Welcome, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. In this daily newsletter, I reflect on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully, including my struggles to maintain a balanced life, what I listen to, read, and watch for entertainment, and occasional bits of information I’ve gleaned from doing the research for my novels.
In addition, now and again I will provide some of my fiction to read, for free, on this newsletter. Everything is available to anyone who subscribes, but I am always pleased when someone shows their appreciation for the newsletter by upgrading to paid.
Daily Diary, Day 1322:
Brief Check in: Yesterday I actually got some good work-in on the novel, cutting 217 words. Yay! I did have a walk before dinner, and again this morning, but my feet hurt more than usual, so it seems that being on them consistently for 2 and ½ hours isn’t such a good idea (smile). It is a lovely sunny (with lots of puffy clouds) today, so I might even try sitting outside to read at some point. Meanwhile, I am continuing at picking away at the decluttering in preparation for the remodel every day.
Time to get to work, leaving you with another rose.
But first, here is the next scene of the short story.
Dandy Detects: A Victorian San Francisco Story
By M. Louisa Locke, copyright, 2010
Scene 4:
Barbara sat bolt upright in her bed, drenched in sweat. Her heart pounded, the remnants of a dream swiftly evaporating. She had been back in Kansas, lost in the cornfields, and she had shouted. No, someone else had shouted. As her eyes began to focus, she realized Dandy was standing on the bed beside her, staring intently towards the window, whose curtain she had left open in the weak hope that this would permit the ferocious heat of the room to escape.
"Did you hear something, Dandy?" she whispered. When she spoke, he looked back at her briefly and then turned again, leaning forward, his neck stretched out, sharp ears cocked. Without warning, he began to growl while backing up, never turning his head from the window. Barbara snatched the dog to her chest, trying to soothe him. She feared he would wake Jamie or, worse yet, Miss Minnie and Miss Millie across the hall. Then she noticed Dandy was trembling violently, and she could feel his heart beating wildly under her hands.
"What is it, boy? Let's go see. Is there a prowler out there? Do we need to sound the alarm?"
Barbara disengaged herself from the bedclothes and got up, all the while stroking the agitated dog. She crossed to the desk in front of the window, which was again piled high with essays to grade. Looking outside, she noticed that, despite the late hour, there was a light on across the way. I bet I am not the only person who is finding it hard to sleep in this heat, she thought. Then she saw a man, she assumed it was Mr. Francis, move into view, his back to the window. He was shirtless, his suspenders over bare skin, and he seemed to be staring at his feet. Dandy struggled in her arms and began to bark. The man swung around to peer out the window, and Barbara scuttled backwards, her heart again pounding, Dandy now silent in her arms.
Surely he couldn't see me. I'm standing in the dark. He just heard Dandy, she thought. Nevertheless, when she crept back to the window, she approached from the side and peeked out again. The light had gone out, and the texture of the square of darkness at the window suggested that the man had pulled the curtains as well. She stared out for a moment, seeing nothing else stirring in the still night air.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Jamie called.
"Nothing, dear. Dandy just heard something, but everything is fine. Probably some cat," she said, hoping this was true. She felt Dandy's hot breath on her cheek, but he was no longer trembling, so she set him down and heard the sharp click, click, click of his toenails as he made his way across to Jamie's bed. As she climbed back into her own bed, she heard the soft murmurs of her son talking to his dog, and she smiled and unexpectedly went to sleep.
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