Digging Into the New Goals

That isn't exactly what I have on my goals list for the month, but close enough. I've knocked out the last of the weekend chores, and it's a holiday weekend, which means I have tomorrow to do things I want to do, like write. To be fair, I did do some other things not on my weekend chores list this weekend...we went to two baseball games, I had lunch with a work friend yesterday, have been chatting with one of my nieces, petting cats, things to make you happy sorts of things, in between the chores.

Funnily enough, I have a fun affirmation deck that I picked up a long while ago after a writing buddy (thank you, Misty!) shared some of her daily card pulls, and today's card says this: "Imagine how good it'll feel when you're done. Keep going." It did feel good to check off the last of the weekend things on the to-do list. Plus some of those involved the weekend cooking, which means I now don't have to cook again for most of the week, because there is a cheesy tomato pie and a quinoa salad in my fridge. Yum!

I think for the rest of the evening, though, I'm going to relax a little, give my brain a break so it's ready to put new words on pages tomorrow. Before I do that, I have a snippet for you this week from Hunting Medusa.

================

Andi couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. She’d worked into the night after the vacuum salesman’s appearance, until she couldn’t see straight to continue with her beading. Then she’d sunk into the bubble bath long enough to be nearly asleep. Today, she’d repeated everything but the bubble bath. Plus she’d driven into town to ship the big order she’d finished early.

Now she sat in the dark beside the front window, watching the forest. Waiting. Trying to convince herself nothing was coming. No one.

When the phone rang, she jumped about two feet in the air, barely keeping in a shriek. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to laugh weakly as she picked up the receiver. “Hello, Aunt Lydia.” She didn’t need caller I.D. to know when one of her cousins or aunts was on the phone. 

“I didn’t mean to startle you, my dear,” came the quavering voice. “I just wanted to touch base with you. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

Her slightly psychic great-aunt must have spoken to Andi’s mother. “I know. I’ve been busy working.” She thought of the small stack of boxed beaded bracelets sitting on her desk upstairs for another customer whose order wasn’t even due for a month and a half.

“You’re aware you could do that here, too, right?”

Andi smiled in the darkness. “I know. I’m not feeling much like company right now.”

“You don’t have to visit your parents, you know.”

Her laugh escaped before she could stop it. “That isn’t very nice of you, Aunt Lydia.”

“Maybe I’m getting selfish in my old age.” Her great-aunt chuckled. “But I’d like to see you.”

“Maybe in a few months.”

The older woman sighed. “All right. But I wanted you to know I was thinking of you. I love you.”

Andi felt her eyes sting a little. “I love you too.”

“Your mother knows she wasn’t there for you eight years ago, Andrea. Perhaps it’s time to let her be there for you now.”

Andi’s eyes dried. “I need to go, Aunt Lydia.”

“Of course, dear. I hope you’ll come soon.”

She looked back at the window and murmured, “Maybe. I’ve got to go, Aunt Lydia.”

Something had moved outside.

Something too tall to be one of the does that frequented the clearing each evening, though not tall enough for the bull moose who came occasionally. Just the right size for a sneaky Harvester posing as a vacuum salesman.

She thumbed off the phone and sat up straighter, her other hand coming to rest on the dagger across her knees. For a long moment, she didn’t see anything. Then a dark shape slid between the trees, a few yards nearer to the house.

Her heart hammered against her ribs and she curled her fingers around the dagger hilt. That was no animal. At least not of the wild variety. No, this was a two-legged animal, and she had the terrible feeling this one really was a Harvester, no matter what her mother had said yesterday.

Let him try, she thought, setting the phone back on its base. He’d find this Medusa wasn’t going down quietly. She only wished she were PMSing so she could take him out without too much effort. Or mess. If only he’d waited just a few more days to make his move…

She stifled a hysterical giggle at that last thought, glad she’d listened to her instincts this evening.

The shape disappeared again in the dark trees, and she held her breath. Then he reappeared for a few seconds, much closer to the house this time. Her pulse pounded in her ears. He was determined. And now out of her line of vision.

A loud, sharp beep indicated her alarm system had shut down, and was accompanied by the sound of every appliance in the house also turning off. He’d killed her power at the junction box outside.

Bastard.

Andi got to her feet, then tried to decide which door he’d come in. She heard the soft sound of a footfall on the back porch. She crossed into the kitchen, not needing to feel her way around the furniture, and positioned herself beside the refrigerator. He wouldn’t make it far into the house, and then he was hers.

================

I wanted to mention one more thing before I get some dinner and relax a little, just a reminder that I have one more event coming up this year, on Saturday, November 21, in Reading, PA. I'll have more details on that before too long, but wanted to put it on your radar. The way the last couple months flew by, November will be here in a blink of an eye. I'd love to see you there if you're close enough to come and see us. I do have a little bit of info on the events page already, but will have more coming soon.

Have you all started on your September to-dos as well? And are you also making time for 'I want to' things, too? I'd love to hear about it!

Until next week, happy reading!