Teagan's Books

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Welcome back to the strange little town of Atonement, TN.  I’m very happy to see you.  If you’re in the USA, you might be doing some preliminary celebrating for Independence Day, so I appreciate it even more that you’re spending part of your weekend here.

This is a week when my “stuff” is always over-the-top. It is not about July 4th — that’s mostly a coincidence of timing.  You’d think that after so many years, I would be better at handling it, but the best I can do is to “cocoon” from the last week of June on through the first week of July.  I’m not complaining, just explaining how that’s the reason why I don’t have the random reader things for this episode.

However… maybe that will make for a nice surprise for Kamal Roohani.  In the tradition of Tolkien’s Hobbits, I’m the one who is giving a (very, very small) gift on my birthday, by featuring her.  To drive this episode, I used John W. Howell‘s “finger point prompt” along with Kamal’s book of poetry, A Poet’s Touch . 

Here’s how John uses this prompt, “The idea is to open a book randomly and, without looking, point to the page. The word or words closest to the pointing finger is the prompt.”  I often read Kindle books using Amazon’s app on my laptop.  My random “point” (with help from my laptop cursor) went to Kamal’s “Hearts — Like Doors.”  Rather than a single word, I’m working with:

Hearts give us priceless life
They can flutter and flirt like crazy
They can be wayward as hell for sure…

The emotional impact of living in a town that is secretly full of supernaturals is taking its toll on Pepper Riley.  Her mental turmoil increases tension in the story. She could land herself in big trouble simply by denying the reality of the creatures she believes are hallucinations. If you want to refresh your memory, check last weekend’s post, click here.

Situations must be setup, plus stories have to ebb and flow.  With so many people away from the blog-verse this weekend, maybe it’s just as well that this episode sets the stage for action that is to come.

Atonement in Zugzwang

Episode 16

The old sign and outdated storefront gave me the eerie feeling of having stepped back in time.

Abruptly, I snorted to myself.

Finding chess pieces in odd places — or worse showing up out of nowhere and inside my house.  Double exposure like hallucinations of monstrous creatures superimposed over people…  Why not flirt with a little time travel? I snarked in my head.

Yes, yes…  I knew I had not gone back in time.  It was just an old fashioned, rural grocery store.  Although after the way my morning started at Magnolia Skies, I had a right to feel that way.  I also had a right to the chocolate-covered, cream-filled pastry that should be in the bakery section.  My heart and tastebuds were set on one as a means of consoling myself.

Walking through the parking lot, I passed the yellow muscle car that had startled me with its noise.  That was when I first met my next-door neighbor, Bheema Parvati.  Although that wasn’t long ago, it seemed like years.

What had Bheema called the kid? I thought hard for the name.  Ah, Chip.  That was it.

I had only been to the Hogley Wogley grocery store one other time, and that was just for kitten food.  Unsure of what was where, including the bakery department, I headed my cart aimlessly to the right.  I picked up some produce for salads.  Yes, I was already making up for the pastry I had not yet eaten.

My brooding thoughts about the strange things I had seen consumed me.  I stared blankly at a refrigerated section that held various thirst quenchers.  Vaguely I noticed Donny Metatron talking to another boy, beside the energy drinks. 

Politeness dictated that I say hello.  However, I was so preoccupied that manners didn’t make their way through the onslaught of other thoughts.  However, their conversation eventually got through my mental fog.

“Chip, are you in?  You know I don’t have transportation.  If I ask Dale, he might tell mom.  Dale’s getting as bossy as her and Aunt Adelle,” Donny was saying, although I was barely aware of hearing them.  “Especially after that vision she had.”

“Wicked!  Donny’s a psychic prophecy,” Chip said and didn’t really sound like he was joking.  “Is it as freaky as they say when she does that?  Do her eyes roll back in her head and stuff?”

The word “vision” was enough to get my attention.  I glanced at Donny Metatron.  His expression seemed rather distracted, as if his mind was partially elsewhere despite his intensity.  However, his eyes shone with excitement.

“Donny, you’ve got to tell me about the girl.  So, your mom sent you out to fill-up her Volvo and pick up milk, and you met her at the Gas-N-Go on Highway 52?” Chip confirmed and Donny nodded with a secretive grin that I had never seen before.

I barely knew the Metatron brothers, but I was certain there was something different about Donny.  Something was… off.  If I had to describe him in a single word, I would have used “disingenuous.”  The secretive smile he gave his friend felt out of character.

“Chip, she’s got a band.  She’s not a background singer or something, she runs the whole thing,” Donny said with enthusiasm.  “Their tour bus was gassing-up.  I heard her singing inside the store while she looked at the snacks.  You never heard a voice so beautiful!”

“She told me they were going to camp beside the lake for a couple of nights, before getting back on the road to Miami,” Donny added.  “I think that’s where the party is.”

I decided I should say something while I could tell myself that I simply overheard the boys.  Another 30 seconds would probably qualify as eavesdropping.

Taking a breath and putting on an oh-I-didn’t-see-you-there smile, I turned toward Donny and Chip.  Then I felt a gentle touch at the back of my arm.

“It’s good to see you, Ms. Riley,” said the unexpected voice of Deputy Fletcher Hodge.  “Could I talk to you for a minute?  Thanks.  But first I need to talk to Donny, now that I’ve found him.”

As the deputy strode over to the boys, I felt awkward standing there waiting.  Although I couldn’t help noticing that both the teenagers were taller than Fletcher.  I was a little surprised at the respect they showed him.  I supposed they had been “raised right.”  Then I remembered the shorter man’s powerful build.  That didn’t hurt matters.

“We want you to come in and take a look at some pictures.  The woman’s face isn’t clear on the security footage, but the tour bus matches the description,” the deputy was saying.

Chip looked crestfallen.  Their night of rule-bending wasn’t likely to happen.  In contrast, the previously mild Donn irrupted angrily.

“She hasn’t done anything!  Why are you harassing her?  Why are you harassing me?” Donny exclaimed about the woman he had barely met.

Oh, they’re as good as busted, even if Fletcher doesn’t know about that party.  Although I suspect that he does.  They’ll feel even worse if they see somebody witnessing this, I thought, and I pushed my cart to the next aisle, where I busied myself at a display for kitten treats and toys.

Donny brought his voice down to a normal level.  I heard muffled protests, followed by a parting comment from the deputy.

“There’s more going on in this situation than you two realize.  Donny, your mom is going to bring you by the station after she closes the antique shop this afternoon.  She said she could close a little early,” Fletcher said, and I heard his footsteps coming my way, so I peeped around the corner in case he had not seen where I went.

“Is there always so much going on in this town?” I asked with a rueful shake of my head.  “Is that singer wanted or something?  Anyway, I only know the few words I overheard the boys saying just before you came along.”

“Not exactly…  Combined with other matters, it’s just troubling.  Donny has a, umm… well, not exactly unique, but let’s say an unusual situation.  That puts him at greater risk with some of the things that are going on,” Fletcher didn’t quite explain.

Abruptly, I had a moment of stunning, crystal clarity.  It was an intuitive leap, but I knew I was right.  However, if I was right then, that also meant that there was more to my hallucinations than I had realized.

“The unicorn buttons that Dale teased Donny about when I bought the jacket.  The kitten being obsessed with him,” I babbled and thankfully did not mention the sometimes-seen gold horn.  “Oh my God, that’s why he was so embarrassed about unicorns.  Unicorns were supposed to be attracted to virgins!” I paused as another thought clicked into place.

“Teenaged boys can be wayward as hell, I know, but this seems different.  Donny looked and acted strange.  I guess that woman means to seduce him.  I’m not passing judgement,” I hastened to add.  “It’s just that he acted so, so…  I can’t describe it.  Like he was hypnotized or something.”

“I don’t make it my business if he loses his virginity willingly — and legally,” Fletcher remarked.  “The seduction part isn’t what worries me.  It’s what being a virgin could get him into.”

“Wha—” I started to ask, but the word didn’t make it out of my mouth.

“Pepper, this isn’t my only case.  We’ve got a triple workload since the Rowdy Rooster changed hands and brought in a bunch of, well a bad element with the new owner.  I was hoping you could talk to me about the incident at Magnolia Skies this morning.  I heard you were there,” he told me.  “But I haven’t even had breakfast, so could we talk at L-O-L-A Lola’s?  My treat.”

“I’ve never heard of the police buying breakfast for a witness as part of questioning,” I replied, trying to smile through my puzzlement.

“I think maybe you know more than you realize.  Remember, I knew your uncle.  You and I might have more in common than you would expect,” he surprised me by saying.

Is this a pick up? I wondered.

It had seemed like Fletcher and Maudie were getting interested in each other, so the idea made me uncomfortable.  Although, judging by his manner, I didn’t think he was flirting.

“Do they have pastries?” I asked, and received a grin in return.

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There’s a tickle at the back of my neck that tells me something baaaad might happen where Donny is concerned…  The singer with the incredible voice — party at a lake — Donny’s weird state.

Be sure to follow the links and visit Kamal and check out her great book and blog.   If you’re in the USA, happy Independence Day in advance.  I love to hear from you, so friendly comments are encouraged.  Hugs!

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Universal Purchase Links:

Kindle: relinks.me/B0BJ9N1GBX

Paperback:  relinks.me/1098556771

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The Atonement Series

Atonement, Tennessee

Full series of e-books with one click:  relinks.me/B087JV25JT

Kindle:  rxe.me/HGSVA8A

Paperback: relinks.me/1481826948

Also in Spanish, translated by Olga Núñez Miret! The title for the Spanish-speaking market is Expiación y Magia

Atonement in Bloom

Kindle:  rxe.me/5RRBLH

Paperback:  relinks.me/1726882128

The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee

Kindle   rxe.me/LTBDNH

Paperback   relinks.me/1725891972

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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 © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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