Pico day 10

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Here is the post for any comments, snippets or thoughts.

May the magic be with us all!

Comments

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

409 words, and I managed to slot in a particularly good line that I'd come up with a few days ago. Snippet:


'But why get married?' I asked. 'Why not just move in together?' It all seemed horribly sudden to me.

Emma and Jay exchanged world-weary glances. 'It's about who I want to be my next of kin,' Jay said. 'To be perfectly honest, I don't trust my parents any more. Say something happened – say I walked out of this pub and was run over in the car park. As things stand, Mum and Dad could stop Dan getting into the hospital to see me as I lay dying.'

'You think they'd do that?' I asked, impressed despite rather than because of Jay's melodrama. I tried to believe the best of people, but I had to admit that my faith in human nature had been shaken hard recently.

Jay grimaced. 'I don't want to risk it. They won't like Dan. He's black, and he's a man. The only way that Mum and Dad could hate him more would be if he were also a grey squirrel.'

(Oh, that's another thing about the Isle of Wight. Irrational hatred of grey squirrels.)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with grey squirrels?

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

They're not native. The original red, which have largely disappeared from Britain except in pockets in Scotland & the Lakes, are rather cuter to look at, if you believe the photos. (I've never seen one.)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Red squirrels are truly adorable. It's the tufty ears.

What I want to know is why British red squirrels are tiny, cute, shy creatures, whereas continental European ones, which as far as I can tell are the same species, are giant, bolshy picnic scavengers in a wide range of colours. I went to Schönbrunn once and the grounds were full of red squirrels that were variously red, golden, brown and black and behaved far more like greys do here.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Hating grey squirrels is perfectly natural. Evil little beasts they are.

Great snippet there too.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

It is a good line :) And I like squirrels!

Sounds like you had a very good writing day.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

'...They won't like Dan. He's black, and he's a man. The only way that Mum and Dad could hate him more would be if he were also a grey squirrel.'

Love it! And kudos on a good word count!

[saki101.livejournal.com]

Excellent progress and an excellent line. Also, I'm convinced by Jay.

They like their squirrels red in the Isle of Wight, I'm guessing.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I like the squirrel line!

Do I get the impression that Emma and Jay think they have come up with a logical straigthtforward response to a difficult situation, but that might in practice turn out to be rather more complicated...?

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a very good reason to get married!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

You're doing really well, aren't you? :)

I like the squrrel bit... it's nicely daft.