He’d watched them secretly from the lookout, their faces dancing like orange flames in the firelight.
Each feather-light touch of fingers, the smiles that grew bolder as the empty beer bottles increased.
Only a matter of time before each touch became more urgent, before he heard the rasp of zips, the dull billow of clothes falling .
So careless. So arrogant.
He waited until morning, until the fire was only white ash and smoke, till they fell into an exhausted sleep, a tangle of pale flesh and dark, blond and black hair.
Only then did he remove his boots, creep down the wooden steps, careful of each footfall.
And all the while he went about his work, they slept.
***
Written for What Pegman Saw, the prompt based on Google Street View. This week we visit Montana. Visit here to join in and to read other contributions.
Sadly, this is my last ‘live’ post before Christmas as I’m working from now right up to the last minute. Apologies for my absence of late, I’ve been trying to ready some work for a submission. Apologies too if I’m late replying to comments – I will reply eventually, I promise!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years.
This was well woven, Lynn.
He would have felt less like a Peeping Tom and more like an indulgent older person observing young love if the words careless became carefree and arrogant became innocent…
At least he didn’t disturb them 😉
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Thank you Dale! Yes, word choice is so important in such short pieces, isn’t it? Every one has to count. I’m glad the creepy edge came through, it was certainly my intention! I’m signing off for Christmas now as work will be crazy until the big day, so I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and the best of New Years. See you after the madness is over 🙂
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An enigmatic end to your ‘live’ posts, Lynn, but with news that things are proceeding apace I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the final outcome!
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Thank you Chris! This one’s a bit of a long shot – a Penguin/ Random House imprint open submission a friend put me onto. Not sure TRD is their thing, but worth a go and it’s made me polish the first three chapters and write a proper synopsis, so worth it for that. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas. I’m sure you’ll be busy – you always are so busy! – with projects and you’ll be performing a lot, I’m sure. Just have a lovely time doing it and rest up too! Have a great time and all good wishes for a happy 2019 x
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You’re right, Lynn, about the busy-ness—musical and non-musical—but hopefully the aftermath of Christmas will prove relaxing! Best wishes for the day itself and the change of year, and may 2019 bring you all you want and need.
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Thank you Chris. Hope you had a lovely day
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I can imagine you’re very busy at work right now, and as you say, you have submissions to ready. And so I forgive you your absence. 🙂
As to this story … well. first, let me say I’d like to live in such a place with such a view. But I’d not like to witness whatever he did while they slept. I’ve a feeling it was gruesome. 😦
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Ha! I thought you’d pick up on that ambiguous ending! ‘His work’ indeed … Yes, submission in today, thank goodness, as I wouldn’t have time over the next week and the deadline looms. I hope you have a lovely Christmas, Crispina. Enjoy lots of long walks, bring back lots of pics to share with us, relax too in your lovely landscape. Have a wonderful time and all the best for a good 2019. x
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Ditto … as much as applies. Though I shan’t be out much with the camera. It doesn’t like high humidity, and the east coast this time of year is damp, damp. damp. Instead, I shall plough away with the rewrites and stuff. Plus I’ve such a backlog of photos they shold populate the blog for a couple of months.
And you, don’t forget to take time out at some point. We have to breathe, you know. It’s part of our cranky design.
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You’re so industrious, with all those photos backed up and the rewrites. Can’t wait to see Asaric Tales in print – when do you think you’ll be ready to launch? I shall, of course, buy my copies asap 🙂 It’s going to be a tough Christmas – the boss had been sick, we’re down two members of staff and I’m getting too old to do sixty hour weeks. But the end will loom soon enough and I shall sit, drink port and doze off in front of the tree. All the best x
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When will I launch? Easy answer, when all is ready. Longer answer, sooner if beta didn’t take so long. Meanwhile, Lauren continues to produce the most amzing book covers for me, which I want to flash and … but I must, as yet, keep under cover.
And today I discovered I can have a bottle of wine for Christmas Day (the only time I drink) despite being on a Keto diet. Cos red wine and white dry have mininal grams of carbs. Oh-Yay! I’m so excited.
And shit-luck for you; a bad time of year to be down on staff.
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Ominous right from the word go. That last line has a distinctly Biblical feel to it. Ambivalent to say the least 🙂
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Thank you Jane! Hope you had a great Christmas
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The usual, thanks. Christmas and I don’t get along very well.
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At least it’s soon over, eh? Nearly there 🙂
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Erm, January 2nd seems like a long time off to me…We have two who thought it wasn’t worth their while going back to Bordeaux after Christmas then come again for the new year…so they stayed. The other two might be free then too.
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At least you get to see folk, which is nice. I’m back at work tomorrow, so it’s a short break for me and I never liked New Year that much to be honest.
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The New Year is bigger here than Christmas. Usually we spend it on our own as the children are all out at parties, but this year two of them have taken holiday to go away for a week so they won’t be going out, no money, and two are working. I
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I never liked the lairy element of New Year, being in pubs with too much drinking and laddishness and strange men thinking it’s okay to grab you just because it’s midnight on New Year’s Eve. An unpleasantly British phenomenon, perhaps
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Not quite the same here. Proper parties rather than piss ups, but youf does much the same things everywhere, as they have always done 🙂
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I avoid the city centre at night anyway, but that counts double at New Year. Sadly, this is a dangerous city to be pissed in, what with still having a harbour in the centre near many of the bars and clubs. More than one person has ended up in there over the years we’ve lived here
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I don’t think any city is totally safe for women at night, or for gays or for immigrants. Throw drink into the equation and all the nasty violent stereotypes float to the surface.
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Sadly true. More alcohol (and drugs of course) more trouble. It makes me angry how people behave like prats, drinking too much, fighting, giving themselves alcohol poisoning, then expecting the NHS and emergency services to sort it all out for them. Idiots
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And punching nurses in the face if they think they’re being made to wait too long, or they don’t like the colour or gender of the doctor…
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Depressing stuff
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It is.
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Utterly sinister! I’m not sure anyone is up to good here–if that makes sense. Good luck on your submission!
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Thank you Karen! And you’re right – lots of sneaking about and shadiness here. Wonder if anyone will come away from this intact!
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I’ll second the ominous and sinister word choices for this one. Peeping Tom is one thing, but that “work” he’s doing… I can’t tell whether I want them to wake up and escape, or to stay asleep so they don’t witness it. Mostly the former, as a sleeping non-witness can quickly become victim — or suspect!
Good luck with your submission!
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Thank you Joy. Yes, sleeping non-witness could easily become something more bloody I think. Thanks for the good wishes
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Sounds sinister, and feels creepy. I can only imagine what his work involves, which makes my shivers worse. Nice one, Lynn. Good luck with your submission and a Merry Christmas to you, too.
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Thank you Kelvin, hope you had a lovely Christmas
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