• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • San Diego Momma
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
San Diego Momma

San Diego Momma

Sharing some humor, a bit of writing and way too much information

Home / Etcetera / EXCERPT

EXCERPT

Etcetera, Writerly Bits

“So it’s a stone or a rock…” Annie mused aloud.

 

“Same thing,” Carlos said it sharply.

 

Annie fought the urge to snap back. “Witch Woods and The House at 2769 Sullenberg Lane…that doesn’t tell us much. How’re we gonna know where she hid it?” Annie sighed.

 

Carlos spun a wheelie to his bookcase. “Let’s look at each book cover to cover. Maybe there’s a clue in one of them.”

 

Coriander began to pull books out and hand them to Carlos. “Good idea,” she said.

 

Annie bit her tongue. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Nevertheless, she helped take each of Mrs. Lokken’s books out and piled them on the floor. “Let’s get started,” Annie flopped herself down and began thumbing through a book, page by page.

 

 

Two hours later, they were still paging through books. Annie’s eyes stung. She uncurled her legs and gasped as her knees popped.

 

“You’ve been in one position too long,” Coriander told her. “Me too. Let’s stretch for a sec.”

 

Carlos ignored them. “I haven’t found anything.” He kept turning pages. “Have you guys?”

 

“No,” Coriander and Annie said it in unison. They grinned at each other.

 

“Keep looking.” Carlos instructed. He hesitated at the looks on the girls’ faces. “This is serious,” he reminded them. “We’re talking the end of the world here.”

 

At that, the girls sobered and each picked up yet another book. Annie’s eyes continued to water, but she stared hard at each page anyway and concentrated on finding a clue. Carlos’s words had brought her back to the urgency of the situation. As it was now, her mom was gone, her dad was brainwashed and they were all just days away from disappearing forever. What would it be like when the doors to the other worlds closed? Would it hurt? Would she and everyone she knew just fade away?

 

Annie grabbed another book and suppressed a yawn. She couldn’t let being tired stop her. She concentrated on the book before her. No word, no illustration offered any clues. She didn’t even know what she was looking for.

 

The words swam before her eyes. Each letter looked like it was underwater. She could barely make out the sentences anymore. She flipped the pages. Page eight. Nine. Ten. Ten. Eleven. She blinked. That was weird. This book had two page 10s.

 

“Well, there’s this.” She pointed at the double page number, her voice flat. She didn’t think it was really anything to get excited about.

 

Coriander took the book from Annie while her finger still rested on the page. “Yes, that’s it!” She yelped. “That’s the clue!” She dragged the book and Annie over to Carlos.

 

He scanned the page. “It’s just a typo,” he said, returning his attention to the book he’d been scanning.

 

“No, no,” Coriander looked expectantly at Annie. “Don’t you remember?”

 

“Huh?” Annie took her finger back.

 

“What did Mrs. Lokken say to you yesterday?” Coriander was practically jumping up and down.

 

“About the…?” Annie searched her brain. “You mean the….?” She couldn’t think of anything that had to do with a double page 10.

 

“Wait…” A memory tugged at the corners of her mind. “When Mrs. Lokken asked how old I was?”

 

Coriander nodded spastically. “Yes, yes!”

 

“So?” Carlos didn’t seem impressed.

 

Coriander stopped jumping and stood in front of Carlos. “So, the last thing Mrs. Lokken asked yesterday was Annie’s age.” She looked at him, waiting.

 

“Uh huhhhh,” he motioned for her to go on.
“And, she knows how old Annie is. So it was a weird question to ask.”

 

“Yyeahh…” Carlos still didn’t seem excited by the information.

 

“So now, here’s the number 10 repeated twice,” Coriander paused. “Anyway, it’s all we have.”

 

Carlos hesitated. “Did you read what’s on the pages?”

 

Annie blushed. She hadn’t. “No, I, well I didn’t get a chance!” She said to Carlos’s disapproving look. She was sick of Carlos making her feel so dumb. She grabbed the book back.

 

“Let’s look at it together,” Coriander suggested.

 

At that, Annie laid the book on Carlos’s desk while he and Coriander gathered around. They read the two pages word by word. “I don’t see anything clue-like,” Annie despaired.

 

Coriander squinted and rubbed her eyes. “Where’s the map?”

 

Carlos pulled it out from the side of his wheelchair. “I studied it carefully. I know it doesn’t say anything about a number 10.”

 

Coriander didn’t take her eyes off the page before her. “Let me see,” she held her hand out.

 

Carlos passed her the map, wrapped up like a pipe.

 

“What’s this?” Coriander ran her fingers along the flimsy plastic that encased the map.

 

“It’s just something to hold the map,” he looked at Coriander like she was stupid. “It came with it,” he continued as if that should be obvious.

 

Coriander removed the map and unfurled the plastic cover. Small holes pockmarked the surface and she san her fingers over some numbers barely visible below each of the holes. She smoothed the plastic over the double page 10s. It fit perfectly over the book. Letters from the pages appeared through the holes.

 

“Look!” Coriander struggled to keep the plastic cover’s edges flat. “It’s a clue!”

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

April 11, 2008 · 7 Comments

Sure I’d love to see you again

Previous Post: « Yes Sir, That’s My Baby
Next Post: Living the Love: A Giveaway, Sorta. »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Jenn @ Juggling Life says

    April 11, 2008 at 6:47 pm

    Where is the rest of the manuscript Missy?

    Reply
  2. Cheri says

    April 12, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    Mas, por favor.

    Reply
  3. Deborah says

    April 14, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Fantastic, professional, riveting. You are a talented writer! Keep going, because you need to finish this.

    Reply
  4. Jennifer says

    March 4, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    I will want a copy of this when it’s complete.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. sandiegomomma.com » Blog Archive » Would You Mind?…. says:
    June 9, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    […] way of background, this story is for middle graders (here’s an excerpt), is a spooky fantasy (of course! I’m a spooky fantasizer, so that makes TOTAL sense), […]

    Reply
  2. sandiegomomma.com » Blog Archive » Jumping the Track says:
    November 5, 2008 at 11:34 am

    […] I will, I will, I will, finish the first draft of my kid’s book by my birthday. That gives me 17 days to complete something I started 9 years ago. I currently have […]

    Reply
  3. San Diego Momma » Blog Archive » PROMPTuesday #45: You’re Published! says:
    April 7, 2009 at 7:06 am

    […] I’ve revived my manuscript-in-progress, quite surprised to find I’m further along than I thought. Plus, I’ve corralled the […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

I love words. Every one, every time. (Except “moist.” That word can go.) …read more

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Sure. I’d love to see you again.

Categories

Archives

Blogroll

  • Blog This Mom
  • Da Goddess
  • Dirt and Noise
  • Discover San Diego
  • Foolery
  • Juggling Life
  • Mama Mary Show
  • Mel, A Dramatic Mommy
  • Mom Zombie
  • Mommy’s Martini
  • Motherhood is Not for Wimps
San Diego Momma

Footer

Archives

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

sandiegomomma

sandiegomomma
Back in Lake Geneva after 36 years… Circumstance Back in Lake Geneva after 36 years…
Circumstances have changed since post-Prom-picnic-circa-1986-vibes…
#WhereIsBryanAdamsNow
Dorm drop! 🏫👩‍🏫🥲💕 Dorm drop!
🏫👩‍🏫🥲💕
💫Travel poster for Saturday wine tasting.💫 💫Travel poster for Saturday wine tasting.💫
Celebrating the new 16-year-old with a quick Santa Celebrating the new 16-year-old with a quick Santa Monica trip.
And now she knows she doesn’t want to live in LA….
#LifeLessons
It’s happening….. It’s happening…..
Barely tolerating me….. Barely tolerating me…..
Beach day with my “little” one while big sis e Beach day with my “little” one while big sis explores Cal Poly…
Life transitions. Beautiful but I haz the olds.
#NotAboutMe #Whhhhyyyyy
A rare Bubbie sighting. Spotted in the wild. #HeDo A rare Bubbie sighting. Spotted in the wild. #HeDoesntLikePictures
Sunset squad. Brought a picnic and drinks to Del M Sunset squad.
Brought a picnic and drinks to Del Mar and watched the waves and horizon. Not too crowded or cold - another good hang with the neighborhood gang! ❤️❤️
Imprinting 2021 holidays on my brain (and in my In Imprinting 2021 holidays on my brain (and in my Instagram) (and in my antibodies). It’s a COVID New Year’s Eve…
Husband and I down for the count(down).
BUT. We’re doing decent and it’s cozy up in here…
Winery times! Winery times!
Guys on couch watching football; girls in kitchen Guys on couch watching football; girls in kitchen talking about everything.
Smells like a Sunday neighbor night. ;)
Line dancing lessons… My two left feet did nothi Line dancing lessons…
My two left feet did nothing right - but they did it with gusto.
Looking for a new book to read! #BookClub Despite Looking for a new book to read! #BookClub Despite the seeming divine intervention from above, we weren’t struck with the “perfect” next book to put on our list…..
Post-white-water-rafting super exhaustion. (Oh my Post-white-water-rafting super exhaustion.
(Oh my gosh you guys…! No! I’m not a sports model! But I totally understand how you might think so.) 😜😜😜
I wanted my hair to do that. #NordicSisters I wanted my hair to do that.
#NordicSisters
Dad’s hats on the people who loved/knew/laughed/ Dad’s hats on the people who loved/knew/laughed/sang with him.
Miss you Dad. Hope we do your hats justice. Lord knows we’ll have fun in them, just like you did. 😇
Paso Robles! Wine tasting beauty. It’s stunning Paso Robles! Wine tasting beauty. It’s stunning here. And the landscape is nice too ;).
Found my brother’s old ad copy. Good fun-writing Found my brother’s old ad copy. Good fun-writing inspiration...
Just in case I wasn’t feeling ancient enough, th Just in case I wasn’t feeling ancient enough, the rainbow jumper and white bobby socks oughta do it. No but wait! There’s a bowl cut. Annnnnnnddd giant gold-rimmed specs.
#CentennialFashion
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Hello Chicky

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT