Announcement Concerning 'Sailor and the Ruined Castle'

Lately I have been more and more concerned about posting my story about Sailor on my blog.

Once the story has completed itself, I had originally planned to make it into an e-book to sell but if I'm blogging it twice a week, there's not much point. I also have a publisher who has shown interest in my work.

Further to this, I know that a handful of visitors are viewing it, maybe following it. All I see is a number beside the pageviews of each blog; I don't know that anyone is reading it or if they just stopped by.

To date, of the story that has been blogged, I have never received any feedback or comments on it so I have to assume that its not very popular or of any real interest to my readers. With this in mind I have decided to no longer blog Sailor's story. I apologize to anyone who may have been reading or following it.

I will have plenty of other things to tell you about though so I hope I haven't lost any of my readers or visitors. I value all of you. 

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't Chapter Two

Just at dawn...

The scene grew swiftly dim and faded quickly before Sailor's startled eyes as the blue haze of the forest with the sunlit field just beyond came into sharp focus. Was he still trapped in the strange woods? He knew the town had been real, just as he now understood that the fishing village just down the hill from the ruined castle was, in fact at one time, the medieval village he was just in. As he blinked, the sunlight seemed to move towards him as it overtook the woods. The night and the blue haze vanished amongst the chatter of leaves in the cool wind coming off the ocean below. Sailor looked to the sky and beheld trees that were once again resplendent with autumn foliage. Realization was now breaking and trying to make its way into his balking mind but would he accept it? Was he starting to perceive the truth and the reality of his existence? Sailor wasn't sure of anything he had just experienced. He was content to let it go for now and explore it no further. Right at the moment all he wanted was to go back to the fishing village, back to what was familiar to him. The fish mongers and the wharf, to spend his days watching the fishing boats go out and come back in with their catches. Sailor suddenly longed to sit in his favorite places and to sleep in his chosen niches and eat out of the fish bucket again. This was the comfort he sought now.

Now, at dusk.

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't Chapter Two

The Town

With his eyes still closed he could smell smoke. Then the noise broke in on him but Sailor didn't move, nor did he open his eyes. His breath came fast and his heart pounded in his chest. Horses whinnied and shined in this place, he heard the baying of sheep somewhere and loud bells were tolling. Sailor cocked his head as he listened; he could make out the peculiar sound of wagon wheels slipping on cobblestones as the wagons were being drawn by horses and the ring of hammers against wood. Everywhere was the busy sound of people; people shouting, people calling out, people talking and was that a pig's squeal?! 

It had rained here too. Not only could Sailor hear people and animals slosh through puddles but he could smell the rain above the tainted smells coming off the river. He sensed he was somewhere up high above the stink of the town because a breeze brushed his whiskers; he unclosed his eyes and what he beheld was a bustling and industrious medieval town; one that he Recognized! 

Eyes wild with astonishment, Sailor sat up and gazed round him. He was sitting on castle walls! A huge rampart that seemed to encircle the entire town! There were gaters or watchmen walking along the narrow palisades carrying spears and peering over the walls to the dirt road below where a huge iron gate was swung wide. A gatekeeper was checking wagons and talking to people desiring entrance into the town. The gators acknowledged his presence but took no further interest in Sailor as he walked the bulwark, gazing at the activity in the town below as he went.

Catspaw

I ~~ ' ~~ M BAAA - CK !!!!

YESSSSSS!  The computer works great; all the files and data was saved off the old drive and installed on the new hard drive and Hubby found it for me...  My Sailor story is SAVED and can resume tomorrow on schedule after a week of delay.

I have not been totally idle, I have some interesting pics for you today...

Newly Hatched Spiderlings! 

These tiny guys (and girls) graced the side paneling of my door not a few days ago. I'm sure the proud 'mom' was not far off. One or two did venture into the house but I think the majority are staying in the wall and door frame.

Baby Spiders residing in the door frame. Looks roomy in there!

 

 

 

 

Just the tale end of May, on the first decently nice summery day we've had on the island, my cats were enjoying the warm sunshine as much as I was. 

Here is Winston watching Sassy roll on the warm, cracked paving. 

And here is Sassy, still rolling on the paving with Winston walking past, Emerald is in front of the van doing the same as Sassy with a black barn cat looking on...

Here's a sequence of my cats and a black barn cat playing around the tree...

 Winston sneaks through one side, while...

the barn cat peers around the bush!

Winston and the black cat playing hide and seek!

Sassy can't resist finding out what's going on

Hope you enjoyed these. Things will not get back to normal with the computer back on its desktop.

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

In mere seconds Sailor's paws would reach the sunlight at the edge of the blue woods and he would feel again the warmth of an autumn day caress his body. He knew the woods ended, he could see the end but he could not reach the end. The more he gained the edge, the more the strange woods seem to extend outwards preventing his taking leave of them. Sailor stopped running and crouched on his hunches as his lungs drew in ragged breaths. What he could see he could no longer attain for himself. Instead he lay in the cool, dry earth with night resounding in his ears, gazing at the warm sunny day just beyond his reach. Confused and exhausted sleep descended on Sailor in among the leaves of the forest he was now trapped in. This time he opened his eyes to an altogether different village. 

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

 

In the distance lay the town he had tried to integrate into and make his home. But it was daytime! Blue sky held a radiant sun; the day was aglow with warmth and light. Not unlike the environment of his dreams. Sounds of people shouting and the noise of a busy village reached his ears; if he listened closely enough he could hear the sound of the ocean waves. He pictured the harbour and the bustle of activity that was now occurring on the wharf and it was with a fervent longing to be there, among the fishing boats and the tide he so loved... Sailor leapt down from the tree branch and tore through the woods that enclosed him. He knew where he wanted to be and it was no longer in this blue, night-shrouded forest. 

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't Chapter 2

Peculiar sensations sweep over him as he infiltrated the wood. There was an instantaneous sense that he was somehow removed from where he had been; that he was somewhere in-between. The woods were enveloped by a blue haze not unlike the fog that overtook the town. It seemed to be nighttime in the woods; there was a full, glowing moon riding high in the sky above him. Sailor crouched low to the dry ground and listened to the sounds of evening approaching him. A chill breeze was the first thing he felt, then an owl hooted overhead and he could follow the soft sound of wings on the air, a bird reaching its nest perhaps. In the rustling sounds of leaves scraping dry earth he spotted a mouse coming out of hiding to forage. All around him Sailor could hear the familiar sounds of night creatures emerging at their usual and correct time at dusk. Yet the town he'd just left was in daylight; the beginning of the day not the end of one. Up on his paws he gained a high tree branch and gazed out past the tree line. What he beheld next both shocked and terrified him!

Catspaw

Reminder About My ``Sailor`` Story

Just a quick note to let you know that if you are following Sailor`s story or if you want to follow it, I began the story on February 26th and you can go back to that blog and read his story from that date, forward. 


As of this Thursday, Chapter Two will begin.


Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't (Tuesdays & Thursdays)

Sailor began to feel somewhat better. Almost immediately the bitter cold was relinquishing its hold on his body and he was beginning to feel warm again. He felt like he could now move without fear of bodily harm and tentatively peeked his head around the corner of the soggy opening, into the street. His eyes followed the cobblestone road that lead through town, out up the hill and away, to the peaks of the castle so far in the distance where they could hardly be seen. A weird bluish haze appeared in among the trees leading there yet they called to Sailor and he was compelled to follow! Voices from within the house behind told him the denizens of the village would be out and about soon. Sailor had to move! Out from the recess he trotted on the rain slick road, he kept his pace until he was clear then ran toward the trees where the blue light emanated. He was indescribably unafraid of the the light. It held the promise of answers for him and the hope of finally learning where his home truly lay. Sailor's paws fairly flew beneath him as they carried him forward to his fate. It would be the end of secrets. A final resolution to the mystery surrounding his life and a settlement of this disorienting sense of non-belonging anywhere. 

Catspaw

This ends Chapter One.

 

Saturday Post

I will be posting my Sailor story twice a week from now on so those of my readers and visitors who are following it will not have such a long wait before the next episode.

I apologize to those of you who are following it and promise you will not be disappointed by the rest of the story.

Look for it on my Tuesday and Thursday blogs from now on.

Still thinking of a theme for this week ~ maybe, anything goes!!

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

How Extraordinary! Once Sailor made his decision to return to the castle his mind suddenly perceived a clarity which had, before now, eluded him and the peculiar dank vapor over the town seemed to unexpectedly lift, while the rain began receding back into the dark clouds above. The day cleared as they broke and scudded across the sky; driven by the wind. It was so sudden, as if on cue and was it triggered by Sailor's decision? Sailor thought to himself 'So. It was true.' The apprehension he'd been experiencing for a week now, the vague feelings of unwanted and unlooked for change... all leading to this decisive moment in his life. The fog indeed, had come for him. It had found him and it was driving him, inexorably, towards the ruined castle on the hill above the village. Now, to find out why!

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

As he leaned, a growing awareness of where he needed to be was breaking through the cloudiness of his mind and with it an imperative to reach the ruined castle. Sailor abruptly remembered the 'something' that lived in that place and a possible reason why no one ever passed that way. Though he still couldn't reason it out he knew instinctively that the answers were to be found inside those crumbling walls. Sailor needed to know what was happening to him and the reason for it; the ruined castle had always seemed to be the focal point for his life ~ he was born there, the place called to him, it was familiar and had always conveyed the feeling of a much missed and much sought after home to him. Why? What was it about that castle that compelled him to stay near it? Sailor simply had to find out. To the castle he would go, his exhausted mind told him. 

Catspaw 

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

Sailor awoke to a harsh reality. His mind was fogged by the unconsciousness he'd lapsed into while his body throbbed with cold and pain, he could not seem to clear his head. With great effort he pulled himself to his feet and leaned against the door-frame not having the strength to hold himself forward. Sailor felt confused, his mind was fuzzy and strange images merged with familiar ones in his clouded brain; but he couldn't sort them out into what was real and what was not. Questions, always questions. Sailor tried to shake his head - The castle. It held the answers and he had to reach it. Although Sailor had tried to settle in this village and call it home, in fact it was the castle that was most familiar to him and it was in its presence that he really felt like he was home. If he could only muster enough fortitude, he would take to his paws again and revisit the castle. A powerful sense of urgency now washed over Sailor forcing him to move toward the entrance of the alcove and out into the rain and fog. He advanced stiffly forward, willing his legs to move; his body was so unyielding that he feared trying to walk lest his legs broke! A cry of agonizing pain escaped his throat as his legs buckled and he collapsed forward; his head hitting the rough cobblestone while shooting pain raced up his legs and reverberated through his already wracked body. Utterly exhausted and crippled with affliction, Sailor braced himself against the wall and struggled to stand again. He waited until he could sense his paws under him, then gingerly shook himself. The heaviness of the rain weighing down his fur fell away. Feeling lighter and a little more mobile with constant forced movement Sailor stared out into the rain sodden village. Everything was saturated and the intense cold was returning to his body.

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

The day was awash with sunlight resting on the trees and grass that grew bountifully around thick castle turrets and walls. The path leading to the main drawbridge was surrounded with green of every kind and warmth. Lazy bugs flew as if drunk on sunshine! The strong scent of the nearby woods was on the wind as Sailor paused to sniffed the air. The extreme coldness had finally left his body and with it the stiffness was also gone; he felt warm again. He also felt a strange sense of 'right', like he belonged here. But... where was here? Every time he concentrated and thought he recognized something in this place, he had a kind of 'falling' sensation. As though everything he was looking at was moving backwards, away from him and receding. Sailor decided against trying to remember, he was tired and need rest; he would simply explore this place and see what came of it.

It seemed like he'd had been walking for hours... He watched birds flying and listened to the chatter of insects and there were fish in the moat that encompassed the castle, so this had to be a real place and it was alive. Sailor was weary and wanting to rest on his paws when he rounded a corner and found a small side entrance into the castle that was accessed by walking over a small bridge. There was an inviting patch of warm sunshine just beside the fence of the walkway above ; Sailor was drawn to the place and laid down comfortably in the taller grass, relaxing his fatigued body. As he lay prostrate Sailor gazed up at the castle walls, to his left the walls were covered in ivy that had climbed straight up the wall and was spreading to the one beside it. The palisade facing him was relatively narrow and had several stone windows carved into it, four up high and four below with several niches in between. There was a turret to the far right of Sailor's position. Eventually the sound of the water streaming in the moat, the enticing warmth of the day and the crickets all conspired together to lull Sailor into a deep, contented sleep. He was finally home.

Catspaw 

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

Sailor could not remember being a 'bad' cat. That's what the human population of this village called cats when they were misbehaving by human standards. This was the second day of a torrential rainstorm sucked in from the ocean; the fog had not receded but had instead, grown denser and colder as it sank to the cobblestones. Sailor lay unconscious in the splintering doorway of a house, dreaming once again of another village. This one always felt more familiar to him. The last time he had found himself here, Sailor had followed his feelings towards a castle high atop the hill. He had turned in the direction of one of the castle gateways and... if he remembered correctly, had heard something; the sound of trumpets and cheering people and now, the sense that he would truly be welcomed here; petted, played with and fed as a 'good' cat. Was this feeling to be trusted?

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

Could this cat be walking down your street or path today?

 

This could not be a normal 'cold' that he was feeling in his bones! Why would the fog affect him so? Morning found Sailor still taking shelter in the wooden doorway as the rain continued to pour from a leaden, unrelenting sky. There would be no fishing today and no child would wander without. Sailor had been so cold all night that he couldn't sleep and he was exhausted now. All he could think about was the ruined castle that stood away on the hill. The last time he had visited it, it was bathed in warm autumn sunshine that made the brown walls glow and radiate a sweet sense of home. He fervently wished he was there now in the enclosure of his birth with his mother and his siblings to break the extreme loneliness he felt. It wasn't fair that no human noticed him when they helped other stray cats. And it was not fair that children gave food to the homeless of the feline population in the village, yet paid no heed to Sailor when he was in gravest need of it. It was as if he were, to all intents and purposes, invisible to them all. And he was lonely. Never once in the years of trying to belong to this village had he felt a kind, human hand touch him or a gentle voice greet him. Now, crouching in this narrow, rain-filled doorway with water blanketing his fur, soaking his paws and with a stiff coldness in his bones, he silently mourned the abject loneliness and cruelty of his existence as the rain hitting cobblestones pounded in his ears.

Will you be the one to turn the other way and deny medical care, food, shelter and compassion?

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

The day became indistinct and bleak as the fog sank over the village. Everywhere a single activity was being practiced by the residents who hastened to street shops that were being secured. Doors to houses were closing and windows banged shut. In the space of an hour the beautiful little fishing village became unrecognizable as a ghost town. The fog was accompanied with the dampness of the ocean and not long after its descent, everything was wet and cold. Sailor crouched as far inside the alcove of a doorway as he could manage, his fur was damp and he was chilled to the bone. He squatted there in misery. A sudden, loud crack of thunder burst above the town, so close that it made the quaint little buildings shake. Sailor instinctively jumped at the piercing noise and pressed himself further into the unyielding wooden door-frame for what little shelter it offered him. Excited voices could be heard from within as children were admonished to be silent and go to their school studies while the evening meal was prepared. Since he had come to this village, looking for belonging, Sailor had known little kindness from its occupants. Other cats were noticed, even fed sometimes or taken in on nights like this, but Sailor never was. He had come to expect harsh treatment from humans and he usually received it. In fact, now that he thought on it, had the skipper of the fishing boat really welcomed him on board or had he nodded to his deckhand? The fish monger had never really noticed him either, he just finished gutting the fish and put the slop bucket down. Strange that he should consider this at such a time.

Abandoned Cat existing in the streets of people-filled cities around the globe. No one to care. No one to help.

 Catspaw

Hello and Welcome To My 100th Blog!

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening...

...to all my readers and visitors. This is a very special blog because its my One Hundredth. Since the beginning, when I first started on January 22nd of 2012, I have been mixing things up with a variety of offerings. Most of them are about cats, with a few that are off-topic. So I thought I'd share a little more about who I am and why I'm doing this everyday. I know from cruising the net that not all bloggers post a daily entry; I do because some of my readers have told me they like coming to my blog for that very reason. This blog has also become an important creative venue for me over the past, almost three months, and I enjoy it very much. 

Who I am! I'm a writer and not just any writer. One of my strengths seems to be writing descriptive stories. I say 'seems to be' because I am still exploring my writing style. If you've been following my blogs, I began a story the week before introducing it on February 24th, 2012; Sailor and the Ruined Castle. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I can tell you its worth more than that! The most interesting aspect of this story is its inception, I am writing it based completely on pictures I find on the net. The story writes itself from there. I'm not one of those sit-in-front-of-a-blank-paper writers; I let the picture inspire the story and follow it from there and each picture inspires the direction the story takes. I also have journals that date back to the 1980's, full of stories and poetry that I go back to every now and again. 

Why do I blog everyday? Its my favorite creative outlet for my story and for everything else I like to share with you, my readers. One reader told me she likes the fact that I post every single day; another said she comes back because there is always new and different content. I like variety myself and loads of pictures so that is what I use for the base of all my blogs. Since I will only settle for original, written~personally~by~me content; while I will take an idea from a different web page I will also rewrite it my own words, keeping the original content and context, intact. I don't mislead my readers and visitors. I also love to hear comments about what I am offering to as to gauge the relevance of my content. 

So, H~A~P~P~Y 100th Blog Anniversary to ME!!

I hope you have enjoyed my blogs thus far and will keep returning, especially to follow Sailor in his adventures; which incidentally, is now in the Chapter 2 phase. 

I would like to extend a 'Thank You' to all my faithful readers and new visitors to my blog, I wouldn't continue if I did not have both your interest and your support. I thank you and Sailor thanks you. And Thank you for your comments. 

Catspaw

Sailor Story In Chapter Two Phase

This is to let my readers and guests who have been faithfully following Sailor through his adventures know, that the story I began on February 24th, 2012 is now in the Chapter Two phase and events in the story are speeding toward some very interesting turns which will begin leading to a bizarre twist.

I had begun this story as a short term project but now the story is developing in a different direction then anticipated and taking on a life of its own. I am just following it but to what conclusion, I don't know. Nor do I know whether the story will end with the second chapter. There are still a few paragraphs in Chapter One that I will publish in the coming days while I begin developing Chapter Two.

I hope you will become a fan of Sailor and read all of his adventures. Turns out, he's not the cat you, or I, thought he was!!

In the meantime...  I will work on continuing his story and he will let me know what will come next. For those interested in reading his story from the beginning, it starts in my February 26th post. 

Catspaw

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

One autumn evening found Sailor sleeping on the dock, watching the fishing boats start to come in and be moored, then unloaded of the days catch. With the boats also came a very real fog that was steadily blanketing the wharf. It had the immediate effect of making the pleasant, warm evening suddenly chilly and damp. The fog seemed oppressive and heavy, like a hand coming out of nowhere to snatch all things in its path. Sailor abandoned the small enclosure he was resting in and headed towards the town square, he desperately wanted to find a safe place that would shelter him from the cold and penetrating fingers of the white/grey cloud that had descended over the harbour; it now threatened to engulf the village as well. It felt like his paws were made of lead and couldn't move fast enough over the breakaway and down the wet cobblestone road into town. Had the fog found him at last? Was it chasing him! Driving him toward some unknown destination Sailor had no intention of going? That's exactly what it felt like.

  

Catspaw