Elaina J. Davidson's Blog, page 53
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The Bartender: Greek translation
Just clicked publish on the Greek version!
Excerpt: The Orphan - Rose scented shampoo
HE RETURNED AFTER hours of waiting. Her nervesscreamed at her to go after him, help him, he may be in trouble, but just asshe was about to abandon the dry hollow where she hid, he appeared.
Sunflower hit him in theshoulder. “Don’t do that again,” she snarled.
He merely laughed … and held outa holdall.
Eyes narrowed, she snatched it,opened it. Oh. Fresh clothes. Toiletries, including pads.
“We can wash in the pond we saw away back.” Adin watched her rummage, clearly enjoying her reactions. “But first…”
She accepted the brown bag heshook with wiggling eyebrows. Food. Proper stuff-it-in food. Sunflower sat flaton the stony ground, and stuffed her face. Although cold, it was delicious.Fries, deep fried fish, pork sausages, savoury tarts, and a yummy chilli dip.
“How?” she asked around filledcheeks.
“Raided the clothes recycle binto look presentable enough, washed up in a toilet in back of the local gasstation, and then went shopping. Got some funny looks for the girl stuff, butso what?” He peered at her. “Charged my phone at the diner.”
Sunflower stared at him. “Youwent online?”
“That’s what took so long, yes.”
“And?”
“Your father put out a freshappeal for you on your birthday, but I didn’t find anything else about you.”
Sucking the last of the saucefrom her fingers, she prompted, “Fred?” She still called him Fred, easier todeal with him, as if he were no more than a character in a play.
“Dug some into Paul Paterson’slife. Seems he vanished around the time you did, so it’s definitely him. Folkshave the kind of money to put him in that fancy school, but he was the fifthson, won’t inherit much. The bulk of the estate goes to the oldest.”
“Explains why he took me forransom.”
“His folks have a reward out.They’re looking, as your folks are looking.”
“But he can’t go home, not untilI’m dead.”
Adin nodded.
Sunflower rose to gather theremains of her meal. “Let’s get to that pond.” As they walked on aftershouldering their gear old and new, she asked, “What are you not telling me?”
“He broke out from aninstitution. Committed for some mental disorder. His parents want him foundbecause they say he is a danger to society.”
Closing her eyes briefly, shewalked on. It explained his odd behaviour. How he taunted her. How he watchedher. Yet, to be truthful, he did not actually hurt her. In some ways he, infact, cared for her. Monthly feminine products. New clothes. Books, includingthe cookery kind. Sleeping tablets. Cough mixture when she had a chest issue.
It didn’t make sense.
She said as much.
“There’s such a thing as mentaltorture,” Adin murmured.
And wasn’t that the truth?
They reached the pond, and as thefirst rays of sunshine peered over the towering mountains, Sunflower forewenteverything else to become as clean as she could be, revelling in the rosescented shampoo Adin had bought for her.
Ever would the smell of rosesbring him to mind.
An orphaned boy searches for a lost girl.
A woman abandons her new-born at a motel in the back ofbeyond. Adin grows up unloved, bullied, and no one remembers him. He doesn’texist.
Until he sees a poster for a missing girl on a lamppost.There is an instant connection to little Sunflower, kidnapped for ransom, onlyto disappear after the money is paid. He exists because he must find her.Alone, he searches, a journey that takes him into the wild places, meetingalong the way some interesting characters.
In dreams he speaks to her, for she is the one who willremember him.
May 18, 2024
Caturday: Better late than never!
Bit late with the Caturday post :)
