Kara’s Tears
opening excerpt
If rules are not followed, bad things will happen. This is what I believe. I would never take the chance that good fortune was a trick of fate and would certainly never do anything illegal, or even slightly immoral. I live life in long-hand hoping I don’t miss the signs that are meant for me. If a deadline is not met, without assistance, coercion or bribery, a golden opportunity is gone, forever.
This is my story.
‘Clicka, clicka, clicka’, the computer barks each keystroke as I enter data. It is warm and humid. I am drawn across the lake by the faint voices drifting through my window. Turning my ear to the sounds, I hold my breath. There is a melodic rhythm in the playful banter; an occasional stray laugh. The pages of entries stare back at me accusingly.
‘Focus, Kara. If you didn’t wait until the last minute on this stuff, you could be out there having fun too.’
Somewhere between my self blame and self-pity I hear another noise, closer this time. ‘Snap!’ I drop my papers and move towards the back of the house.
I step outside onto the deck. I am not afraid of the dark, just inconvenienced by it.
“Byron?” I call, sliding the patio door shut behind me. I imagine my wayward husband arriving home early with some tasty treat to fill that dinner starved place I have forgotten again to feed. Approaching the stairs, I search the darkness for Byron’s car on the drive. Twig snapping noises radiate from beyond, halting me at the top of the stairs. I reach for the flashlight, which is not on its ‘hook’. Where is Rybus, that deaf old hound? She’s probably with Byron. A lot of good it is having a dog to protect me if she’s always gone.
“Snap!” I inhale sharply, take a deep breath and push the gate open.
I am lifted off my feet and hurled through the air. I close my eyes anticipating impact. My head throbs. Panic rises from the pit of my stomach. I summon my right arm to push back whatever blocks my vision. My arm does not respond. Warm breath washes over my face. A sour, unfamiliar odour crawls up my nostrils to meet the bile rising from my stomach. I gag. I squeeze my eyes tight and wish it away.
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