Nice chapter, Kate! It reminded me of my ski trips to Kitzbühel long ago. I loved that place. In any event, the plot thickens here: Marie can't escape these machinations even on the slopes! Are the two guys really a safe party in this whole thing? I'm starting to doubt it. Great work.
Of course it was Fred and Roger!! Their appearance made me grin. You've set up these little encounters so well with their uncanny arrivals that having them turn up like this feels creepy and yet totally realistic to the situation. As Silvio notes, the plot thickens. Feels like we're moving into the meat of things with this one here. Great stuff, Kate. Super cool info with the Klimt.
Favourite line time :D:
"I wasn’t completely sure what my worries were at that point. I just knew that maybe the ball, the trip to Hungary, the strange encounters in Vienna…they were all telling me something. Like I was in the middle of something evil and in danger of moving into that kind of dark energy."
Thanks a lot, Nathan! For some reason, this scene with F&R is so vivid in my mind, as if I lived it. Of course, nothing of the sort occurred. 🕵️♀️ It's like these false memories that I was talking with Silvio about in his comments (and probably yours at some time as well!). What do we do to our minds as we write? Hopefully not the 'dark energy.'
Woah! Fred and Roger just TURN UP like, no big deal?! Why on earth does Marie trust them?? Yikes. I love the way you slip COVID in — captures those innocent early days perfectly.
Oh, poor F&R! None of my readers seem to trust them! :)
Thanks a lot, Julie. I'm interested in how other writers are also handling COVID or not. I really enjoyed Gary Shteyngart's take in Our Country Friends, written so bravely just after, or still during, the pandemic. Completely different storylines, but I found it inspiring.
"Looking ahead, I could see empty cabins swaying at frightening angles. Ours moved less so with our weight holding it down, but a small gap in the doors beckoned my imagination to consider what would happen if our little plastic box moved completely ninety degrees. I felt dizzy and disoriented." I love how this matches Marie's general bewilderment about the world she finds herself in. And also how the "little plastic box" seems to prefigure the isolation of the Covid lockdowns.
You are making a lot of cool connections, Jeffrey! Thanks for the great comments.
Absolutely yes about the gondola. I believe I was writing this part after skiing in Switzerland with masks on gondolas, and I'm not sure I consciously made that connection, but it really works.
The detailed description of the ski trip and the camaraderie among the group made me feel like I was right there with them. The suspenseful gondola conversation with Fred and Roger added a thrilling twist—another great piece.
"After sharing their five-minute life stories, they returned to their private conversation" truth in fiction!
And those five-minute stories are the same every time! 😅
Love the ski trip chapter. Reminds me of my time in Saalbach. That view from up there, it's a feeling that stays with you. The smell of the snow, the air, the crispness, you conveyed it wonderfully.
"The government would then control our movements and monitor whom we were with, not allowing us to have the company of those outside our homes. And for most of us on that trip, it would mean we were completely isolated." - A truly scary, sad time for the whole world. You captured the feeling and fears well, between the protagonists enjoying the small pleasures together, unsuspecting how derailed their lives will be later on. How it was for us all.
Here's to togetherness!
🥂 absolutely!
Nice chapter, Kate! It reminded me of my ski trips to Kitzbühel long ago. I loved that place. In any event, the plot thickens here: Marie can't escape these machinations even on the slopes! Are the two guys really a safe party in this whole thing? I'm starting to doubt it. Great work.
Kitzbühel! Wonderful.
I'm happy it's making you questions the characters. I'll stay mum, of course. :) Thanks for reading, Silvio.
Of course it was Fred and Roger!! Their appearance made me grin. You've set up these little encounters so well with their uncanny arrivals that having them turn up like this feels creepy and yet totally realistic to the situation. As Silvio notes, the plot thickens. Feels like we're moving into the meat of things with this one here. Great stuff, Kate. Super cool info with the Klimt.
Favourite line time :D:
"I wasn’t completely sure what my worries were at that point. I just knew that maybe the ball, the trip to Hungary, the strange encounters in Vienna…they were all telling me something. Like I was in the middle of something evil and in danger of moving into that kind of dark energy."
Thanks a lot, Nathan! For some reason, this scene with F&R is so vivid in my mind, as if I lived it. Of course, nothing of the sort occurred. 🕵️♀️ It's like these false memories that I was talking with Silvio about in his comments (and probably yours at some time as well!). What do we do to our minds as we write? Hopefully not the 'dark energy.'
Hehe. I love this idea, though, that it's possible to create these false memories from writing and inhabiting our worlds. That's great.
Woah! Fred and Roger just TURN UP like, no big deal?! Why on earth does Marie trust them?? Yikes. I love the way you slip COVID in — captures those innocent early days perfectly.
Oh, poor F&R! None of my readers seem to trust them! :)
Thanks a lot, Julie. I'm interested in how other writers are also handling COVID or not. I really enjoyed Gary Shteyngart's take in Our Country Friends, written so bravely just after, or still during, the pandemic. Completely different storylines, but I found it inspiring.
"Looking ahead, I could see empty cabins swaying at frightening angles. Ours moved less so with our weight holding it down, but a small gap in the doors beckoned my imagination to consider what would happen if our little plastic box moved completely ninety degrees. I felt dizzy and disoriented." I love how this matches Marie's general bewilderment about the world she finds herself in. And also how the "little plastic box" seems to prefigure the isolation of the Covid lockdowns.
You are making a lot of cool connections, Jeffrey! Thanks for the great comments.
Absolutely yes about the gondola. I believe I was writing this part after skiing in Switzerland with masks on gondolas, and I'm not sure I consciously made that connection, but it really works.
The detailed description of the ski trip and the camaraderie among the group made me feel like I was right there with them. The suspenseful gondola conversation with Fred and Roger added a thrilling twist—another great piece.
Thanks a lot, Jon! Thanks for reading. :)
"After sharing their five-minute life stories, they returned to their private conversation" truth in fiction!
And those five-minute stories are the same every time! 😅
Love the ski trip chapter. Reminds me of my time in Saalbach. That view from up there, it's a feeling that stays with you. The smell of the snow, the air, the crispness, you conveyed it wonderfully.
Meanwhile, today we'll have 36 degrees 🥵
Thanks Alexander! Still hot here so, yes, I hope the chapter cooled some people off :)
Appreciate the kind comment!
Oh! There's a connection to an upcoming episode of Lamb! :) I was already all-in with lost gold, but now a Klimt too? ::))
Ohhhh exciting!! Can't wait to see it 👀
Yeah...complicating things :) There's got to be a Klimt when it's Vienna!
"The government would then control our movements and monitor whom we were with, not allowing us to have the company of those outside our homes. And for most of us on that trip, it would mean we were completely isolated." - A truly scary, sad time for the whole world. You captured the feeling and fears well, between the protagonists enjoying the small pleasures together, unsuspecting how derailed their lives will be later on. How it was for us all.