Sara C. Snider's Blog, page 18

Hazel and Holly — Dinnertime Drama, Part Two

Previous: Dinnertime Drama, Part One

Hazel sat, stiff-backed, in a plush green armchair. Holly perused the shelves of books, running a finger along the spines and she continued to munch on her figs. Hemlock cast her nervous glances, no doubt worried she might ruin the books with her sticky fingers, but he said nothing.

He pulled on a tasseled cord dangling from the ceiling next to the fireplace and then sat down on a sofa opposite Hazel.

After a moment, a young man in livery entered the libr...

Hazel and Holly — Dinnertime Drama, Part One

Previous: Masked Revelry, Part Two

Red-faced servants carried massive bowls and platters of food into the dining room from a swinging door that Hazel assumed led to the kitchen. From beyond the door came shouts and cries, a few clanging pots, and then shattering glass. A few more servants bolted into the dining room, placed their trays onto a sideboard before hurrying away in the opposite direction.

Hawthorn, once again glamored, sat at the head of a long table. He smiled to the guests sitti...

Swedish Faeries and Faery Tales

There’s a fantasy and science fiction bookstore in Stockholm I like to visit on occasion. When I do, I usually walk out with a pile of books to add to my already towering to-be-read pile, and my last visit there was no exception.

Incidentally, that was the visit where I bought The Incorruptibles by John Hornor Jacobs, despite the fact that there was no blurb on the back cover or inside or anywhere. It was all just propaganda/hype from reviews and such, which I often ignore. I was annoyed and...

Hazel and Holly — Masked Revelry, Part Two

Previous: Masked Revelry, Part One

Hazel and Holly walked into a grand ballroom, the painted ceiling of which arced the height of two stories. Tall windows lined one end of the room, looking out over a well-kept garden illuminated with candles in glass jars that hung among the trees. And then, of course, there were the people. Nearly the entire room was filled with women. Hazel looked around, trying to find a man or two, but saw none.

Holly gasped as she walked inside, her head craned back a...

Hazel and Holly — Masked Revelry, Part One

Previous: An Unwelcome Visit, Part Two

Hazel tapped her foot as she waited in the main room of the cottage, tightening her clasped hands. “Are you ready yet?” she called to Holly. “Or am I to stand here the entire year and we’ll go to next year’s party instead?”

Holly’s door opened, and she emerged in a flurry of rustling taffeta and streaming ribbons. Her golden hair had been piled atop her head, out of which emerged three long peacock feathers. Holly must have used every scrap of fabric sh...

Hazel and Holly — An Unwelcome Visit, Part Two

Previous: An Unwelcome Visit, Part One

Water dripped onto Hazel’s forehead as a little old man the size of her forearm rifled through her pockets. Startled, she pushed herself up, scrabbling across the stone floor as she tried to get away.

The gnome gave a wry smile. “You don’t got anything worth taking, dearie. Don’t need to be overzealous about it.” He picked up a little lantern and started to walk away.

“Wait.” Hazel said.

He turned around.

“Where are we?” Water dripped from a low craggy...

A Quiet Life in Sweden — A Photo Challenge

Last month Celine Jeanjean over at Down the Rabbit Hole tagged me for a photo challenge where you’re supposed to take pictures every hour of a normal day in your life. Kind of a cool concept, yet terribly flawed as far as I’m concerned, because I’m pretty sure no one’s going to want to see pictures of my laptop for hours on end. Nor do I want to share visual evidence of me wearing my usual House Clothes of sweatpants and a baggy shirt up until about 3pm, where I’ll finally put on Outside Clot...

Hazel and Holly — An Unwelcome Visit, Part One

Previous: Seamless Dreams

The inside of Zinnia’s home smelled just as the woman herself: like freshly turned earth and an overabundance of roses, lavender, and lilacs. It was both cloying and pleasant, unsettling as well as comforting. Hazel didn’t at all care for the contradictions and she wondered how Holly managed to talk her into such a foolish task.

“Please, have a seat,” Zinnia said after she had led Hazel through a labyrinth of shelves filled with odds and ends before coming to a long...

Hazel and Holly — Seamless Dreams

Previous: Death Before Dawn

Hazel followed the wooded path back to the cottage she shared with her sister. The sun was well up by the time she returned, the warmth pulling the heady scent of honeysuckle into the air. She eyed the herb patch as she passed through the garden, noting a number of red mites on the hyssop and lemon balm, and she made a mental note to return later with a bowl of soapy water to wash the pests away.

She rounded a corner and found a young man standing near the front...

Hazel and Holly — Death Before Dawn

Hazel peered at the twilit sky as she wandered along the wooded path. She clutched her lantern, even though the way lightened with the approaching dawn. She quickened her step. It would be a brief visit this time. She knew she’d been too liberal with the valerian tea. She wasn’t one to oversleep, but restfulness had eluded her lately. Too much on her mind.

The skirts of her dress rustled against the brush and bushes, a rasping whisper as if the woods themselves hushed her ungainly approach.

“...