A fiction excerpt
Bold shafts of morning sun nudged open Emily’s eyelids, still sandy and dry from her late night. She shut them quickly with a groan, and rolled face down into the feather pillow. Yet the warmth of the day’s beginning urged her upright and teased her eyes back open. She slid down from the bed and approached the window, drawing in a full breath of balmy breeze.
The previous day’s voyage faded to a murky half-memory that seemed unreal. Unreal, that is, except for the bruise on her shoulder from the near fall out of the carriage. Glad that was over. The freshness of the morning buoyed her spirits, leading to the thought that a new chapter had begun, and the aftertaste of the past was firmly behind her.
Emily yanked the French doors towards her. With a slight creak they swung open, so she stepped out onto a miniature iron balcony. Flanked on either side were large clusters of fuchsia bougainvillea, which surrounded her with perfume. Spreading before her was the emerald green lawn separating the house from the bay, which traced an even blue line on the horizon. Stretching above was milky sky reaching forever, it seemed. The quietness lay like a blanket, save the occasional piercing cries of an island bird, or the distant horn of a clipper.
Note: this is an piece from an unwritten (so far) story. Maybe it will lead your imagination somewhere! Any stories come to mind?