Brother Love 11 — A Walk

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Warning Sign by Dan Antion
Warning Sign by Dan Antion

Thanks for joining me for this walk to the crossroads.

This chapter comes with a couple of warnings. 

Warning 1: It’s long.  I can hear some of you groaning.

Warning 2:  It’s the conclusion, the last chapter.  Now I hear the rest of you.

I didn’t know until Monday that Chapter 10 was the penultimate chapter, or I would have… well, I would have warned you.  

My heartfelt thanks to Dan Antion of No Facilities for letting me use his wonderful photos throughout this series.  Dan went above and beyond the call as my collaborator for this story. He was always ready to get just the right image for each episode.  He was proactive, doing all sorts of photo shoots at antique stores, with birds, and at crossroads.  Plus, he patiently let me bounce ideas around, no matter how off the wall.  Thank you again, Dan.

… And A Special Surprise!

Brother Love w Phone on Kindle
“Brother Love” is now available as a book.  Purchase information is at the end of this post.  (Photo by Teagan R. Geneviene)

I still have a few reader “things” left over.  I apologize to everyone whose “thing” didn’t get into the story.  A special shout-out to Adele Marie Park, whose thing “gris gris bag” took me to Birdie’s name paper.  I really wanted to do more with that hoodoo angle, but the things brought the story to a close before I got there. 

For this concluding chapter, I only used one thing — I’m Walkin’ which came from Dan.

If you need to review the previous episode, click to Chapter 10 A Cut.

Last time. The blood from Tammy’s finger slowed as it passed through the air of that hot August night.  It hung there.  A stream of red droplets was suspended in… nothing.

Jinx mimicked the sound of a telephone ringing one time.  My ears started to ring with the very same sound.  However, it went on and on, an endless ring.

***

Without further ado, let’s get to the crossroads for the conclusion.

Brother Love

11 — A Walk

I’m Walkin’

Joe Crow as Jinx the Magpie, by Dan Antion
Joe Crow as Jinx the Magpie, by Dan Antion

Shouts of “Hallelujah!” continued to resound through the congregation.  It made no difference that there was a scuffle at the choir’s exit, where Sargent Poole arrested Ruth Leiber.  It only added to the cacophony of noises.  The revival tent was in chaos.

Standing just a step away from us, I saw Brother Love.  A moth fluttered past the guitar, which was still slung across his back.  His face radiated an angelic smile.  His reaction seemed absurd to me.

What if Tammy panicked and ran?  I kept a tight hold on her shoulder.  If she started running, that would be disastrous for a hemophiliac.

But is she really a free bleeder? I abruptly wondered.  Tammy’s dad, the man who died in a fight with Doug… he was a hemophiliac.  Yet Doug’s comment a moment before came back to me.  Did Doug think he, in fact, might be Tammy’s true father?

Tammy’s eyes darted from Doug to me, to her bleeding hand.  Hurriedly she pointed at Doug.

“Miss Birdie,” the girl began in a normal voice.

A faint ringing filled my ears.  It grew louder, drowning out Tammy’s voice, but she had stopped talking anyway.

Almost everything around me started to move very slowly.  Almost.

Unraveled by Dan Antion
Unraveled by Dan Antion

Jinx continued to scratch at the white handkerchief, trying to cover my locket.

Tammy shifted closer to me.  Her eyes quickly roamed the stage. 

However, those were the only things that seemed to move at a normal rate.

As sluggishly as everything besides Jinx and Tammy, the moth ever so gradually made its way through the air toward the lights above.  It was impossible that the insect didn’t move faster.

Brother Love stood still.  I couldn’t tell if he was affected by whatever was happening, or if he simply hadn’t moved.

Doug’s mouth made slight movements, like a film where the projector was running down to a stop.  Bit by bit his eyes turned to the blood coming from Tammy’s finger.

As I watched, the narrow stream of the child’s blood slowly lifted into the air.  The stream of droplets pointed toward Doug.

Then the blood divided into two streams, one of which pointed to me.

Doug’s mouth stopped in an odd mid-word expression.

The moth’s absurdly slow assent completely halted.

Red Spots by Dan Antion
Red Spots by Dan Antion

Yet Brother Love stepped forward to stand beside me.  He moved the guitar from his back to hold it in one long fingered hand.

My eyes went back to the divided stream of blood.  I wasn’t sure if I heard it making a faint hum, or if I felt the quivering of it.  Either way, the two streams vibrated at different pitches.

“My grandma always said blood will tell, although she meant it in a hateful way,” Brother Love commented as if in idle conversation.  “Like attracts like.  At first, I didn’t know if the girl was like us, or if she just had… well, let’s say special mental abilities.  But her blood is attracted to its like.”

What did he mean, like us? I wondered.

Although I didn’t have to think about the idea of Tammy having “special mental abilities.”  It had been clear the first time I met the child that she was different.  I remembered that moment clearly.  It had been about the calendar in my kitchen.

Maybe Tammy could have seen into the kitchen window.  She looked at the house and then at me.

“I like July better than August too,” she told me.

I wondered if they had the same PanAm calendar that hung on my kitchen wall.  How else would Tammy come up with that comment about July and August?

As the Ford got back on the road, I looked toward my kitchen window.  The calendar wasn’t visible from the spot where the car had been.

From the branches of the magnolia tree, Jinx started singing “Washed in the Blood” again.

Magnolia_flower n foliage Duke_campus Wikimedia
Magnolia, Wikipedia

Gradually, the thin stream of red droplets that moved toward Doug reached him.  In slow motion, it splashed onto his shirt.

“That’s where his heart would be,” I murmured.

Jinx had stopped scratching the handkerchief.  Instead, he pecked at the locket until it was half open.  Carrying the necklace, he hopped over to me.

The other part of the stream of blood continued its inexorable progress toward the spot where Brother Love, Jinx, and I were.  Love’s coal-black eyes went to the bird.

“Still not ready yet, magpie?” he asked the odd question.  “All things in their own time then,” he finished with a shrug.

I looked at Jinx curiously.

There had always been a magpie.  My mother said his name was Jinx.  She said her mother gave him to her.

Jinx came and went as he pleased.  Now and then he would disappear for a while, sometimes for a long time.  I realized it couldn’t be the same bird every time he came back.  The magpie would have been more than sixty years old if that was the case.  Yet he was always named Jinx.

“They say there’s a secret chord,” Brother Love commented casually.  “One that pleases the Lord.  I wonder if that’s so.”

Then he strummed an intricate sound on the guitar.  I was amazed that he could place his fingers in such a complex position on the frets.  I also saw that the guitar had an extra string.

Guitar head stock BW_Simone Pixaby
Simone at Pixaby

He strummed the chord a second time, and then a third.

The thin stream of blood became a fine cloud of mist.  I felt the minute moisture on my skin, but as quickly as the sensation came, it was gone, absorbed.

I looked at Tammy’s finger.  The place where the cardboard cut her finger was completely healed.  Not so much as a blemish remained.

Brother Love turned to Doug.  He strummed the guitar again.  Doug “caught up” with us, though the rest of the congregation, and everything else in the tent, remained immobile.

Doug’s hand shot out to grab Tammy’s.  He examined her finger carefully.  He made relieved sounds.  I thought words were probably beyond him for that moment.

Jinx still held my half-opened locket in his beak.  He whistled.  Then he dropped it and the name paper fell out.

Birdies Locket n Name Paper
Composite image by Teagan

The words of the hoodoo protection spell began to unravel.  To my eyes, the script seemed to lift into the air, much as Tammy’s blood had done.

In order to make that name paper, words ― intentions had been written over each other nine times.  With each intention, the paper was turned clockwise before writing.  It made it impossible for me to decipher the decades old script.  Previously, I had been able to make out my own name, but nothing else.

As I watched, the letters of my name, Alberta Devovo, lifted into the air.  I also saw the name, Jinx.

I looked curiously at the magpie.  He perched on the headstock of Brother Love’s guitar.  With his head tilted to one side, Jinx intently stared at the words floating in the air.

It was hard to decipher the words as they wavered in midair.  I made out “Keep them safe.”  However, trying to read the shifting script was making my stomach queasy.  One word came into focus ― home.

“How odd that I’d see that word, when I’ve never felt at home for as long as I can remember.”

Birdie Devovo's house as imagined by Dan Antion
Birdie Devovo’s house as imagined by Dan Antion

I didn’t think I had spoken aloud, but Brother Love replied.

“There’s a reason for that, Birdie Devovo,” he said with a bright-eyed smile.

Then I saw the rest of that line of the hoodoo spell, “Bring them home.”

Abruptly the nine layers of words began to flow into a connected stream.  It swirled, growing larger.  My scalp tickled as my hair lifted slightly.  I felt it pull at me.

A silent exchange seemed to take place between Jinx and Brother Love.

“Magpie, you just told me that you ain’t ready,” Love protested.  “Oh, I get it.  You ready for them to be ready, even if you ain’t.”

Brother Love began playing a blues tune on the guitar.  The magpie fluttered down to me.

About the time I recognized the notes for a Muddy Waters tune called “I’m Ready,” Jinx started to sing part of the song.

I know you feels like I ain’t nowhere

But stop what you’re doin’ baby come over here

I’ll prove to you baby, that I ain’t no square

Because I’m ready, ready as anybody can be

I am ready for you, I hope you’re ready for me

As the magpie sang, he stepped toward the swirling script from my name paper.  I wondered that the spiral didn’t suck the bird away.  I could feel it’s pull growing stronger. 

Cut branch SWIRL Dan Antion
A different kind of swirl Dan found

“Are you ready, Tammy?” Brother Love asked the girl.

The child seemed to understand everything that was happening.  Although I sure didn’t!

Tammy looked at Doug.  He looked rather confused, but not as utterly befuddled as I felt.  I thought he had at least some idea of what was happening.

“Only if he comes too,” the girl stated firmly.

Doug and Tammy stood beside Brother Love.  Doug took Tammy’s hand.  He took a deep breath.

“The first time I met you,” Doug began as he looked into Brother Love’s dark eyes.  “I thought you meant to carry me to Hell.  Now I see that you’ve given me a great gift, even if only for a moment,” he added as he looked down at Tammy’s tiny hand in his huge one.  “If Jesus is calling my child home, then I am ready to meet the Lord too,” Doug pronounced.

“What?” Brother Love exclaimed in shock.  “It ain’t like that, Sinnerman.  Well, you weren’t never a magpie, but if the girl wants you to come with us, then that’s alright with me.”

At those words, Doug looked as confused as I felt.  I murmured my lack of understanding.

Jinx imitated the ring of a phone again.  I gazed helplessly at everyone else.

“Birdie Devovo, why do you think the phones rang one time?  Why do you think the magpie makes the ring sound?” Brother Love asked in a bemused voice.  “He heard the call.  He wants to make sure you hear it too, even though you ignore it.”

That didn’t enlighten me at all. 

Brother Love played another series of chords on the guitar.  Each tone was more intricate than the last.

The ringing sound was overwhelming.  The swirling of the words from the name paper grew in velocity.  My eyes squeezed shut.  I felt myself being pulled into a vortex.

***

Foggy Cemetery, Dan Antion
Foggy Cemetery, Dan Antion

Abruptly the pressure that surrounded me released.  The ringing stopped.  We were enveloped in the cool air of a foggy evening.

Through the mist I could make out tombstones in the distance to one side.  Turning, I could see the roofline of my house.  That meant we were at the crossroads.

“Crossroads are how I travel,” Brother Love answered my unasked question.  “My energy comes from them.”

“Are we… dead?” Doug questioned in an unsteady voice.

Tammy chuckled.  She still held his hand.

“No, silly,” she told her father.  “But now we don’t have to be strange or different,” she murmured as if to herself.  “We don’t have to be alone,” she looked up at Doug and told him with a smile.

“We won’t be shunned,” she added as she turned to me.

“What is it with that bird?” Doug blurted out as Jinx alighted on Tammy’s shoulder.

Jinx models a bow tie while perched on Dan's birdcage
Jinx models a bow tie while perched on Dan’s birdcage

“He’s still a magpie,” Brother Love told him, as if that explained anything.

“Jinx is still a magpie.  We were all magpies once.  Except for you of course,” Tammy told Doug.

“Well, not ordinary magpies.  For certain beings, this particular kind of magpie is a stage of their progression,” Brother Love supplied.

He turned to me when I muttered my lack of understanding.

“Before I became me, I was like you,” Brother Love said.  “Before that, I was like Jinx, a magpie.  Just not the regular kind.  So were you, Birdie ― and Tammy.”

“Jinx should have become like you a long time ago.  But for reasons of his own, he is not ready to stop being a magpie,” Brother Love added.

Brother Love stood in the middle of the crossroads.  He spread his arms wide.  We all moved closer to him.

He had said he used crossroads to travel.  He seemed to mean we could go with him.  Tammy bounced on her toes eagerly.

The fog drew closer to us.  I could no longer see beyond the crossroads.  The mist started to shimmer.

“How?” was all I could manage to ask.

“You ain’t got to do nothing,” he replied.  “I’ll take care of that part.”

“Where?” Doug asked, equally brief.

“Wherever we need to go,” Tammy told him.

“Yes,” Brother Love agreed with the girl.  “There must be a need.”

Joe Crow as Jinx the Magpie, by Dan Antion
Joe Crow as Jinx the Magpie — I’m Walkin’ by Dan Antion

Once again, Jinx imitated the ring of a telephone.  The tone of the ring sounded the same, but that time the vibration of it felt different to me.  It seemed to settle into my skin, instead of bouncing off my eardrums.

I had no idea what had changed, what was different, but in that moment, for the first time I could remember, everything felt right.

Jinx fluttered to the ground.  With the bobbing gait of a magpie, he walked toward the shimmering fog.  In the distance I heard the faint ring of a telephone.  Jinx seemed to be moving toward the sound.

As the magpie walked, Jinx started singing Fats Domino’s song.

I’m walkin’, yes indeed, and I’m talkin’ ’bout you and me

I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me

I’m lonely as I can be, I’m waitin’ for your company

I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me

I shrugged and followed the magpie.  I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew it was where I needed to be.

The end.

As promised the “universal” links to Amazon in various countries for Brother Love – A Crossroad are here below the book cover.

"Brother Love" Novella Now Available for Purchase
“Brother Love” Novella Now Available for Purchase

Kindle  or Paperback 

Giveaway!  Leave a comment, and I will put the names into a hat to do a drawing for a free Kindle/e-book of the novella, “Brother Love — a Crossroad.”

Note: The drawing is now over.  The winner will be announced Wednesday.

***

Thanks to everyone who has commented on this serial for being a part of “Brother Love.”  I appreciate your weekly visits to the crossroads.

Keep an eye open whenever you are at a place where one path intersects another.  You just might get a glimpse of Jinx, or of Brother Love.

Hugs on magpie wings!

***

 Now for the obligatory shameless self-promotion…

Universal link to my Amazon Author Page

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USA:  The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle 

Amazon UK

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USA:  Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

Amazon UK

USA:  Atonement in Bloom

Amazon UK

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USA:  The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee

Amazon UK

Atonement Video Cover copy

USA:  Atonement, Tennessee

(E-book still on sale at 99¢ )

Amazon UK

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright ©  2019 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

117 thoughts on “Brother Love 11 — A Walk”

    1. Thanks Lavinia. I wanted to do that “reveal” later. But that would have made me take the story to a vastly different setting and tone… I didn’t think it would work for a serial. So I went ahead with it there. Anyhow, I’m happy you enjoyed it. Great big hug.

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        1. Oh thank you, Inese. I’ve been fiddling with it all day, particularly the header image. So I’m not sure what may have been up when you saw it with this comment. I had a devil of a time. WP wouldn’t do what it said it was doing with the image. Then I found that in addition to that, with every different zoom percent (I usually view my computer at 150%) it showed a different part of the image! So frustrating… Whatever you saw, I hope you like this one too. Hugs!

          Liked by 1 person

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          1. I do like the header image, Teagan. It is exactly the one I saw yesterday. It is wonderful! The font seems way too large to me, overwhelming even, so I just changed the resolution. It is fun to try new themes, but it is also a challenge. I only changed it once, but I remember how annoying it was, and I still have strange white fields around the text in my older posts that appeared after the theme change. It gives an impression that I just copied and pasted some parts of my text from Word, which is definitely not the case as I place my pictures first and only then I write my text based on what I see in those pictures. There is no way to go and rewrite all the blogs though 😦 I do understand your frustration. Hugs!

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            1. Hi Inese. Thanks for your feedback on the font size. I had wondered how other people would feel. For me, it’s a relief to see text larger. However, I already zoom the percent on my screen. So it looks huge compared to others. Maybe I’ll ask everyone to weigh in about that — get additional opinions. At least I know how to change it.

              About your white frame — I didn’t notice (maybe because I enlarge my screen). However, let me offer something. I’m sorry if you’ve already tried this.
              * From your blog (inside), on the left menu scroll down to WP Admin so that you get a black menu.
              * Then scroll 2/3rds of the way down to Appearance. An additional menu comes up along side. Move over and select Customize.
              * The Customizer will load and you will have a blue menu again. Select Colors and Background.

              * You will see a collection of color blocks. Or you can click on “Palettes” to get pre-chosen groups of colors that will make global changes of various colors to different types of text.

              Anyhow, my point is that the white frame you mentioned around your blog posts might be a “background” from this part of WordPress.
              You can experiment with changes here and see them as you work.
              If you find something you like and want to keep it — go up to the top left of the page and click the blue button that says “Publish.”
              If you don’t want to make any change, just close the screens.

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              1. Great idea to ask about the font. It doesn’t bother me to reduce the font though. For some blogs I have to magnify, like you do. It depends on the page layout and amount of content on the page. Sometimes I cannot write a comment without magnifying 🙂 I often reduce too big images – I don’t need to be impressed, I want to see the composition LOL. Anyway, I am doing both ways to enjoy reading other blogs.
                Your new theme is great, and the header image is absolutely perfect.
                Thank you for the advice on the white frames! I will try this method. I have no idea why the frames appeared. My new background is greyish, but the old one was white. Only some posts are affected. Here is what I mean: https://inesemjphotography.com/2014/06/30/golden-faces-silver-eyes-and-blue-eyelids/
                Looks quite ugly.

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                1. How strange that it put a different background around part of the text… Although I admit that when I first read the post, I was so enchanted by the photos and what you were saying that I didn’t even notice. That might be simply a bizarre WordPress glitch…

                  Liked by 1 person

                2. It was frustrating, I even re-wrote some posts, but then gave up 🙂 Yet, that deterred me from trying to change my theme again 🙂

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  7. Oh wow! I didn’t see that wonderful ending coming. Lovely ending, and one that sort of leaves the door open for Birdie and Jinx to have another story. I just hate having a good story end!

    Congratulations to the winner of the give-away!

    Hope you have a lovely week Teagan. I’m heading over to listen to the podcast. I had to come back here to catch up on the story first! xx

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thanks so very much, Deborah. That means a lot to me.
      I do see more for Birdie, Jinx, and Brother Love. But it would be a different looking story. So I decided it best to conclude this one here. A wonderful week to you as well. Hugs on magpie wings!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Staci, it’s good to see you any time you can visit. WordPress doesn’t seem to be a friend to any of us lately. And by “lately” I mean all year…
      I’m happy you enjoyed the conclusion. I appreciate you being a part of the serial. Hugs on magpie wings!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Pingback: Brother Love — A Novella! | Teagan's Books

    1. Dear Andrea, for that comment to come from someone of your talent… I’m relieved! My editor brain said there needed to be more story telling before revealing that at the very end. But to do so, I would still have had to move the story forward into a new setting, which would have changed the tone some too. That was just too much for a weekly serial. So I did what I did…
      That’s also why I bookized it right away. Hopefully people who don’t grasp the ending will get the novella so they can read it all at once — and then they should understand. Thank you so very much. Hugs on the wing!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Haha! I’m sure that’s a relief, Fraggle. They might be back one day, at that. I can imagine a series with a sort of Doctor Who-ish bend. But that’s why this serial needed to stop here. The transition of setting would have been too different, and the type of story would have become different too. It’s hard for many people to keep up with serials, and that big change would have been too confusing to readers. Keep those magpies in line! Hugs on the wing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  15. Teagan, I finally got to sit down and read this in its entirety today. Coming from a childhood full of hot, summertime tent revivals, I felt a tinge of familiarity in the story. Thank you for sharing your talent so generously. I wish you great success. I am a huge fan.

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  16. Congratulations, Teagan and Dan – this has been an enjoyable journey watching your collaboration unfold…and a longing for the next journey, wherever that may lead us. 🙂

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    Reply

    1. That you would want to read more really means a lot to me, Adele. I can imagine a series with a sort of Doctor Who-ish bend. But that’s why this serial needed to stop here. The transition of setting would have been too different, and the type of story would have become different too. It’s hard for many people to keep up with serials, and that big change would have been too confusing to readers.
      Who knows though — there might be a book 2 serial in the future. 😉 Great big hug!

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  22. Teagan, I’ve only been able to join the series in this last chapter. I missed most of the story, so I just went ahead and bought the paperback! I should get it by mid-July. Excited to read the entire story. I’ve been completely focused on finishing the first draft of a book, and I did two days before my July (9th) birthday, a goal to mark my 80th birth year! I remember your birthday is also in July…I think July 1st, so a Belated Birthday to you! 🎶🎂 We’re July moon children! I loved Dan’s photos and look forward to seeing more. Hope you are happily settled into your new life & adventures in NM, and have no more allergy reaction to the new environment. Huge hugs, my friend. 💛🎶📚 Christine

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    1. Hi Christine. It’s great to see you, busy lady. Congratulations on the first draft! Excellent. Belated wishes for a very happy birthday to you too. You realize that means you get to celebrate again now. 🙂
      Thanks so much for buying the novella. I’m honored. I hope you enjoy it. Great big hug right back. ❤

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    2. LOL! Thanks so much, Kirt. I always say that I’m just wired wrong. It comes from the odd bends in my thought process. I don’t think my mind takes the usual path from point A to point B, whatever that is.
      I’m delighted you’ve enjoyed this story. Hugs on the wing!

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  24. Fantastic! Not too long, just right in so many ways. I take my groan of this ending back because of the perfect ending. Thanks for creating this little escape for me over these past Saturdays.

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    1. Hi Jill. Heartfelt thanks for this comment and each of your visits to the crossroads! It means a lot to me that you liked the ending.
      The question now… What will I do next? 😀
      Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Hugs on magpie wings!

      Liked by 1 person

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  26. Interesting concept, Teagan. It had a deep south voodoo/mystical feel to it. Loved this line: “They say there’s a secret chord,” Brother Love commented casually. “One that pleases the Lord. I wonder if that’s so.”
    Best of luck!

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  28. Excellent, Teagan! Wonderful story and great surprise ending. I was as befuddled as Birdie! I can see a series forming from Brother Love – it would make a great series of books and I have grown fond of Jinx and Birdie. Your writing is exceptional!

    Kudos to Dan for his help with photographs and feedback. You make a great team.

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    1. Thanks so very much, Mary J. That really means a lot to me. I can imagine a series with a sort of Doctor Who-ish bend. But that’s why this serial needed to stop here. The transition of setting would have been too different, and the type of story would have been somewhat different too. It’s hard enough for people to keep up with serials, and that big change would have been too confusing to readers.
      I hope you and the kitties have had a beautiful Caturday.
      I’m grateful that you’ve been at the crossroads throughout the serial. Hugs on magpie wings!

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    1. Thanks very much, Michael. It makes me happy that you’ve enjoyed the story. Thank you for all your visits from the first chapter through the last.

      Haha! No, the walls are only half painted. When it got too hot to open the windows (to let out the paint fumes) I had to stop. I will restart in the autumn. Crystal likes her new home. No more constantly barking dog (on the other side of our townhouse wall in DC). No more busses making noise every few minutes. Only once in a while do we hear military aircraft fly over from the nearby base. In DC the helicopters flew low over the house frequently — even the huge V22 Osprey type, shaking the windows! So here, it is much more peaceful and quiet in our little house.
      Crystal was napping in her bed, but she just not got up, stretched, and says “Hello Michael.”
      Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs!

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  32. Bravo!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 I had a few endings conjured up in my mind, but none were as surprising nor as good as yours!! Guess that’s why you’re the author and I’m the reader. 😂

    This was a fun read for me and a delightful experience. The way you bring the characters to life and weave them into all sorts of mysterious goings-on is truly a gift. Jinx. I love this guy! What? Wait! I just heard a telephone ring ONCE. Oooooo, does that mean Jinx is going to get a serial of his own?!! 🤗 Teagan, every blackbird I see I call him Jinx. Hey!! You never know!

    Dan’s photos, doctored or not, are so perfect it’s almost eerie. You guys are a great team. I hope we will benefit from a future collaboration.

    Congratulations on publishing your book!! Thanks for the fun ride.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    1. Hi Ginger. Thanks so very much for this wonderful comment. I’m delighted you were a part of this story from the beginning. I’m grateful that you have stayed with it.
      Yes there is room for more with this story, and maybe eventually a second serial. However, it would take a very different road. I believe that was just too different to transition from this part of the story to it, without readers getting confused.
      Thanks again. Hugs on magpie wings!

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    1. Hi Annette and welcome to the crossroads. Ha! That’s pretty funny. She was almost “Bertie” when I drafted Chapter 1. Then a vague idea of having an underlying/overarching “bird” something well… extra crept in, and I chose Birdie instead. Heartfelt thanks for visiting. Hugs on the wing!

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  37. This is a great ending, Teagan. Thanks so much for your kind words at the start. As I said over at my place, this collaboration has been a lot of fun. Seeing this story develop around random prompts and photos was amazing.

    Ruth is in jail. The others have been saved. I’m not sure how or why, maybe there’s an adventure ahead, but they are on a journey.

    Jinx seems to be on a journey, too, but his own journey. All I know is every black bird I see from this point forward will be Jinx.

    Thanks again for inviting me into this story. Hugs on magpie wings.

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    1. Dan, it’s truly been my pleasure. It was important to me that you like the ending. I’m happy to know that you’re onboard for a book 2 if it comes along. Again, my heartfelt thanks for all the photos, and especially your encouragement. Hugs on magpie wings!

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  38. Teagan, your stories always manage to take me somewhere I didn’t expect to go and this one is no exception. Your imagination seems to know no bounds!! I’m sorry this one is over already. I really liked these characters. Maybe we’ll see them again someday 🙂

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    1. Thanks so very much, Joanne! LOL, I do enjoy taking the limit off imagination. 😀
      I always think I don’t do enough to develop characters, so I’m delighted that you liked these enough to want to see them again.
      Yes there is room for more with this story, and maybe eventually a second serial. However, it would take a very different road. It would have a vastly changed *look* from this one. While that’s fine in a novel, not so much in a weekly serial. I believe that was just too different to transition from this part of the story to the next, without readers getting confused.
      Thanks again. Hugs on magpie wings!

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    1. Hi Priscilla. Oh, thanks about the moth. That’s great feedback. After I had the crows in the rafters eating bugs, I started seeing moths in the tent among the congregation, here and there. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the ending. Satisfying — yes. That’s music to my ears. Hugs on the wing.

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