy with quite a few people chatting aloud and yelling at the waitress to be served. The smell of a fried breakfast wafts around the coffee shop. She watches him get up and leave the coffee shop. He doesn’t even look back to see if she’s ok and she just sits staring out of the window holding her coffee in her hand trying to let everything sink in from what’s just happened and watches him walk off.

I can’t believe what’s happened, it feels like a dream and I have been hit by a rollercoaster. Where did that come from? I never expected him to break up with me . I thought he was happy . I always thought it was me , I felt like I could not trust him though I don’t know why . I suppose it was my sister, Katie, who kept going on at me about how he’s treats me and how he not the person I think he is: this left me doubting our relationship and myself. She said I am a different person since I met him, I suppose she’s right but I love him . Well, at least I thought I did. No, I do love Simon. I think I do. Oh, I don’t know, I am so confused right now.

I know he can be a bit selfish at times but I thought we had a something really special between us. Is that me just being vulnerable and stupid and not seeing what’s right in front of me? Maybe I did not want to see who he really was. I was happy and contented. It did not help when I found the ring . It looked like 9ct with a huge diamond on it. It fell out of his pocket the other day and I couldn’t help myself when I saw it but I felt panic come all over my body. I don’t know why and could not explain how I was feeling and I quickly put the ring back in his coat and forgot all about it . I thought that’s why he asked me here, to marry me, because this is where we first met. Then while I was waiting for him that panic came over me .Why ? But then how wrong could I have been .

Another thing, I did not cry when he told me it was over. Why? I don’t know . I just could not shred at least one tear which seemed to offend him and he got angry and left but I just could not seem to comprehend what he was saying to me and it did not seem to add up what he was saying to me. I feel like there is something he’s not telling me but, to be fair, I needed to tell him something but I did not tell him. Did not know how to, but it does not matter anymore, it’s his loss I suppose.

She gets up and leaves a tip on the table for the waitress. The waitress says thank you but she does not hear her. She walks out of the coffee shop in a daze still, as if what’s just happened is not true and trying to justify the situation and her wrestling with herself over her feelings for him.

As she crosses the road she sees something in the corner of her eye that takes her attention away from the busy road. A car screeches and the horn’s just constantly beeping.

Bang!

She is lying on the road unconscious with blood everywhere. The woman gets out the car and screams hysterically . ‘WHAT HAVE I DONE?’

Ten years later

Simon drives through a village back to his home town, Rothley. It’s been ten years since I left here; it happened so quickly. I remember I broke up with Amanda and when I got back I had a phone call from my step mum; my dad and been taken in to hospital due to a heart attack so I got my stuff and hopped on a plane to America. My mum and dad had been split up for five years and he moved over there and remarried. Since then I stayed over there. Dad got better and I ended up working for him. I am happily married now and my wife wants children but I am not ready for that commitment yet but now I find myself back here. It feels strange to be back here but the village looks the same and it feels like I never left.

I found myself back due to it being my mum’s funeral, she died from a stroke. My only regret was that I was not here for her. She told me she felt ill and could I come back to see her with Kay, but I could not, I was going on a skiing holiday and she said it was fine and she was just being silly . So I forgot all about it until a week ago . I got a phone call to say she had passed away. I was angry at myself but, to be honest there was nothing I could do for her. I told Lisa to stay in America there was no need for her to change her schedule for someone she did not know even know.

All of sudden I start to think about Amanda. I have not thought about her since that day I left the coffee shop: I wonder how she is. I bet she is happily married now. I was so horrible to her that day and I have grown up a lot since then. I never got on with her sister ,even though I had a crush on her.

I just forgot about everything when I went over to America. I drive pass loads of houses and one sticks out more than any of the rest, it’s her house. I stop the car . Maybe I should go over and say ‘hi’ and apologise to her and her sister for what a jerk I was to them. No, don’t be silly,, they probably forgot all about me now. He starts the engine and there’s a knock at the window. He rolls down the window and looks up to see a lady looking at him.

‘Hi, can I help you madam?’

‘It is you , I thought it was you, do you not remember me, Simon?’

‘Is that you, Amanda?’

‘No, it’s her sister Katie’

‘Yes, hi Katie, you’re changed so much you look so much like Amanda. How is she? I have only got back here today. I am here for my mother’s funeral.’

I am so sorry, Simon. Your mother found it hard when you left, she always thought you would be back but you never did. You were always selfish, never bothered about anyone but yourself, surprised you came back now but, of course, you came back for your inheritance. So predictable, Simon!’

‘Hey, you don’t know me at all Katie, I only asked about Amanda, not for you to give me a lecture.’ I have not got time for this; if and when you see her tell her I am sorry for the day I walked out.’

You don’t know, do you , that’s right your mother tried to tell you but you never gave her a chance to get a word in edgeways so she must have decided not to tell you, She probably thought you would blame yourself. Well, it was your fault.’

‘Why are you speaking in riddles, woman, I have not got time for this.’ He tries to start the car again, while muttering to himself.

She screams at him as he drives off ‘She dead, she’s been dead ten years today!’

He stops the car, gets out and walks towards her. ‘ What did you say ?’

‘She’s dead, she died the day you walked out on her and told her it was over. She was so taken back from what happened she walked on the road without looking and got knocked down by a car. She was in a coma for a week and she gained consciousness and told us to tell you she forgave you and understood why you did it.’

He felt like he had been hit by the bus: she died because of me .

‘The best bit is Simon she went there to tell you something, too. Amanda was pregnant with your child who you killed that day when you walked out on them both.’

He fell to the floor holding his stomach and being violently sick, shouting ‘NOO!’, she did not tell me . ‘Why?’

Katie just stares at him. I hope you can live with yourself for what you have done: you did not just kill one person that day, you killed two.’

She walks off and leaves him on the floor in a heap, sobbing.

She turns back with a great big smile on her face. ‘If he only knew!

The Figure of the Night

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:52:00 +0000

She lies there, as still as anything, with goose bumps all over her body and puts her hand under the bed to find some sort of weapon.

‘What was that noise?’

The bedroom is dark black and you can hear a pin drop because every where is so quiet. She switches the light on while gripping her baseball bat but there is nothing there. Relief fills her body and then she turns the light off and goes back to sleep, still holding the baseball bat.

BANG

‘Shit, what is that ?’

A figure flashes in front of her.

‘MUM HELP’

The door opens and her mum switches the light on. ‘Hey, honey, what’s wrong?’

The bed is empty, with the baseball bat lying on the pillow with specks of blood on the handle.

My Old Friend Gin

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:54:00 +0000

My Old Friend Gin

What’s that smell, it smell familiar I turn over and stretch my hand out to reach for Lilly but she is not there. She is cooking I click what the smell is, ah bacon. I drift off back to sleep. Suddenly I hear shh

“Daddy’s sleep” bang bang thud. They both jump on me laughing.

“Daddy, wake up, they say in choruses”.

I hate mornings. I wake up at the sight of Lilly walking towards me with a fry up.

“Breakfast in bed, my darling.”

She comes towards me for a hug, I can smell her perfume. Rose I think. I put my arms out.

Bang! am wake and I shout “No”. I sit up bolt upright. Ah my head. Something really sticky running down my face and it smells disgusting. I vomit over my bag. I put my hand toward my head and I then take a look into my hand, an egg shell. Someone egged me. I hear laughing in the background. I still can’t figure out where I am and my eyes are hazy. I search around on the floor and find an old newspaper. I use it to wipe my mouth from vomit and the dripping egg. I search around again and find a bottle. I wave it into my face and realize it’s my old pal, Gin. The shock comes to me where I am.

I sit there for what sees ages and realize I am dreaming again. I look at my watch, its 4.00pm. I have been unconscious for nearly 6 hours. I glance around at my surrounding: I am in the park, I slept under the tree again. I see couples holding hands and children laughing. I feel a pain in my heart and a streak of envy, and anger creeps up inside me. I start to get up, slowly, the world feels like it’s moving. I hold on to the tree to steady myself. My belongings are spread cross the ground. I have not got much a pair of shoes, a couple of jumpers that look like they have been dragged around by a dog but I am not really bothered about that. The only thing I am concerned about is my ring. I can’t find it, where is it? No, not that please not that . I see it under my bag. I throw the bag and grab it. I can’t bear to look at it so I put it in my sock. Grab my stuff and realize my bag is covered in vomit. I reach for the newspaper again and wipe the bag down. That will do.

I get my stuff and I am on my way. I look at my clock: it is now 6.30, blimey I realize it’s taken about two hours to get sorted. I had better hurry if I want to get to the soup kitchen and then the night shelter. About two weeks now I have been turned away because I have arrived late. I have been lucky, managed to sleep in a shop doorway which has kept me sheltered from the rain but it does not shelter you from passersby, I stroke my hair and a fragment of egg falls to the floor. I look up another crap night it seems. The clouds appear to look grey and angry. The last two nights I can’t quite remember what happened and how I got to the park but I like it that way. I hate remembering, it hurts too much.

I see the soup van and my old pal, Marty, with his dog, Oscar. He keeps telling me I should get a dog.

“They are great companions Burt, and they keep you warm and as an extra bonus you get more money from the social for having one”

I just shrug my shoulders at him, I don’t know why he calls me Burt. I suppose because I never told him my name but I don’t mind, it makes me forget who I am which is what I want. I don’t want to remember anything of my past, it’s too painful.

He waves me over. I can see he got me some soup and bread, they don’t really let you take two lots of food but the kitchen hands know him. He’s been on the streets for about four years now.

I start to walk towards him and there she is, as pretty as the first day I meet her, in her bright green outfit standing out as usual.

“Joe”, she calls “I have been waiting ages where have you been?”

She holds her arms out towards me I smell her rose perfume .

“Lily,” I shout

I run towards her with my arms out. “Lily, I missed you so much.” As I look up she disappears.

I sink to the floor with my hands in my face.

I feel a hand on my shoulders.

“Burt, you OK ?”

I don’t say anything . I realize its happened again. Joe helps me up and takes me to the side of the pavement where Oscar is guarding our food.

"It’s OK Burt, she’s gone “and hands me my great friend Gin, so I can forget the bad memories.

Maddnes

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:56:00 +0000

` Madness

The desert is a hot and humid place; everywhere you turn you see yellow sand. There is a random smell in the air like moldy meat, it makes you feel sick and light headed. There are pyramids scatted everywhere. It’s so quiet, there’s no one here except me, a million miles away from home.

How did I get here?

Why did it come to this?

Why me?
In the distance she sees a child standing in a playground with other children playing around her and it looks like some sort of adult in a uniform watching over them all. Maybe it’s a park, no, I look again, harder this time, no perhaps it is a school:

The girl is standing there with her face in her hands and making a weird screeching sound, maybe she is crying or screaming. It’s hard to make out what she doing. She keeps going blurred and flickering in and out.

There are so many children surrounding her, calling her names, like ‘four eyes’ and ‘ Goldilocks’. They are being really mean pulling and tugging at her. She manages to break free and she is running faster and faster away from them. She looks behind her and shouts something to them but I can’t hear what she says. I just see her mouth moving and then a big smirk on her face.

Then the image seems to be disappearing and she seems to be running straight into a sand storm and she is gone.

‘It’s got me’.

She’s being blown about, with sand going in her eyes and face. I can’t see. Then out of the blue she sees a boy hiding in the corner of the playground, he is hiding in something, not sure what but his face is turned to the wall and his hands seem to be trying to cover his trousers because he seems to have something on them. She puts her hands to her eyes to rub the sand out of them so she can see better. It becomes clear, it is a mud stain on his bum but the children are shouting at him. I think they are saying ‘ee you pooed yourself’ and they all start laughing and pointing at him .The children keep running up to him, whispering things in his right ear. I can’t make out what they are saying .She tries to move nearer to them but they seem to move further away. Then a girl appears, it looks like it’s the same one. She is wearing a bright, blue dress the same as earlier but her hair is tied up this time where earlier her long curly blonde hair was flowing over her face. Yes, it must be the same one from earlier. She says something but I can’t quite hear what she is saying but then the boy shouts to them all:

"At least she cares"!

All of sudden they disappear like a puff of smoke.

‘What’s happening to me?

Who are these people?

Why do they keep coming and going?

Am I dying, am I asleep?

Why are they not helping me ? I need to get out of here!

The sandstorms have disappeared and I am suddenly on the floor, crawling and gasping for breath. I am too weak to walk, I am so hungry and I need water desperately. She looks like she is going to faint, her arms keep collapsing to the floor and her eyes look sort of glazed with smudge marks around her eyes from her eyeliner. Her lips look dry, crusty with specks of blood on them.

I feel something wet and cold between my fingers, what is it? It feels familiar. Yes, I know it’s water. She grasps and makes her hands in to a cup, scooping the water up so carefully not to drop any. Then she drinks so fast that most of it misses her mouth and falls down her chin. She screams and flops her face straight in the water.

Another image appears: it’s the girl again, this time her hair is cut short; she is in a black and blue swimming suit with a white swimming cap on her head. The girl is standing right near the swimming pool edge and she is messing about, pretending to jump in the pool, when her leg slips off the edge and she falls in. I run to get her, screaming, but I can’t seem to reach her.

She's panicking and gasping for breath and fighting to reach the surface. Her life seems to flash before her and she thinks it’s her time to go then suddenly she pushes herself to the surface of the water gasping for breath.

Nobody notices what’s happened to her, her heart beats fast, she’s shaking with despair. I shout at her

‘You OK?’ She looks right at me, my eyes meeting hers.

Bang the girl has gone and she wakes up trying to get her bearings. She keeps blinking repeatedly which seems to be a hundred times, and then she stops as quickly as she started.

Where am I?

What’s happening?

Have I been dreaming?

Why am I in bed ?

Am I dead ?

She tries to get up off the bed but she can’t, she seems to be stuck and she can only move her head so she looks down at her arms and legs.

What’s going on?

Why can’t I move ?

They are pinned to the bed with leather straps. She starts shaking and pulling at the straps, trying to loosen them but instead the straps get tighter and cut into her wrists and ankles, causing them to bleed.

She starts to scream but nothing comes out and then she hits her head repeatedly on the bed with anger and frustration.

My throat feels like sandpaper, it hurts to swallow. I need a drink desperately. Somebody help me please? I feel like am going mad! I feel like my head is going to explode. I keep hearing voices but there is no-one to be seen.

She looks down at her left arm and there is a drip in it then she turns to look at her right arm; there are scars and needle marks all over her arm: some look red raw, like new wounds, but the others look like old scar marks.

She’s wet, cold and shaking; she realizes she has wet herself. She screams out in despair and this time her scream manages to reach her mouth but it comes out with a quite low, croaky sound. She stops, feeling relived her voice has surfaced, and turns to look at her surroundings. The room is pure white with white plastic drawers. There are numerous photos stuck on the wall but I can’t quite make out who they are and her eyes start to sting as if there is something in them. There a small window, which has a light shining on the plastic floor:, it must be daytime.

What day is it?

What month or year is it?

What time is it?

Who am I?

What’s happening to me?

As she is saying this her whole body starts shaking and she grinding her teeth until they bleed but she is not speaking out loud it must be in her head.

She looks again at the window and realizes there are locks on them and bars on the windows. There is a white door in front of her that is open but she can’t see what is outside the door. I can hear voices but there no one to be seen. She scans the room again and there is a green chair in the corner with flower patterns on it. I can hear footsteps and I can vaguely see a figure standing above me. She starts being abusing and trying to lash out at something not sure what. Someone is holding her down and injects her drip with a needle of clear liquid into her arm.

Where am I?

What are you doing to me?

Leave me alone damn it . She starts to slur and calm down, her body goes limp like jelly. She gently closes her eyes and a tear escapes her eye.

She takes a long deep breath and opens her eyes slowly. I don’t feel wet anymore but I have the same white and pink pyjamas back on. She tries to move her hand and this time its response . She looks down: her hands and feet are no longer tied with leather straps but her arms and ankles are wrapped up in bandages. She looks up: the walls are now purple instead of white. There are photos on the wall; they look really familiar to me. There are cuddly toys at the end of her lilac bed sheets. OMG I am back in my bedroom. I run to my window but I feel exhausted after that little run. I look out of the window, it’s pitch black outside with the moon thrusting light in.

I turn to look at my clock, its going mad,, flashes twelve clock and the date flashing is 4th September 2011. This is so weird .

What’s going on ?

Am I dreaming?

Who were those figures I saw ?

Am I going mad?

Help me please! I just don’t know what’s happening to me. She leaves the window and her eyes go back to the chair she looked at earlier: there is a figure now sitting in the chair. The figure seems familiar but I can’t place from where. I rub my eyes to make sure I am not imagining this figure and bit of sand comes out of my eyes, but I think nothing of it. The girl is still there and I suddenly click who she is and it’s the girl who I saw earlier . I don’t like this.

A lady with red hair and a fairly thin figure is holding a brown briefcase: she enters a big huge grey building and takes the lift to level four. She comes to a desk with a huge man sitting beside it with a newspaper over his head and snoring very loudly. She gently takes the newspaper off his face, rolls it up and smacks it against the table. The guy jumps and falls off his chair. He looks startled.

‘I am so sorry madam it’s been long day’.

The guy is wearing a white top and trousers with walkie talkie on the table and lots of paper scatterered everywhere.

He glances up at the lady. ‘Oh it’s you, Mrs Jones, am sorry again ,is it that time of the month already?

‘Its ok Taylor and relax,, I did not mean to make you jump like that . Yes,, it soon comes round the 24th.’ How’s she doing ?

‘It’s ok mama . Maybe you should see ,for yourself.’

Will you stop calling me mama Taylor it’s Judy. OK you’d better take me to her.’

They walk down along a white corridor, turn a corner and get to room four. The door is completely white with a peep hole attached. They open the peep hole: there lies a woman with straps attached to her wrists and ankles. A drip is attached to her left arm and she is looking towards the green chair. She seems to be shouting at it and hitting her head against the pillow but they can’t hear what she is saying because the room is soundproof and it’s got padding all over, with stains of blood splattered in places.

‘Right, we had better go back to your office Taylor, we need to talk’. She says in a pissed off manner.

‘Yes, Judy’

They march off back up the corridor to the to his office. She sits down and takes her files out of her briefcase.

‘Right, Taylor, why the hell is she all strapped up ?

She can’t hurt herself in there?

‘She is been really violent to the staff and abusive . We could not control her. Have you found anything about her yet ? She’’s been in here for three months now.’

‘I know .I have finally been given her information after a lot of dead ends I got the feeling someone does not want us to know her story’. She slides him the folder and he reads.

Name: Claire Elizabeth McCarthy

Age : 24

Home town : Dublin

Family : Not known

Illness : schizophrenia

‘Is that it, Judy? Well at least we know why she is a bit nuts and violent Plus, she is a long way from home.’

No apparently the police have been looking for her and it does not add up. Taylor, something does not smell right .’

‘Why are the police after her?’

‘She was involved in a murder , she is the prime suspect but they can’t seem to get anything out of her that makes sense that’s why they brought her to the psychiatric ward but the police don’t want anyone know who she is, where she is until they can get more information on the murder investigation. It makes sense why they want her highly doped up, so she does not say anything but they’re saying it’s because she’s danger to herself and others. They found her on the floor in a pile blood with her wrists slashed and a male and female body next to hers, dead . She was holding a knife and there were needles lying around. They went to move her and she stabbed a police officer and was extremely violent, then the next minute she passed out.’

How did you find this out if they were covering up and giving you false leads?’

I have a friend who owes me one and I gave him a gentle nudge: with some persuasion and he told me in the strictest confidence. I told you so you could keep an eye on her, plus I know I can trust you, Taylor.’

‘My lips are sealed’

She is still sitting on her bed and talking to the girl in the chair.

‘What’s going on ?

Who are you? I feel like I am going mad. Answer me, damn it!'

She is shouting quite aggressively at the girl from earlier.

She gets off the bed and spots the photos and she goes to look at them. There are lots of photos, she grabs them off the wall and tears them up. She then walks past the mirror and walks off . She quickly turns back and looks into the mirror .She lets out a great big scream runs to the torn photos and looks at the girl in the chair who smiles and nods.

No!! she closes her eyes and opens them again. She back in the white room in bed strapped up again. Aarg! I have been dreaming, I now recognizes the girl who I saw from earlier in the photos and in the mirror.

'It can’t’ be?

It’s not true ?'

Help me please. I feel like I am going mad. She starts to kick and fight the restraints, hitting her head against the bed. Moving and wriggling violently she manages to break free. She stands up and sees her reflection again, this time for real, in the window. She let’s a great big, scream shouting:

OMG IT’S ME.

This is my short story called Madness. Would love to know what you think.

Thursdays in Park by Hilary Boyd

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Review on Thursdays in Park by Hilary Boyd
This was one of the books in November which was choose for the book club
I have read some of Hilary Board books before and did not like them. I find them hard to read to read and did not like her style of writing but this book is different . I found it interesting and easy to read. i wanted to know what would happen to Jeannie and i fely sorry for her. I was not dis pointed in this book its different style to what i normal read but its very good. Give this book 4 out of 5. I like to hear other people view if they have read this book .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thursdays-in-the-Park-ebook/dp/B005COO12C/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1

Would like to hear your views on this book

Review: You had me at Hello

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:40:00 +0000

Review: You had me at Hello by Mhairi Mcfaralane

I have just started to read this book tonight. I got up to chapter 3 and can not get into this book. There are quite a few people saying its good I must say I disagree. when I was reading the book my mind kept wondering, normally when i read a book that interests me . I am glued to the book. I tried to give it a go but am afraid its not for me. its a shame I was really looking forward to reading this book. Its about a girl who been in a relationship for 13 years they are about to get married and she has second thoughts.
I normally love a love story but find it very hard read. If you disgree or agree love to hear your views.?
I give this book 1 out of 10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Had-Me-Hello-ebook/dp/B008B0SRXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356903812

Book club for January

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

Here are the three books that have been chosen. Choose the one you like and then tell us what you think of the book and rate it out of 10. I will be putting links up of the three books this month instead of me writing the description.
1) Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2) Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book 1 Robert J. Crane

3) Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë

If you have already read these books please tell us what you thought. If there any books you like to suggest for February just let us know. I will post the links above. :

Would love to here your reviews on these books

Book club for December

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:07:00 +0000

Book club for December
This month I am putting a bit of book description down so you know abit about the books before you pick which one you want to read. You don't have to buy the books if you don't want to just use a libabry if you like and I will be picking a book that is free from the kindle. when you finished the book let us know what you think so we can have discussions about them and if you can rate the book out of five to.

1) The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling:When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

2) Changeling by Philippa Gregory:
The first book in the thrilling YA sequence, Order of Darkness. The year is 1453, and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old, Luca Vero, is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom, and travel to the very frontier of good and evil. Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt. Outside in the yard they are building a pyre to burn her for witchcraft. Forced to face the greatest fears of the medieval world - dark magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

3) Q - A Thriller by K D George:
How far would you go to rescue your lover? Would you go to hell on earth? Ex-soldier Felix Chapman embarks on an audacious attempt to rescue his wife after her abduction in a vicious modern day piracy attack off West Africa. She is lost in a brutal anarchic country ruled by warring tribes. There are no laws, no police, no diplomatic treaties and no hope...

Dracula Review

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Book Description:

A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature: Count Dracula, a tragic, night-dwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical passions prey upon the innocent, the helpless, and the beautiful. But Dracula also stands as a bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose nocturnal atrocities reflect the dark underside of the supremely moralistic age in which it was originally written -- and the corrupt desires that continue to plague the modern human condition.

Dracula is a horror book and was Bram Stoker best book and has been made in to many films. This book is in letter, diary form and its from Johnathan Harker, Mina and the doctor point of view. It's called Dracula but you never hear from Dracula point of view. I study this book twice now and I would never of read it if was not for my degree. I found in parts I was lossing interest in the book but other times I got really in to it and then I would get fed up again.The way the book written in diary and letter form lost be abit because it kept switching to different characters and what was happening with them at that point. . The imagery and description is very good because you can see everything that going on inyour mind. My husband loved this book and loved the style of writing and could not put it down . Where I was not that interested as much but hd to read for my lecture.

I give this book 6 out of 10

Would love to hear your comments if you have read this book

Mockingbird Review

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Book Description:

This is a heart-warming story of loss and recovery that won the American National Book Award 2010 - one of the most moving books you'll ever read. 11-year-old Caitlin has Asperger's syndrome, and has always had her older brother, Devon, to explain the confusing things around her. But when Devon is killed in a tragic school shooting, Caitlin has to try and make sense of the world without him. With her dad spending most of his time crying in the shower, and her life at school becoming increasingly difficult, it doesn't seem like things will ever get better again.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mockingbird-Kathryn-Erskine/9781409538585?b=-3&t=-20#Fulldescription-20

I found this novel on the kindle and by the description it sounded good. This Book is fantastic it really pulled on my heart strings. Its about girl who has aspergers and her brother and some other people got shoot. The story is how her and her father cope from there loss and Catitiln has no friends at school but she finally finds a friend she can be herself with. I could not put this novel down . I wanted to know if her father would be there for her and could they get through this terrible event. The characters were easy to get on with and sympathy with. I really enjoyed this style of writing and I did think this was a true story due to how she writes this book and the research about the story. This book is defently must read . I give this book 10 out 10

I would love to hear people comments on this book.

Book Club For November

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:24:00 +0000

This month I am putting a bit of book description down so you know abit about the books before you pick which one you want to read.You don't have to buy the books if you don't want to just use a libabry if you like and I will be picking a book that is free from the kindle. This month its Darkness Falls. If there is any books that you want to put on the book club please let me know. Looking forward to having discussions with you about these books.
Here is November book list:

1) Thursdays In the Park by Hilary Boyd

Books Description :
The book tells the story of Jeanie, a middle aged woman whose husband has not shared a bed with her for ten long years. Unsurprisingly, for this genre, Jeanie meets a new and exciting man in the park who sweeps her off her feet and reawakens her lost passion for life and sex. One only has to read the humorous blog The Plankton: Life at the bottom of the sexual food chain, written by a middle aged divorcee, to know that this scenario is fairly unlikely. The more interesting novel would have explored what happens when no one comes to rescue Jeanie from her bad marriage, and she has to save herself.

2) Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen This is fantasy magic book

Book Description :

April Dunne is having a rough time. There are vampires in her school. Not Goths, or Emos in fancy dress. Dangerous, blood-sucking semi-immortals. They run the school. They pretend to be students at it. And they're using their influence to recruit smart, rich students - aka 'bleeders' - to their own cause. What is that cause? April isn't sure. But she knows they killed a rock star for it, and innocents who got too close to the truth. One of them almost killed her. But that's nothing to what's coming next. Gabriel, her kinda-boyfriend, is dying and unless April can find a cure then not only is she going to be boyfriendless, she's also going to lose one of her major allies in the school. And she really needs allies. Because it turns out April has an ability of her own, one that could prove lethal to the 'Suckers' who've taken over the school. If any of them figure out what she is, then losing her boyfriend will be the least of her problems ...

3) The Lewis Man Trilogy by Peter May. This is Crime novel

Book Description:

An unidentified corpse is recovered from a Lewis peat bog; the only clue to its identity being a DNA sibling match to a local farmer. But this islander, Tormod Macdonald - now an elderly man suffering from dementia - has always claimed to be an only child. When Tormod's family approach Fin Macleod for help, Fin feels duty-bound to solve the mystery.

Review on Host

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Host by Stepheine Meyer

Book Description:

The Host is Stephenie Meyer's first adult novel. The human race has been taken over by parasitic but peace-loving aliens called souls. Melanie, the human host of a soul called Wanderer, is resistant and refuses to fade away, leading Wanderer on a journey unlike any she's experienced in her nine lives in other hosts' bodies around the universe.

Well what can I say about this book. Its science fiction .It is completely different from the Twilight serious. When I saw this book I could not wait to read it because her last three were so good I thought the Host would be the same. I was so wrong .The book was hard to read , very slow .Did not understand at all what was going on . It is a very weird book. I have not even finished reading is because i just can not get into it. I have tried several times to finish it but I just lose interest. The characters are very basic , stale and not very interesting.
I give this book 0 out of 10

If there is people that disagree. I would love to here your comments and would also love to hear from the people who agree

Monologue

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Susie from the AA meeting her point of view about Susan.

So sick of these AA meetings they seem to be the same people every week to dreaing on about the same old problems. I wish something different or exciting would happen in these meetings. I wonder why I still come, I'm not like these people I've got a grip on my life. I have not drank for over a year now but I suppose I come for the company really and to get out of the house.

Wait minute somebody new has just walked in this hasn't happened in ages.

“Hi my name is Susan and I'm an alcoholic “she says.

She looks like she's carrying the whole world on her shoulders; turns out she's a vicar's wife which is a bit of a shock. I definitely feel sorry for her I think I would turn to drink if I was in her position, what I’m talking about I'm an alcoholic.

She talks about her life as a vicar's wife and about the incident with the flowers in the church where she fell over and hit ahead and all her florist's friends were sort of smothering her and running around to help her.

I notice she sat in the corner all on an own while we are having a break she looked very sad on all alone. So I decided to go over to speak to her. Hi I'm Susie I gather this is your first time here.

“Yes she said I've never been to one of these meetings before, it is bit scary and admitting you're an alcoholic to other people and yourself plus being a vicar's wife you’re not supposed to do things like this”.

Susan looks like she's in her late fifty’s; she hasn't got many friends and she hates her life at present. I tell her a bit about myself, I am thirty-six and have been alcoholic for about ten years. Drunk myself silly every day and nearly died, when a friend made me come to my senses. Susan gave me sympathy look and I suppose she felt sorry for me.

After that I saw her nearly every week she continued to come to the AA meetings and she started to look brighter and bit perkier in herself. We started to become good friends after that and we started to confide in each of about our lives and are secrets that we haven't told anyone else. For instance she told me one day she'd slept with this Indian guy who was a shopkeeper and he was called Mr Ramesh. Susan said “he was a lot younger than myself, even though when I saw him I was drunk but I enjoyed spending time with him”. “Really I said I cannot believe a vicar's wife would do something like that but then I suppose you do anything when you’re not happy with your life”. Susan looked at me and agreed and Susan said Mr Ramesh seemed to understand her and never asked any questions about her life and he made her happy. He also made her realise that she needed to get some help, about her drinking. So she's glad she met him in a way.

This woman amazing to me. What Susan been through I would never thought a vicar's wife would feel like this and be an alcoholic. It's been about two months now and she's not had a drink and she seems a lot more contented in her life now .Susan seems happy with the vicar at present and am really happy for her and we still see each other on Thursday in the AA meetings. Which am glad about.

Fifty Shades of Grey Review

noreply@blogger.com (Tea Leaves and Book Leaves) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 21:52:00 +0000

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James

Book Description
When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind – until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.

Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.

But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view …

I kept seeing people mentioning this novel on their facebook statues but thought no think to it until it was on the news and how they were saying everyone reading it. After that i wanted to know what ll the fuss was about so one on my friends gave me the book.
I read this book I found it very interesting and could not believe how intimate and erotic the novel was. I could not put the book down I wanted to know what Happened between Anastasia and Christian. I thought Christian character is very dark and dangerous did not like the way he controlled Ana . Ana character seems very naive and gullible and would do anythink for this guy she just meet. The characters are a little like the characters from Twilight but that did not seem to put me off. The novel is very easy to read and kept me hooked to the end
The Trilogy is very erotic and steamy all through the book.

I give fifty shades 7 out of 10

I will review the next two books of the trilogy soon.

If any one has any comments on Fifty shades . I would love to hear them.