Vintage Vignettes: Path of Lilies part-3

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Hello!  I’m back from the horror universe of T-Mobile Internet equipment failure.  I won’t torture you with the sordid details.

The timing of this post and vignette was pure serendipity. I only just now connected the date with the subject of the video. So let’s get one thing out of the way first… 

May the Fourth Be With You! 

My Vintage Vignette today is a YouTube clip from Star Wars IV.  (I’m sorry if you can’t see the video.) Perhaps my greatest wish is to write a book with an ending that gives the reader the same feeling of limitless hope and jubilation that the ending of this movie gave me.

Granted that’s a big aspiration, not just because of how beloved the story (and that particular film) is but because of where I was in life.  I had planned ahead from 7th grade, going to summer school each year, so that I could have enough credits to graduate high school a year early.   So when the first Star Wars movie came out, at 16, I had just finished high school, feeling that my whole life was ahead of me — and I had never been to a film in a theatre before.  That makes Star Wars a pretty hard act to follow. 

Star Wars IV: “Luke & C3PO Search For R2D2”

There have been a few times that I wrote grand dramatic endings to novels. Thistledown: Midsummer Bedlam, and Dead of Winter both come to mind.  I put heart and soul (and tears) into those endings.  Not that I could dream of competing with George Lucas, but I had a sense of satisfaction from my humble efforts on those endings.

Given several recent comments, I’d like to make a statement about my images (even though I specify the type of image in italics beneath each one.) I’m happy that people enjoy the computer generated images (CGIs) I often share.  I’ve explained that there’s a huge amount of trial and (mostly) error with creating CGIs and a lot depends on text and style filters from the user. However, that isn’t nearly the same level of effort that I put into the image collages I create using multiple photos and images and then refining them with editing software.  Forgive me for needing to point out the difference when I make a group of collages and well-meaning people refer to them as CGIs.  People who read my posts realize I have debilitating problems that send me to “fight/flight/freeze” mode.  I wish I were normal, but that’s the way life has made me. Half a decade of therapy hasn’t helped me rewire that messed up part of my brain.

Anyhow, back to the little story in progress.  It’s too short for that kind of ending.  Although, I’ve made a liar out of myself every week, believing that the next episode would be the last. Not this time!  I’ve actually finished writing it. There will be one more installment after this.  Posting all of it would have been okay, but at a little under 4,900 words, that was more than I like to post.

When we left Compass last time, she was, well… being left.

If you need to refresh your memory here are links:

Part 1…  and  Part 2…

Path of Lilies

Part-3

Compass & Wawókiya outside Waxca Depot.
Image collage by Teagan

“A quest for what?  Where?” Compass yelled.

Without answering, the nun clamped a hand to her wing-like cornette headpiece and blasted away on the land speeder.  Wawókiya, in the back seat, spread his hands and gave Compass an exaggerated shrug.  She was pretty sure he was also laughing.

“You still have my duffel bag!” the synth shouted.

As the little speeder dwindled into the distance, Compass stomped back inside.  She had enough credits to get what she needed for hydration and food from the nutrition replicators in the depot.

“Assuming they’re working,” she muttered to herself.

Entering the cantina, she saw that it was as deserted as the rest of the depot.  She went directly to a beverage replicator station and purchased cool Earth water.  Compass spotted a food dispenser, but abruptly paused.

I feel like a pawn.  For unknown reasons of her own, Haŋhépi Wi used her influence to get me here, but apparently the Reverend Mother here was not happy about it, Compass thought.  This whole “pilgrimage” requirement has to be a load of horseshit.

When Tatanka Cody created the synth, he had realized that he was long on rational intellect, but short on some of the other necessities of human interaction.  He had admitted that to Compass right away.  When he asked by what name she wanted to be called, she immediately replied and never changed her mind.

“Compass,” she had stated.  “I will be your moral compass when you need one.”

“And I am certain that neither Haŋhépi Wi nor the Reverend Mother expect me to act as the moral compass for either of them.  I’ll have enough trouble navigating myself through all their self-defined explanations and deceptions to find the truth of this situation,” she muttered.  “No… I’m not playing their game.”

Inside Waxčá Depot. CGI by Teagan via Playground.

She touched the arrival and departure screen on the wall to awaken it.  Many of the necessities in the depot were in power-save mode.  That was surprising.  Actually, it was unsettling, but she could see the common sense of it.

“Why waste power when the place is empty?  Okay,” she said to the screen.  “Show me arriving shuttles and their destinations for the next 24 hours.”

“There are no arriving or departing shuttles during the specified time range,” the polite voice replied.

“If you were hoping to get to the Detritus system, you’re outta luck, ma’am.”

With a start, Compass turned around.  The old cowpoke had been so still that she didn’t notice him sitting in the shadows at a news screen.

Listening intently to learn what story had his interest, she heard the announcer giving a surprisingly technical report.  The man sitting there didn’t look like anyone she thought would be interested in scientific attributes of plants.

“Lilium candidum,” the reporter was saying.  “It’s known was Madonna or meadow, and is a bulbous plant from the Liliaceae family, which originated in the Middle East of Old Earth. While it is now almost extinct, lilium candidum was abundantly used in folk medicine in ancient times, to relieve a variety of diseases.  Researchers say it shows promise for being effective in use against the plague that is devastating planet Andesine in the Detrius System.  Unfortunately, developing a cure from such an obscure source is years, perhaps decades away.”

Seeing that the report caught her attention, the man started speaking to Compass when the newscaster stopped talking.

“The whole system is quarantined now.  Not just Andesine.  Crimany!  It’s hard enough to get any information…  And then you have to sift through all the lies and taradiddles,” the oldster continued in a manner that reflected both grumpiness and sadness.

“Hota,” he added, pointing to himself, and extending his hand.

“Compass,” she said in turn, shaking his hand.  “Doesn’t that mean crow?” she asked and he nodded with the kind of smile that one dredges up through sorrow.

“Yes ‘um.  I’m a tough old crow,” he replied in a way that made her chuckle with him.

News articles about the strange treatment-resistant plague had not been at the forefront of her mind.  The humanitarian issue had not escaped Compass, not by any means.  However, the effected worlds were so very far away that until that moment it had been more of a clinical puzzle to her.

“Do you have family there?” she asked kindly and he nodded.

“My son,” he said clearing his throat.  “Plus his wife and all of their children, and even a greatgrandchild.”

“I’m sorry,” she began but he waved away the sympathy, although he seemed genuinely concerned about her plight.  “I was just looking for the next connecting shuttle to Earth.  Or basically anywhere.”

He grunted and gave a nod, as if he understood the general nature of her situation, if not the details.  Then he picked up his water and his pack.  With a polite nod, he left the depot.

A flash drew her attention to the broad windows.  A tall sliver of light appeared on a distant hill.

“Haŋhépi Wi?” she muttered and then ran outside, hoping to catch up with the old man.

“Hey, compadre!” she called, as he got into a battered old speeder that looked like it could never actually speed.  “Could you give me a lift?”

♣ ♣ ♣

Playground CGI heavily altered by Teagan

Hota waited for Compass to go back into the depot and bag up some rations and water.  When she got back outside, the sliver of light was still visible against the distant hill.  However, it was dim.  If she hadn’t seen the flash when it appeared, then she wouldn’t have noticed it.

Without asking, the old man headed in the direction she would have requested.  At the foot of the hill, he stopped the ragtag speeder.

“Is this where you were headed?” he turned in his seat to face where she sat behind him.

“I’m headed to the hilltop,” Compass began curiously.  “But why would you be coming here?  I don’t see anything for miles around.”

Hota squinted at the barely discernable slice of light near the top of the hill.  He chuckled and then gave her a grin.

“Crows like shiny things.  I saw the light too…  But this is as far as I go,” he told her in a tone that suggested he had intended to go up the hill but changed his mind.  “A word of advice.  The sisters at the convent here aren’t like other nuns you might have known.  They won’t tell you an outright lie…  But the truth you get might not be what you think their words mean.”

She looked at Hota curiously.  She had the feeling that he wanted to say more, but didn’t like to speak ill of anyone.  After a moment he cleared his throat and continued.

“The nuns aren’t bad folks… but it doesn’t take pure evil to do harm.  Good intentions can be as bad.  I expect they told you to make a pilgrimage, and to go alone…?” he prompted and Compass nodded, surprised.

“Yep.  Whatever they promised you, they aren’t going to deliver what you think.  It’s a delaying tactic.  I don’t know what for, but I’ve seen that trick before.  They’re fiercely territorial.  Protective of their convent… and to them that means most of this planet too.”

Deep in thought, Compass watched as he drove away.  Her view of Hota’s speeder was quickly swallowed by a cloud of dust in the battered vehicle’s wake.

Why would the nuns want to delay me?  I was invited here, she thought.  Ah, but the invitation was because of the maneuverings of Haŋhépi Wi.  They’re dragging their heels because they don’t want to comply with whatever the strange being wants.  But why bring me into it?

♣ ♣ ♣

End Part-3

♣ ♣ ♣

Tune in next weekend for the conclusion — this time I’m sure.  Wishing you a wonderful weekend.  I love to hear from you, so friendly comments are encouraged. Hugs!

♣ ♣ ♣

Of course, there’s the obligatory shameless self-promotion…

Thistledown - Midsummer Bedlam. New cover by Teagan R. Geneviene

Universal Purchase Links

Kindle:  relinks.me/B082RFN9GF

Paperback:  relinks.me/1675233632

♣ ♣ ♣

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 © 2024 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 used with permission, or from free sources.

55 thoughts on “Vintage Vignettes: Path of Lilies part-3”

    1. Isn’t that funny about the land speeder. At first I wondered if I should use that term at all, simply because that to me it said “STAR WARS!” so loudly. But then I realized how long ago that movie came out. Ugh… let’s not think about that part. LOL Conclusion ready to post at midnight tonight. Big hugs.

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  3. I’m looking forward to your wrap up, Teagan, and watching your amazing imagination tie it all together. This has been a fun story so far. And I really enjoy your mastery of CGI. It’s so consistent across multiple images.

    I loved the Star Wars films when they came out – especially the first three. My daughter was a baby, so getting to the theater to see them was a big night out for me. :-) Thanks for the memory!

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    1. Thanks for that feedback, Robbie. I never expected him to be so well liked. Thankfully I had already expanded his part for the conclusion. LOL, after comments this weekend, I would have needed to revise the story. 😀 Wishing you a great new week. Hugs.

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  6. Okay, very cool Teagan.

    Interesting to see how you will tie this up in 1 more episode!

    Confession: I’ve never been able to get into the whole Star Wars saga. I do like some of the Star Treks.

    I have seen all of the SW TV spin offs for TV …Disney streaming, because I nominate and vote for Emmys. I can’t honestly nom or vote for something I haven’t seen, so I watch. I have nominated a SW show for costumes a coupe of times.

    Hugs!!

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    1. Thanks for reading, Resa. This episode sort of put a feather touch on all the elements that have been introduced previously: the nuns, the lilies, the plague, the Lakota beings. So it’s all set up for the conclusion.
      I understand what you mean about the film. As a teen I vastly enjoyed the first 2 movies released. The 3rd… wasn’t bad. Then all those years went by before they started making them again. (In the mid 90s, I think…) I’ve only watched the first of those. I enjoyed it, but didn’t care to see more. Besides, by that point in my life was when the migraines I had always been prone to, became much more frequent, and MUCH worse. I found going to movie theatres triggered the worst migraines. Maybe I would have been more interested if not for that, who knows? Although I’ve never been a real “fan” of any series or music artist or anything. I say “I enjoy that a lot, but it’s not my religion or anything.” You know? Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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  7. Looking forward to whatever comes next.

    My younger daughter and I went to a local film program the went through all the Star Wars films in order once a week–this was awhile ago, pre-pandemic. it was so much fun! They are great narratives. (K)

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    1. Thanks, Liz. I have to give some credit to Dave Williams because lily was one of the 5 random from his exercise/challenge (which started me on this story). Although I have no idea why lily made me think of the old movie Lilies of the Field (the nuns). Hugs.

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  11. This is what inspired me to rewrite Cheluvi in my own way. I think the only department where I lack is not having a solid story. I don’t know how writers and you guys do it. Do you go with the flow and develop characters as they come to your imagination? Or you have the outline of the story from start to end and you let the characters reach that conclusion? I’m looking forward to more such vignettes to use some ideas from it probably for some new story re-telling. Hugs and Take Care. 🙂

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    1. I enjoyed your retelling of the Cheluvi folktale, Sharukh.
      Often I don’t have a “solid story” either — meaning I don’t know how it’s going to end. Have you heard the phrase “flying by the seat of my pants”? It means figuring out things as you go, or not planning what you’re about to do. For quite a few years, authors have been calling unplanned (or unplotted) writing “Pantsering” or being a pantser. Having discussed this with many writers, I’ve found that most are a combination of plotter (or planner) and pantser. It’s pretty unusual for me to know the whole story, and even rarer for me to actually outline one. Although once in a while I do. It’s just not how my brain works.
      My process might be any of the things you mentioned. However, I guess 90% of the time, my mind begins with the world building or (for short stories) the setting. When a world blossoms in my mind, the characters and story follow.
      Next most frequently, the characters come first (one or a few of them), and I find my way through the twisty paths in my mind to what their story is. Once in a while, the story comes first, pretty much fully formed, in my mind. Then I find the characters for it.
      Regardless of when the character shows up, they come to me complete (and sometimes grow a bit along the way).
      With this story, I knew the beginning middle and end all at once (but it’s a truly short story, even though here I divided it into four parts). I also knew the Compass character (I had used previously) was the main character. However, like the other part of your question, old Hota was an afterthought, when I needed a character to perform the purpose of reminding Compass of the plague and consequently the lilies. His part was going to be much smaller — BUT all his details came to me in the moment I thought of him… and I decided to give him a larger part.
      I hope you’ll keep writing. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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    3. Sharukh, Teagan is the best “pantser” writer I know. Her stories flow smoothly and have a satisfying end. Your retelling Cheluvi was similar, as you had an already story to tell. You might try that with one of your own. Or continue retelling stories, “by the seat of your pants.” I’m an outliner. Structured by Blake Snyder’s 15 beats of a story. I have the ending in mind when I start writing. And it gets changed as I progress. Some chapters finished before others. But still following an outline. I’m a detailed person, being a nurse practitioner, so my brain works like that in career and life. However you write, write! You have a compelling way of capturing readers. 📚🎶 Christine

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      2. Yeah, certainly she is a phenomenal writer, Christine. I’m ashamed that I haven’t read much of your story content. I used to be a reader but now I read so much of my work-related content that I look for chances to get away from my laptop screen. I believe the last book I read was You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas because she sent me a copy. In terms of writing, I write differently. Even when I’m writing articles for clients I always have a title and the keyword ready first as that gives me the direction on where I need to go. Then I create a basic skeleton of what sub-topics I will cover and how I will flow from start to end. For Cheluvi, I knew the story so all I did was say it in my way. I’m already thinking of what story to re-tell next. Thank you Christine for reading and commenting on my story retelling. In fact, your comment was the first one and I was jumping with joy…ha ha ha….so a million thanks to you.

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        1. No worreirs on not reading much of my content. The first book was historical fiction about a granddaughter’s German grandfather, and finding out his secret left behind in Germany when he came to the U.S., in 1903 at age 21. And it’s the granddaughter’s life as a nurse, who eventually marries a Jewish doctor amid racism in the family. Not everyone’ choice genre. The sequel is about the 60s era. 1969 specifically with the Civil Rights Movement, Woodstock 69, and Vietnam War. More relatable to readers. It’s being published soon, in late Spring.

          I’m looking forward to your next story retelling. You have a solid system to write them. Which gives you a structure to follow. That’s all you need. Then, your creativity takes over to put the story retelling together. Keep writing. You have established a good reader audience. 📚🎶 Christine

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        2. Sharukh, you have a solid structure to write the retelling of stories. More would be awesome. No worries not reading much of my content. Historical fiction isn’t a favored go to genre. The debut book is about a famous German grandfather and his secret, left behind in Germany. Perhaps the sequel, in progress, would be more relatable; the civil rights movement, Woodstock 69 and the Vietnam War. Expected to be published late Spring. Keep writing. You have established a readership waiting for the next story retelling. 📚🎶 Christine

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  14. I loved the interaction with the old man, Teagan. I could imagine being there and talking to him or eavesdropping on that conversation. Great episode! I am enjoying this. If you’re ready to wrap it up, I’m good with that, but…

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    1. Thanks, Dan. I appreciate your feedback. I wasn’t expecting the old guy, thinking I already had all the events and characters in my head. However, he gave me a way to bring the lilies back into the story — one that was more relatable than simply having Compass remember them. Then I decided to give him a bigger part. I had no idea people would like him.
      It makes me feel good that you think the story would be fun to keep going, but I think the next episode is “what the story needs to be.” (Going with that early advice I got decades ago.) Besides, I can’t let it turn into a serial. Just can’t…
      Good luck with the voting for the new bartender at your blog. That’s a cool idea. Hugs.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Tim. Although, it’s still more error than trial. Except for the depot interior, all of these were collages I made, plus a ton of Photoshop to make Compass blue (and have her dress not blue). I let myself spend way too much time on that. But you know… LOL. Hugs.

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  18. Happy Star Wars Day! I enjoyed reading about your experience watching the original Star Wars movie. Understandable that the movie had wowed you so much!

    Also, I enjoyed reading this next part of “Path of Lilies.” A neat introduction of the lily as a possible cure for the plague. Looking forward to the conclusion 🙂

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    1. It was a magical awakening, Dave. 😀 Thanks for reading both the intro and the story. Yes, it was time to circle back to the lily, which only got a mention in the first episode. Which also brings us back to your writing challenge, which got all this started. (Your random words, put into the image generator, created the inspiration image.)
      Bring a tissue next time. You won’t cry but you might still need it. That’s my hint. Hugs. Oh, and May the Fourth be with you.

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  19. Yes, I agree with Jaye Marie and Anita. I’m sure the ending will be spectacular, Teagan. All of yours are.

    And I also have very vivid memories of watching Star Wars Episode IV. I remember sitting at a Cinerama (there aren’t any left here anymore) and thinking I had to remember that movie forever. And, funnily enough, it is one of the movies I remember more clearly of all the movies I’ve watched. Enjoy your weekend and love to Velma and Daphne. ♥

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