I am always typing away and my fingers came out with this a couple of months ago but I am unsure whether to carry it on. It is the first chapter in so called book but as it stands alone I can't really refer to it as part of novel truthfully. Anyway give me your thoughts, potential?
Chapter One
In films church bells usually sound melodious and cheerful. They ring merrily even tunefully like at weddings and celebrations. I was never sure if this was the norm and when my church bell rang at 12 o’clock everyday without relief God was just angry. The sound was a steady ringing; ‘bong’ ‘bong’ ‘bong’. Fury and disappointment running off the noise with every deafening clang. It was ringing when I left my house that morning. As we all know loud noises can often startle us even if we are prepared and when the first din rang throughout the air I jumped, fumbled with my necklace clasp and dropped it on the grass.
“Oh no!” The silver chain was tiny and delicate, almost invisible in the overgrown lawn but the sun was bright despite the wind in the air and it bounced off the shiny surface like a secret signal flashing in my eyes. However the clue to the whereabouts of my necklace apprehended me instead. The light dancing off the chain blinded me so that my grasp picked up a fist full of daisies and grass missing the necklace completely and giving the wind a head start. As my necklace flew forward I lurched and grasped at thin air, once, twice, three times but to no avail. The wind carried it away leaving me behind shock spreading across my face. It was one of those slow motion moments where I could see everything unraveling in front of me. However there was nothing I could do. Completely helpless my heart sank. But I had to snap out of it. My car keys instead became the focus of my attention as I walked away towards my car feeling slightly more downtrodden than I had felt before.
New trackies and running shoes: these were the only two things on my mental shopping list. Maybe I’d have a frappachino and a muffin in Starbucks to cheer me up when I got to Falkirk; a skinny one of course. I rolled down the car window just a little to let in some fresh air. The breeze ran along my face as I drove in the opposite direction.
The drive to Falkirk was longer than it felt, maybe an hour, but I had my Ipod in blasting away. Bo’ness and Grangemouth disappeared without receiving much attention from me and it wasn’t long till I was driving into Falkirk. The transition from almost silence apart from the odd car zooming by to the hustle and bustle of bags rustling, people chatting and feet clacking of the concrete was gradual but distinct. It wasn’t London or even Glasgow but it was busy for where I was. I needed to find somewhere quieter, a side street, to park. The street I found was a little cramped but there was no time to troll around for half an hour to find somewhere better. Some idiot had parked their four-wheel drive monstrosity in a space and a half so I found it very difficult to maneuver myself effectively. Obviously the person behind me was having the same problem. Maybe I was just too distracted but in a split second I could feel my car jumping forward against its will whilst another driver bumped into my rear end. It was a shock; the other driver had obviously been going a lot faster not expecting to run into any other cars. Never the less my neck jutted forward pulling at my neck and I felt a lurching sensation in my stomach before my chest was hit hard by the airbag that sprung out automatically. My breath was lost for a second more from the suddenness of what had just happened rather than any physical damage I was already thinking about the greater harm that had probably befallen my tiny Corsa.
“Oh my God! Are you ok?” I heard a man’s worried voice yell as a car door slammed.
Slowly I too pulled myself out of my car to survey the damage. The air smelt fresh; no leeks. I had also managed to avoid continuing on and hitting the ‘wanna be’ monster truck with a domino effect. When I saw my attacker my stomach turned over for the second time in that minute. I thought I was looking at a ghost for a split second before I was brought back to reality
“Are you ok?” He repeated his question looking at me as if my brain had spilled out. I was obviously gawking.
“Yes. I’m fine. Sorry. I thought I recognised you.”
I took a closer look at the stranger before me. His stubble was clearly a few days old, his dark brown hair untidy with slightly knotted curls and the rest of his appearance too was quite disheveled. His shirt was un-ironed and his jacket buttoned in the wrong wholes not to mention the glimpse of odd socks I could see from his ruffled up trousers. Andrew however would never have left the house looking like that; I would not have let him. Despite the untidy apparel the man’s face was almost identical to Andrews when we were newlyweds at 24. I was 27 now though and Andrew was dead.
“I can’t believe it I was in such a rush I didn’t notice you until too late.” Andrew’s doppelganger scrutinised the damage. It was not as bad as I had expected. Smashed rear light and a small dent by its side, nothing too costly.
“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be much there is barely any damage.” I responded.
“Good. Here are my details, for the insurance.” He pulled out a bent card from his left pocket and stretched out his arm to hand it to me. We both began to move forward however I stopped unexpectedly and stared my eyes fixed on the dirty pavement. I was obviously so bedazzled that I had stopped too abruptly right in the guys oncoming path and their was a second much smaller collision when he walked straight into my back. We both uttered simultaneously apologies before he asked me why I had stopped and I pointed directly at what had caught my attention.
“What is it?” He asked curiously.
I stooped over to pick it up, holding it by chain so it dangled from my grip.
“A necklace.”
“This is my necklace.” The shock I felt was not portrayed in my rasping whisper. “It was blown away this morning when I was leaving the house.”
“Do you stay near by?” He was smiling clearly unaware of how peculiar this situation was.
“I… I stay in Linlithgow...” I trailed of staring at the thin silver chain adorned with a delicate little heart that I knew so well. During my moment of silence a frown had spread across his face.
“Maybe it’s just a similar necklace…”
“Definitely mine, look here,” I directed his attention to the two sets of small initials engraved on the heart, ‘F.M’ and ‘A.B’. “It was a wedding present from my husband.” I finally glanced up at the building we stood in front off. A small independent bookshop peered out from in between the row of large Victorian buildings. It wasn’t a store I had ever come across before and I was seeing a day of surprises unraveling in front of me gradually.
Just then the man’s phone began to ring and he fumbled to answer it. I was still mystified by the similarities between him and my husband, my ears even wrung when I heard the noticeably comparable tones of his voice. But I had seen Andrew’s body. They had called me to the morgue to identify him and I could still remember the raw feeling inside me when the white sheet was pulled back to reveal his lifeless body. He had died in a car crash although the cause of the crash was never quite certain. Charles was the name I read of the card the man had given me. My gaze focused once more on the shop stood in front of me as I moved my eyes upwards from the card. It wasn’t a conscious decision but before I knew what I was doing I could hear the wind chime jingle as I pushed the heavy wooden open with the palm of my hand.
The inside of the store was what would once of been my idea of heaven. If I had been a teenager stepping into this store my eyes would have popped and my mouth would have filled with liquid. Each shelf was stack to the ceiling with a wide array of books. Their were paperbacks, hardbacks, children’s books, poetry, leather-bound books that could have been a hundred years old and glossy new covers with photographic images. One thing that won me over was the organization. The shelves might have been filled to bursting but everything was stacked incredibly neatly and from what I could tell in perfect alphabetical order.
Other than myself the shop appeared empty and judging by the dust settled on most of the books this was its usual state. I had seen museum exhibits with more animation. After a second glance however I noticed the middle aged woman sat behind a counter peering at me from behind her small spectacles. Her drab attire that blended in with its surroundings so well that she had almost become one with the furniture and fittings. Even her gazed was fixed, directly at me. Of course I was the only customer so I would automatically be the focus of her attention but her stare was a little unnerving. Despite the staff however the shop had a generally appealing pleasant feeling and I wondered why I had never noticed it before.
“Need any help looking for something dear?” The woman’s voice danced through my ears and although pleasant her sudden use of speech made me jump.
“I am just browsing thanks.” I gazed around for a moment before adding “Has this always been a book store.”
“We’ve been here a long time. Well before you must have been born. Old family business.” She must have noticed my confused expression because she continued by saying “We’ve been closed for a little while though, not enough demand.”
“It’s a lovely store.” I walked up to a shelf with a sign stating Fantasy Fiction and peered at a row of semi-used looking books. Every cover and title seemed to be a rarity with no two alike or any that I recognized but that was not surprising; a small shop like this probably did not stock as many mainstream or recent works of fiction but older books probably written at the same time the store opened and which seemingly had not been moved since then. I was reluctant to pick up a book incase I disturbed something that had not been moved for years. I did however run my finger along the bindings of the novels unconsciously.
“If you enjoy Fantasy I might have one you would be interested in.” I was taken aback by the woman’s sudden appearance behind me I hadn’t even heard her move. I must still have been rattled from my encounter outside, as my feet could not seem to keep themselves firmly planted on the floor. Her hand reached round me and pulled a nondescript cover from the shelf I had been examining.
“Thanks.” I followed the woman hesitantly to the desk where she opened up the book. It was full of incredibly detailed illustrations on almost every page. Black and white monotones with delicate dashes of colour leapt out from flowers and clothing. If I was not mistaken the inked images appeared to be drawn straight onto the pages instead of being prints of the originals. Each one was drawn by the same artist that was clear the style was distinct and the images unique; animals, forests, flowers and recurring intricate fairies amongst many other things. The fairies stood out the most always with some colour and hidden somewhere in every drawing, whether it be in the forefront or obscured by a plant in the background. My finger instinctively reached out to touch one of the small creatures watching me out of the page
“They are exceptional are they not? Unique.” The woman looked to me for approval of the statement.
“Exactly the word I was thinking off. The fairies are incredibly beautiful. What is it about?”
“Not fairies lass. Changelings.” A bemused expression crossed my face at these words. “The children of fairy folk hidden amongst us switched with our own bairns at infancy.” I observed that not all of the figures had wings but some sat or stood on the ground just as beautiful.
“Are these originals?”
“One of a kind.” The woman eyed me as if searching for an answer.
One of a kind, definitely out of my budget by the sound of it. I instantly removed my finger from the page afraid of its delicacy. Just then I was overwhelmed with a slight dizzy feeling and I staggered ever so slightly. Like when you stand up to fast and your eyes fog over for just a second. Hadn’t I forgotten something what had led me here to begin with? Another round of blurred vision hit me and I stepped unevenly backwards. It felt almost as though too fast some unknown force had pushed me and my head hurt on my neck. My back collided with the bare wooden floorboards. I watched the wingless changeling with its dark eyes; pale skin and dainty features flicker across my vision only for a moment before everything went black.
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