Whatnot Wednesday & #ThursdayDoors TDWC: I Awoke

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Minot Ledge Lighthouse by Noelle Granger
Minot Ledge Lighthouse, photo by Noelle Granger

Hello, everyone.  I’ve noticed that lighthouses don’t tend to evoke neutral thoughts in people.  It seems we either think of hope or terrible despair. So, I decided to include both emotions in my story. The “inspiration door” for my TDWC story this week is by fellow author, Noelle Granger.  

This vignette is new material, written earlier this week.  It’s from the world of my just-published duology “The Delta Pearl.”  Both of the books begin with prologues that show us part of Émeraude’s early days before she goes aboard the riverboat.  Then the books move forward to her as a young woman.  The following story takes place during that gap, which is not in the books, while she is still just a little girl.  It happens mere hours after she is rescued by the Dealer.

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I Awoke Aboard the Delta Pearl

Image collage by Teagan featuring Noelle’s lighthouse

Light shot through the murk of my nightmare in blinding streams.  Opening my eyes in the cold depths of the river, I saw a lighthouse.  It sat on the outcropping far, far above the rocks that lay in wait, just below the water’s surface.  The place was even more dangerous for its unexpectedness along a river.

I floated away from the burning brilliance, and it no longer bothered my eyes.  The light, though softer, gradually permeated my surroundings.  The cold depths were gone.

“Just a bad dream,” I whispered and reminded myself not to cry out just because of a nightmare — that would make Momma mad.

Wait.  Something’s strange…  The world feels catawampus.  I don’t know where I am!  But no… I think there’s a reason why I’m here, I thought, reaching for the ragdoll that I kept hidden under my pillow, but my fingers found no doll.

I couldn’t remember events of the day before.  I thought maybe I didn’t want to remember.  Yesterday was a nightmarish haze that faded into mist as the morning sun touched my face.  A fresh breeze brushed my cheek.

Image collage by Teagan
Image collage by Teagan

My eyes fluttered open to see ruffled curtains sashay on the air, like a rich lady’s petticoat.  In the distance a lighthouse grew smaller, as if I slid away from its tower.

Beneath my hand I felt the smoothly woven cotton of fine bedding — and more ruffles.  Then I realized there were neither lumps nor worn-down holes in the mattress where I lay.

Yesterday and now, it’s all a dream, I thought, because everything I saw and touched was surely the stuff of any little girl’s fantasy.  Please let everything before this minute be only a nightmare too.

Unpleasantness tickled at my memory.  I shoved away the shadowy thought that wanted to take hold, and I pushed my head farther into the lavender scented pillow.

My eyes popped open at the sound of voices near the open window.  With the frightful recollection still trying to gain entrance to my mind, hearing those voices plunged me into fear.  My little body became rigid, and my breath shallow.

“Cecil Perlog!” began an irritated woman with an accent that was humorous to my ears.  “I don’t care if it’s a scheduled stop or not.  You can send the Mate ashore at the next dock to try and find out about the poor bairn.  Somewhere there’s a mother who’s worried sick.”

Onyx the clockwork owl
Onyx the clockwork owl

“Agate—” said a man in the kind of voice that was loud without trying.  “Hold your horses, I’ve been trying to get sense out of Onyx.  You know the clockworks aren’t always clear when they try to talk.”

I strained my ears, trying to hear what was happening, when a pause came in their conversation.  There were faint clicking and hooting sounds.  The voices became murmurs, which I couldn’t hear clearly.  Meanwhile the shadowy thought was gradually making its way into my mind.

I don’t want to remember!  I want to keep dreaming… I thought, squeezing my eyes shut.

The tap of approaching footfalls preceded a third voice.  It had that quasi-French sound that Pee-paw had said was Cajun.  The new man spoke in a level tone.

“Agate, cher… some mothers have not the kind of concern and loving care that you assume.”

“What are you on about, Dealer?  If you mean abuse, there wasn’t a mark on the girl,” the woman challenged, but her attitude seemed to reverse.  “But it doesn’t always leave bruises or broken bones though.  Does it?” she added as if to herself.  “You don’t mean the lass was pushed…”

Teagan via Playground
Teagan via Playground

“Worse, cher.  Worse than pushed.  When I was in the water, I felt a communion pass between the Delta Pearl and the river.  An understanding between them,” the Cajun man explained.  “Mais, it gave me the frissons!  The riverboat, she didn’t mean to only pull the girl out of the water.  She will claim the child.  You mark my words.”

“Zashpah,” the woman started, and I suspected she pronounced a foreign name with a spelling vastly different from its sound.  “I’ve never known you to show a paternal instinct,” she added in a tone that was both teasing and puzzled.

“But the Delta Pearl has displayed such instinct and many times, as you know,” replied the Cajun.

“Be that as it may, Jaspe.  We’ll do our due diligence in finding out about the child.  We aren’t kidnappers.  We’ll see what she can tell us when she wakes up.  If things are as you say, and if the riverboat has claimed her, then we can’t turn her away if she seeks sanctuary,” the deep voice stated as their sounds faded into the distance.

Claimed? I wondered at his use of the word.  And sanctuary?  I don’t know what that word means, but neither thing sounds like anything good.

Abruptly, I recalled being dragged from the river and onto a tall riverboat.  People had surrounded me, but that was as much as I could remember.  Even so, all the realities of the night before crashed down on me.  The emotions, the fear, the helplessness, and the hopelessness broke through the barrier my mind had held against the overwhelming tide.

I felt anew the moment when my feet left the cliff and I plummeted into the river.  My tears would not be contained.  Between sobs, I gulped air as if I again drowned.  I buried my face in the pillow to muffle my hiccupping sobs.

A tiny noise startled me into lifting my head.  Unable to see through my tears, I exclaimed to whoever came into the cozy room.

“I can’t go back!  Please, just leave me on the riverbank.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean any harm.  But don’t make me go back!”

No answer came to my plea.  Confused, I realized that no one was in the room after all.

Then a spark of purple drew my eyes to a lamp affixed to the wall beside the door.  A flash of silver thread, shot across the ceiling.  A spot of purple sparkled again as the sunlight touched it, but it moved so fast that I didn’t see more than a blur.

To my astonishment, on a silver thread, a glittering thing lowered itself to my pillow.  I gasped softly as four small lavender cabochon eyes regarded my face.  I could see my quadrupled reflection in the gems.  Minute gears clicked and hummed.

Image collage by Teagan
Image collage by Teagan

“A clockwork?” I whispered.  “A clockwork spider?  And you’re practically covered with amethysts.  You’re beautiful!”

To my question the little automaton bobbed up and down, as if it meant to nod.  It gave a series of clicks and whirrs.  Then carefully, as if to avoid frightening me, it crept onto my shoulder.  In a tiny voice, it whispered into my ear.

“Friend.  Be my friend too, Émeraude.  Friend,” Amethyst the clockwork spider promised.

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Thanks for opening this door.  Friendly comments are encouraged.  Questions about The Delta Pearl books are welcome too.  Hugs!

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And now the obligatory shameless self-promotion…

The Delta Pearl

The duology includes The Delta Pearl: A Steampunk Riverboat, and the conclusion of the story, The Geostrophic Pearl: The Delta Pearl Book 2.

The books are available in Kindle or paperback form.  Also, Amazon offers free readers to allow you to read Kindle books on your device of choice.  Including android.

Universal Purchase Links

The Delta Pearl: A Steampunk Riverboat, Book 1

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0D4NPS5LP

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0D4Q1J94Q

The Geostrophic Pearl:  The Delta Pearl Book 2

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0D4R6MB1Y

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0D4TR686Q

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Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. It’s hosted by Dan Antion.  Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

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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.

Copyright © 2024 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

66 thoughts on “Whatnot Wednesday & #ThursdayDoors TDWC: I Awoke”

  2. I’m new to your blog, so I feel out of the loop re: the delta pearl series… But as a stand alone, the story was quite engaging. It is difficult ask to write a stand alone after you’ve completed a series, so I take a bow to your wonderful imagination and creativity. Now to get the series and indulge myself. Well done, Teagan. 🙏

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    1. Welcome aboard, Nigel. The only loop here is my loopy mind. As a storyteller, you might be interested in the history of the Pearl. I wrote the original version in 2016, but I wasn’t satisfied — it needed a middle. I decided to make it a serial here on the blog, using my “Three Things” method of storytelling. (I did several serials, having readers offer “3 random things” that I used to drive the story.) Readers enjoyed the voyage, and I fleshed out the story… but I discovered that the “end” was really the midpoint, so the serial kept going for a couple of years. (My longest running blog serial.)
      Of course, when doing weekly serials, people can’t keep up with all the many threads (often created by the random reader things), clues, and other components of a story, so when a serial ends, I try to “bookize” it. Although it took me several years to finish editing and formatting this one. With that kind of timeframe, *everybody* is out of the loop. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

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      1. That explains it. Huh..several years for a series is bloody marvelous commitment. I am inspired. I honestly think a loopy kind is a prerequisite for story telling. I swear I’m schizo sometimes with the amount of ideas and characters I have running through my loopy imagination. So I absolutely understand… You’re a genius 🥰 I’ll check it out for sure. 👏👏

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  3. A boat that claims a child. That’s quite a teaser! Your images are a wonder; they seem such a natural side effect of fiction, but they demand a lively and hard-working imagination, which you certainly seem to have! Your comment to Dan about the difficulty of writing something connected to but limited by the books just written was interesting author stuff. It’s helpful to read what other writers encounter. Congratulations on all!

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    1. Yes, Maureen, it seems that the Delta Pearl takes an active role in choosing her staff. Now and then, she takes the entire decision upon herself. I guess this comment is giving away a little too much. In the books, I very gradually bring in that aspect of the story. It’s the kind of thing most people would have missed in the weekly serial. There were several details like that, which really made me want to provide the book version. I try to do that with all my serials (although as with this one, sometimes it takes a long time). I’m careful to rework them so that they flow well as novels. After 12 years of writing serials, I’ve learned that there is a big difference between what works for a weekly serial and what reads well as a book. “Bookizing” serials is not nearly as easy or simple as most people would imagine.
      Thanks for mentioning that comment to Dan. Figuring out precisely how to present this story was quite a brain teaser. I appreciate you spending time here. Hugs.

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      1. As you might know from my blog, telling a story at all is beyond me, so I can’t begin to understand what goes into a serial, let alone a book, let alone both! There’s no way I’d think “bookizing” is easy!

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    1. Thanks so much, Kerfe. A while back, I watched a Film Courage video. I don’t remember who the interviewee was, but he said to think about how you wanted the viewer (reader) to *feel* at the end of the story, and strive for that kind of ending. What you just said about a warm feeling is exactly what I hoped to achieve. I really appreciate this wonderful comment. Hugs.

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  8. Your images and characters are amazing, Teagan. I’ve always loved lighthouses, and you’ve added enticement to reach for more. Bravo!

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  9. Ohh, Teagan, I love this!

    Yes, sad, but safe now, and the amethyst spider came on cue.

    This is a wonderful write inspired by Noelle’s Lighthouse.

    The Delta Pearl is a fabulous creation. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks so very much, Resa. You’ve made me smile. I never expected to add anything to the existing story (or timeline if that’s a better word). Then the thought of how it must have happened when Emeraude met Amethyst popped into my head. Big hugs.

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  10. My daughter Sara is arachnophobic, which is DREADFUL, since she LOVES steampunk. I think a little clockwork amethyst spider is utterly charming, but I don’t know if she could tolerate it. I’ll have to ask her!

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    1. Marian, a spider is about the last thing that I would ever have expected myself to write about. LOL. I honestly don’t know how Amethyst got into my head. If it helps, she looks more like a beautiful amethyst encrusted brooch than a spider. 🙂
      Thanks for visiting. Hugs.

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  11. The clockwork owl and spider both made me smile, Teagan. I love them being a part of this wonderful world. I am also pro-lighthouse, and consider them and their inhabitants both stoic and substantial. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hi, Bruce. Onyx and Amethyst are the main clockworks on the Delta Pearl. I’m happy they have a friend in you. There are also quite a few other clockworks, although they don’t get much of a part until book-2 The Geostrophic Pearl.

      Thanks for joining the conversation. Considering all the terrible shipwrecks that lighthouses are meant to prevent, I can understand why people would associate them with tragedy. However, I’ve always seen lighthouses as “hope” or even protectors. I guess that’s why all the despair many people connect to them is interesting to me. There seems to be a great divide, and nothing in between. I appreciate you reading and commenting. Hugs.

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  12. Nicely written, Teagan. The best part is that I got to read two different stories connected to the lighthouse. Dan earlier wrote that kidnapping story and this one by you. I’m currently working on some fresh content for my blog which explains my disappearance.

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    1. Hi, Sharukh. I read Dan’s story and I agree that it’s fantastic. If you’re really into lighthouses, in 2022 someone offered a different lighthouse for the writing challenge. I made a different kind of short story for it.

      A Short-short for Thursday Doors Writing Challenge, Lighthouse


      I’m glad to hear you’re going to have new blog posts coming up. Thanks for mentioning it, because I was afraid I might have missed something. (I found out that nearly every email (including notifications) that *should* have been in my inbox was actually in spam… Anyhow, thanks for commenting. Hugs to you and Sarah.

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  16. Thank you for using my lighthouse, Teagan. The story you wove was delightful and I want to know why the child was in the river (jumped, pushed?)., And what happened after the story- love that spider!

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    1. Bwahahaha…! (gleefully rubs hands together) Then my plan works… because all that is in the books, although not fully answered until the beginning of book-2 The Geostrophic Pearl.
      Seriously though, thank you for reading and commenting, Noelle — and for offering your lighthouse photo for the TDWC. Actually, Amethyst has a large part in the books. Big hugs.

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    1. Thanks very much, Liz. It was surprisingly hard to add this little story to the “universe” of The Delta Pearl without giving anything away. That world lived in my head from 2016 through 2019. It was an odd feeling to put myself back into it after this much time. Hugs.

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    1. You are so kind, Tim. I appreciate that feedback.
      What a brain-jangling weekend/week it’s been. After a second swarm (outside) of gnats, I had an inspector come out today to make sure they weren’t actually termites (particularly since I have some bad siding). He said everything was fine — wouldn’t charge me or even let me buy his gas. Best thing that’s happened to me in a while, and more of a relief than I would have thought. I hope you aren’t working too hard there up north. Hugs.

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  22. You really captured that gauzy sense of waking up and not being fully awake. In how Émeraude tried to get away from the nightmare, but the memory came about her falling from the cliff. And your imagination continues to be a wonder. A clockwork owl and spider! Very cool 🌞

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    1. What a lovely comment, Dave. I like your use of the word “gauzy.” The clockworks were fun to write. Those two get fairly big parts. Book-2, The Geostrophic Pearl has quite a few more clockworks who are important to the story. I appreciate your feedback. Have a good rest of the week. Hugs.

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  23. I agree with Dan. It is great to learn about Émeraude’s first contact (or almost) with the Delta Pearl and what some of the main characters thought. Oh, and it’s lovely to see Amethyst again! Thanks, Teagan!

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  24. Oh Teagan. Thank you for writing this story!

    When we read stories we love (like The Delta Pearl) we always imagine there is more. We always want for more. To know more about the characters, the spaces in time between scenes. What happened before and after things happened. You have given us one of those stories today, and it’s wonderful.

    I hope you have a great day. Mine has started well!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. What a wonderful, lovely comment, Dan — thank you. Even after the idea came, this story was harder to write than I expected. Trying to step into the omitted part of the timeline, but not give anything away. I’m delighted that you enjoyed it. Big hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

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