THE 777 CHALLENGE

Tegan Wren tagged me to share seven lines from the seventh page of a work in progress. I choose to 1) be a little generous with my required "seven lines" and 2) use my most recently finished book entitled AN OCCASIONALLY GRIM FAIRY TALE.

This scene takes place between two sisters, Anna and Maria, tending to the garden.

"Look at you!" Anna gasped. "You've ruined another dress! Mother will have a fit!"

"Don't I know it! Oh, bother, there's no point." Maria stopped fussing with her dress. Instead she focused on the sparse arbor vitae. She approached the bush, closing her eyes, breathing deeply, and brushing her open hands slowly back and forth across the branches.

The bush stirred, as if with a slight breeze. Each injured branch quivered gently as fresh greenery appeared on the tips, filling up the gaps within minutes.

"Be careful, Maria." Anna glanced around. "What if someone sees you?"

"Who would see me? There's no one out here but us."

"I hope you're right. You know what they say about us in town."

Maria snorted. "You worry too much, Anna. What could they possibly say? That it's a pity to see a noble family reduced to selling berries to get by? That it must be magic we can grow anything in here with our fence in shambles and a broken gate?"

Anna smiled. "At least that much is true."

Now I'll tag 7 other authors to play this game:
Kristin D. Van Risseghem
Matthew Cox
Andrew Buckley
Jessica Gunn
Courtney Sloan
Katie Hamstead Teller
N. N. Light


Okay, ladies and gentlemen, now PAY UP!