Devillishgirl
Mostly Absent User..sadly
**Deep breath** OK here goes nothing. This is a portion of the book I'm working on. It's not from the very beginning but its close, I just didn't want to add too long of a piece. Basically.....just let me know what you think. Obviously if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, please tell me! If something doesn't look right in context or another word would do better, suggest it. If it sucks, tell me that too. 
Days went by. Nothing extraordinary happened. No memories returned. Catriona resumed her daily routine as if nothing had ever happened. She only wished that were true. She had a strange, unwanted feeling that she wasn’t in control of her life anymore. Not only had she lost control of her life, she had lost the firm grip she used to have on reality. Everything used to fit, like pieces to a puzzle, but now all of the puzzle pieces had changed and shifted and she had no idea how to put it all back together again. Even her work wasn’t any comfort to her now. In the past, putting together menus and cooking for her small, home based catering company used to make her happy and ease any troubles on her mind. Now, it was only an excuse to get away from the real world, her Mama, her friends, Anthony, everything. Cat pulled the comforts of her familiar apartment and routines around her like a thick quilt to keep her warm and safe from the void and the blank darkness in her life. The first few days back to her life were filled with visits from joyous and amazed family members and friends, wanting to see her, to make sure she was real. Her dog, an easygoing, lovable boxer named Branwen, followed her everywhere, a perpetual shadow. After the visits dwindled down, Cat spent a lot of her time reacquainting herself with her surroundings. She and Branwen ambled around the apartment, exploring and remembering. Cat spent hours in her kitchen, cooking and baking some of her favorites just to prove to herself that she hadn’t forgotten that at least. The rest of the time she spent curled up on her big leather sofa or in her bed with her fluffy down comforter just reading a book.
Dreams started to fill her sleeping hours. Little tantalizing thoughts kept popping into Cat’s head. Snatches of dreams, pieces of pictures. Thoughts. Was she going crazy? She didn’t think so, but then, most crazy people don’t. A statue. In the dark of the night, a statue of a woman, naked, with the moon throwing its soft light upon her. That’s where it all started. Possibly. Or was that a book? The one with the strange writing in it.
Sitting in her kitchen, writing up a menu plan for a birthday tea party, Cat’s mind drifted back to the first day that she saw that ancient-looking book. It was in a bookstore in the old part of downtown. She had been browsing when something suddenly drew her to the dilapidated old shop sunk back behind most of the other stores. As soon as she entered it, she felt as if she had stepped into another world, the scent of old books and rotting pages filled her nostrils. The air was thick with dust and cigar smoke leaving a haze over Cat’s vision, like the dirty film floating on the surface of a mud puddle in the street. There were books stacked haphazardly all over the place, on tables, shelves, the floor and the counters. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the placement of the books, with Shakespeare nestled between works on astronomy and natural science and Moliere on top of a pile of periodicals on ornithology. Catriona’s love for books took over and propelled her through the clusters of books while she kept a keen eye open for any unique or interesting books to add to her large collection. A few early edition classics were in her arms when a large, leather-bound tome caught her attention. The book was cased in deep red, nearly crimson, leather with symbols stamped on the cover in gold. She picked the book up reverently and carefully opened the cover to reveal a drawing of a beautiful woman standing naked. Surrounding the woman were several people in various poses of supplication. Intrigued, Cat began turning pages her eyes skimming over text in symbols and a language she did not recognize. There were several other pictures in the book varying from beautiful to disturbing, each one more captivating than the last. Without thinking or even looking for a price tag, Cat added the book to her arms and headed for the counter to check out.
The counter where the antiquated cash register sat was not exempt from the clutter of books that filled the store. There was no one behind the counter so a search through the piles of books and dust rewarded Cat with a sneezing fit and one of those little brass bells. Eyes watering, Cat tapped the flat of her hand on top of the bell and was jarred by the sound that rent through the stillness of the store. Moments later, the sound of shuffling feet coming from the back of the store heralded the approach of the clerk. Cat’s eyebrow arched towards her hairline when she caught a glimpse of said clerk coming around a stack of books. She, at least Cat thought it was a woman, had on several layers of oddly mismatched clothing. The most visible layer included a floral print dress with short sleeves and a wide lace collar over an oversized flannel shirt and olive green work pants. The ensemble was finished off with a man’s bowler hat covering a copious amount of frizzy black hair, bright yellow rubber galoshes and a pair of gloves with the fingers cut off so that Cat could see the ink stained digits protruding from them. The overall affect was rather comical and when the clerk was close enough Cat could see the mischievous twinkle in the pair of green eyes peering out under a cloud of black hair. Obviously, her attire often gained her such attention and the woman found it amusing. The clerk finished winding her way through the books and squeezed herself behind the counter. As soon as she saw the book Cat had picked up, her eyes widened and she started mumbling to herself. In between unintelligible comments, she would study Cat, the green eyes burning into Cat’s skin and making her feel as if she were being inspected. Finally, the bizarre virago nodded to herself with a "HRMPH" and it appeared that Cat passed the unspoken test.
Dreams started to fill her sleeping hours. Little tantalizing thoughts kept popping into Cat’s head. Snatches of dreams, pieces of pictures. Thoughts. Was she going crazy? She didn’t think so, but then, most crazy people don’t. A statue. In the dark of the night, a statue of a woman, naked, with the moon throwing its soft light upon her. That’s where it all started. Possibly. Or was that a book? The one with the strange writing in it.
Sitting in her kitchen, writing up a menu plan for a birthday tea party, Cat’s mind drifted back to the first day that she saw that ancient-looking book. It was in a bookstore in the old part of downtown. She had been browsing when something suddenly drew her to the dilapidated old shop sunk back behind most of the other stores. As soon as she entered it, she felt as if she had stepped into another world, the scent of old books and rotting pages filled her nostrils. The air was thick with dust and cigar smoke leaving a haze over Cat’s vision, like the dirty film floating on the surface of a mud puddle in the street. There were books stacked haphazardly all over the place, on tables, shelves, the floor and the counters. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the placement of the books, with Shakespeare nestled between works on astronomy and natural science and Moliere on top of a pile of periodicals on ornithology. Catriona’s love for books took over and propelled her through the clusters of books while she kept a keen eye open for any unique or interesting books to add to her large collection. A few early edition classics were in her arms when a large, leather-bound tome caught her attention. The book was cased in deep red, nearly crimson, leather with symbols stamped on the cover in gold. She picked the book up reverently and carefully opened the cover to reveal a drawing of a beautiful woman standing naked. Surrounding the woman were several people in various poses of supplication. Intrigued, Cat began turning pages her eyes skimming over text in symbols and a language she did not recognize. There were several other pictures in the book varying from beautiful to disturbing, each one more captivating than the last. Without thinking or even looking for a price tag, Cat added the book to her arms and headed for the counter to check out.
The counter where the antiquated cash register sat was not exempt from the clutter of books that filled the store. There was no one behind the counter so a search through the piles of books and dust rewarded Cat with a sneezing fit and one of those little brass bells. Eyes watering, Cat tapped the flat of her hand on top of the bell and was jarred by the sound that rent through the stillness of the store. Moments later, the sound of shuffling feet coming from the back of the store heralded the approach of the clerk. Cat’s eyebrow arched towards her hairline when she caught a glimpse of said clerk coming around a stack of books. She, at least Cat thought it was a woman, had on several layers of oddly mismatched clothing. The most visible layer included a floral print dress with short sleeves and a wide lace collar over an oversized flannel shirt and olive green work pants. The ensemble was finished off with a man’s bowler hat covering a copious amount of frizzy black hair, bright yellow rubber galoshes and a pair of gloves with the fingers cut off so that Cat could see the ink stained digits protruding from them. The overall affect was rather comical and when the clerk was close enough Cat could see the mischievous twinkle in the pair of green eyes peering out under a cloud of black hair. Obviously, her attire often gained her such attention and the woman found it amusing. The clerk finished winding her way through the books and squeezed herself behind the counter. As soon as she saw the book Cat had picked up, her eyes widened and she started mumbling to herself. In between unintelligible comments, she would study Cat, the green eyes burning into Cat’s skin and making her feel as if she were being inspected. Finally, the bizarre virago nodded to herself with a "HRMPH" and it appeared that Cat passed the unspoken test.
