Trollheart
Nothing Wicked This Way Comes...
Here's a mystery that will probably never be solved. In the process of converting some old Lotus Word Pro files I came across this extract. Reading it, I was quite surprised as it does not in any way seem to be like my sort of writing style at all, but I can't remember where it came from. I wonder if it might be something I was checking for someone else (unlikely) or even a transcript of something I read? I titled it etst.lwp, which means nothing to me now sadly. The writing is all off; I guess it's good but I just don't write like that, and I didn't, even back in 2001 when this was written. It's just not me. So unless it's that pesky ghost that haunts my house and keeps changing my plot lines and characters - Dennis, I know it's you! - I've no idea where it came from.
If anyone has seen anything like this, recognises it as an extract from anything, please let me know, in case I later decide to use it or part of it. And before anyone asks, no, I don't know where it was going and yes, it does cut off midway, so sorry.
Note: I've left all the original spelling mistakes in, which proves I at least typed it, but “ a diffuse raidiance through morning mist and lake-born fog”? “ pearls and diamonds of moistiure out of the leaden shadows”? “ soft pearl nibbled at the slaty rocks of the uneven shorleine”? Nah. Not this guy.
Here's the extract:
The sun was up at last, somewhere beyond the cliffs that stood above the far end of the lake. While the bright disk itself remained invisible, it projected a diffuse raidiance through morning mist and lake-born fog, making a pearl-grey world of land and air and water. It was a world in w hich no shapre or colour was able to remain quite what it ought to be. Small waves of soft pearl nibbled at the slaty rocks of the uneven shorleine. On the step slopes rising just inland, pine trees with twisted trunks and branches grew thickly, their grey-green needles gathering pearls and diamonds of moistiure out of the leaden shadows that surrounded them. Land and lake alike seemed to be giving birth to the bilo3ws of almost colourless vapour that moved softly over eartha nd water. Fog and light togetehr worked a brief natureal enchantment.
A man was standing laone on the very edge of the lake, leabning out into the mist. With one of his huge hands he gripped the stunted trunk of a twisted tree, while the other hand held a black wooden staff in a position that allowed him to brace part of his weight on its support. He was very nearly motinless, but still the attitude of his whole body showed the intensity of the effort he was making, trying to see something out over the water. He had a large, round, ugly, stupid-looking face, his forehead creased now with the effort of trying to see throught the pearl-grey air. His mouth was muttering oaths, so softly as to leave them totally inaudible. Grey marked his dark hari and beard, and his age appaered to be closer to forty than to thirty.
Somewhere, only a matter of metres to the man’s right as he looked out over the water, a lake bird called, sounding a single, mocking, raucous note. Despite its nearness, the impertienent bird was quite invisible in mist. The watcher paid it no attention.
He was thinking that a claer midnight, even with no moon, would have made for better seeing that this hazed near-nothingness imbued with sunlight. At least at midnight you would not expect to be able to see anything. As matters stood now, the man could only suppose that there was still islands out there in the middle od the chill lake, the islands he had seen there yesterday, no more than a couple of kilometres away. He supposed he could take it for granted too that there was still a castle on one of those islands, the castle he had seen yesterday. And maybe he could even be sure that ---
Nearby sounds, the scramble of feet in heavy gravel, the impact of a blow on flesh, jolted the watcher away from suppositions. The sources of these sounds were as invisible as the noisy bird, but he was sure they were no more than a stone’s throw away, along the shoreline to his right. After a momentary pause there followed more energentic scrambling and another blow, then a cry for help in a familiar voice.
The watcher had already launched himself in the direction of the sounds, moving with surprising speed for someone of his great bulk, well past his early youth. And as he ran along the jagged shoreline, avoiding boulders and tramplong bushes, new sounds came from behind him, those of another pair of runing feet. Those pursuig feet sounded lighter and more agile than his own, but so far had been unable to overtake him. He paid them no atention.
The big man;s wooden staff, a thick tool of black hardened wood somewhat longer than he was tall, was raissed now in his ight hand, balanced and ready to do the service of either spear or club.
And now, after only a couple of dozen strides, the younger feet behind him had begun to gain. But still the big man did not turn his head. The sounds of struggle ahead continued.
Both runners saw that, despite their quickness, they were too late.
Rounding a spur of the rugged shorline, oen after the other in rapid succession, they came in sight of the noisy struggle, in which three men had surrouned one. The three men, though wearing soldiers’ uniforms in grey trimemd with red, were all unarmed. The man surrounded had showing at his belt the black hilt of a great Sword, but he was not trying to draw the weapon. And now, an instant later, even if he had wanted to draw it, it was too late, because his arms were pinioned. He was a tall and powerful man, and still conscious, but he had lost the fight.
The huge man raored a challenge and ran on, doing his best to reach the fighters. But he and the runner who followed him were still too far away to have any influence upon the outcome. The three who had the one surrounded were now lifting him up between them, as if they meant to make of him an offering to some strange gods of mist or lake.
And now indeed, coming down out of the low, tree-grazing clouds, a winged shape appeared. Those descending wings surpassed in span and thickness those of almost any bird, reptile or flying dragon that either of the would-be rescuers had ever seen before. But still those wings seemed inadequate to support this creature’s body, which was as big and solid as a riding-beast’s. The head and forelimbs of the quadruped were those of a giant eagle, covered with white feathers shading into grey. But the body and the rear legs resembled those of a lion, clad in short, tawny fur and thick with muscle. The thing appeared too bulky for its wings, despite thier size, to get off the ground. And yet it flew with graceful power.
Whatever the nightmare creature was, it had aleady fastened the taloned grip of its forelimsb on the heavy body of the man who was being held up for them. Up he went again, right out of the hands of his
If anyone has seen anything like this, recognises it as an extract from anything, please let me know, in case I later decide to use it or part of it. And before anyone asks, no, I don't know where it was going and yes, it does cut off midway, so sorry.
Note: I've left all the original spelling mistakes in, which proves I at least typed it, but “ a diffuse raidiance through morning mist and lake-born fog”? “ pearls and diamonds of moistiure out of the leaden shadows”? “ soft pearl nibbled at the slaty rocks of the uneven shorleine”? Nah. Not this guy.
Here's the extract:
The sun was up at last, somewhere beyond the cliffs that stood above the far end of the lake. While the bright disk itself remained invisible, it projected a diffuse raidiance through morning mist and lake-born fog, making a pearl-grey world of land and air and water. It was a world in w hich no shapre or colour was able to remain quite what it ought to be. Small waves of soft pearl nibbled at the slaty rocks of the uneven shorleine. On the step slopes rising just inland, pine trees with twisted trunks and branches grew thickly, their grey-green needles gathering pearls and diamonds of moistiure out of the leaden shadows that surrounded them. Land and lake alike seemed to be giving birth to the bilo3ws of almost colourless vapour that moved softly over eartha nd water. Fog and light togetehr worked a brief natureal enchantment.
A man was standing laone on the very edge of the lake, leabning out into the mist. With one of his huge hands he gripped the stunted trunk of a twisted tree, while the other hand held a black wooden staff in a position that allowed him to brace part of his weight on its support. He was very nearly motinless, but still the attitude of his whole body showed the intensity of the effort he was making, trying to see something out over the water. He had a large, round, ugly, stupid-looking face, his forehead creased now with the effort of trying to see throught the pearl-grey air. His mouth was muttering oaths, so softly as to leave them totally inaudible. Grey marked his dark hari and beard, and his age appaered to be closer to forty than to thirty.
Somewhere, only a matter of metres to the man’s right as he looked out over the water, a lake bird called, sounding a single, mocking, raucous note. Despite its nearness, the impertienent bird was quite invisible in mist. The watcher paid it no attention.
He was thinking that a claer midnight, even with no moon, would have made for better seeing that this hazed near-nothingness imbued with sunlight. At least at midnight you would not expect to be able to see anything. As matters stood now, the man could only suppose that there was still islands out there in the middle od the chill lake, the islands he had seen there yesterday, no more than a couple of kilometres away. He supposed he could take it for granted too that there was still a castle on one of those islands, the castle he had seen yesterday. And maybe he could even be sure that ---
Nearby sounds, the scramble of feet in heavy gravel, the impact of a blow on flesh, jolted the watcher away from suppositions. The sources of these sounds were as invisible as the noisy bird, but he was sure they were no more than a stone’s throw away, along the shoreline to his right. After a momentary pause there followed more energentic scrambling and another blow, then a cry for help in a familiar voice.
The watcher had already launched himself in the direction of the sounds, moving with surprising speed for someone of his great bulk, well past his early youth. And as he ran along the jagged shoreline, avoiding boulders and tramplong bushes, new sounds came from behind him, those of another pair of runing feet. Those pursuig feet sounded lighter and more agile than his own, but so far had been unable to overtake him. He paid them no atention.
The big man;s wooden staff, a thick tool of black hardened wood somewhat longer than he was tall, was raissed now in his ight hand, balanced and ready to do the service of either spear or club.
And now, after only a couple of dozen strides, the younger feet behind him had begun to gain. But still the big man did not turn his head. The sounds of struggle ahead continued.
Both runners saw that, despite their quickness, they were too late.
Rounding a spur of the rugged shorline, oen after the other in rapid succession, they came in sight of the noisy struggle, in which three men had surrouned one. The three men, though wearing soldiers’ uniforms in grey trimemd with red, were all unarmed. The man surrounded had showing at his belt the black hilt of a great Sword, but he was not trying to draw the weapon. And now, an instant later, even if he had wanted to draw it, it was too late, because his arms were pinioned. He was a tall and powerful man, and still conscious, but he had lost the fight.
The huge man raored a challenge and ran on, doing his best to reach the fighters. But he and the runner who followed him were still too far away to have any influence upon the outcome. The three who had the one surrounded were now lifting him up between them, as if they meant to make of him an offering to some strange gods of mist or lake.
And now indeed, coming down out of the low, tree-grazing clouds, a winged shape appeared. Those descending wings surpassed in span and thickness those of almost any bird, reptile or flying dragon that either of the would-be rescuers had ever seen before. But still those wings seemed inadequate to support this creature’s body, which was as big and solid as a riding-beast’s. The head and forelimbs of the quadruped were those of a giant eagle, covered with white feathers shading into grey. But the body and the rear legs resembled those of a lion, clad in short, tawny fur and thick with muscle. The thing appeared too bulky for its wings, despite thier size, to get off the ground. And yet it flew with graceful power.
Whatever the nightmare creature was, it had aleady fastened the taloned grip of its forelimsb on the heavy body of the man who was being held up for them. Up he went again, right out of the hands of his
