So, um… how shall I put this?
I couldn’t come up with a good Angelique vignette that wouldn’t give away too much of her story’s end, so I did something a little different.
I came up with a bad Angelique vignette. If you recall, before becoming an Usher, she was an Avenger, with tasks less kind than her current ones. This would be one of her darker moments…
Photo Copyright-Janet Webb
Accidents Happen (100 words)
Angelique strode through the rotting wall, ignoring the door. It unsettled people, and she wanted him to squirm.
“Who are you?”
His stench arrested her, even from several yards. She snarled, eyes narrowed at the foul creature, body tense with anticipation.
“You may call me Vengeance. I answer the cries of the seven girls whose blood seeps through the soil outside this barn.”
He cursed, threw his bottle, sending a shower of beer arcing through dusty air. As he lunged at her, he stumbled. She stooped, slid an ax across the ground to cushion his fall.
“Accidents happen,” she crooned.
********
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Lisa Dunn 
Ah…I like that! Full of cool justified bitterness…
Yeah, he kind of deserved a kiss from an ax. I won’t lie – I kind of enjoyed this one.
Oh dear! Hope not too much!
It was just so nicely done, with so much clever movement – introduction was funny, as it was a very good read!
Oh, don’t worry! I didn’t enjoy it TOO much! It was a fun little change from the normal fare, though!
Your descriptions are really good!
Thanks!
Oh my the ax to cushion his fall. Well done.
She has good aim. 🙂
🙂
I love how you ended this one. You do dark well. 🙂
janet
Thanks! It feels kind of funny to write something so sinister. 😉
Even I’ve ventured to the dark side a time or two, but I don’t stay long. It gives good practice and a nice contrast to seeing Angelique in her nice persona.
I won’t stay long. As fun as a vengeful Angelique is, I much prefer her anguishing under the weight of the human condition. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
very good descriptions. i like how she slid an ax across the ground to cushion his fall. very cool 🙂
“slid an ax across the ground to cushion his fall” Slick!
I’m a little disturbed that everyone likes that line. What kind of sick people am I hanging out with on here? 😉
Hehe.. Sick people who like the slick stuff 😉 😛
P.S. Thanks for the follow!
You’re welcome! I came across Angelique, Dan and Sara so far. Would explore more. Slowly. They seem interesting characters!
Thank you! If you look under the photo across the top, there’s a tab for Angelique. I’ve put them mostly in chronological order. I’d love for you to read them, but please don’t feel like you HAVE to! 🙂 I know how hard it is to keep up with everything! I try to link back to related stories when I post a new one.
Hey, there’s nothing like HAVE to! 🙂 If it’s intriguing, it becomes more like DEFINITELY HAVE to 😛 😉
Jokes apart, i’d love to read them all! 🙂
Thanks so much! I love to hear that! 🙂
I mean seem to be interesting! :O
Now I’ve got to say I enjoyed the contrast this week. Angelique’s saintliness has been generating feelings of inadequacy in me. 😉 Well done.
Thanks. You may now return to feeling holy! 😉
Dear LIsa,
I enjoyed (?) seeing this side of Angelique. You gave her another dimension which gives her more credibility. I don’t know that I’d call this her bad side, though. Poetic justice. I’ll admit I liked the “cushion” line. We’re artists so we’re all a little disturbed, right? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Reminds me of a U2 line – “Every poet is a cannibal. Every artist is a thief. All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief.”
Seriously, though, I did consider whether this act would be in keeping with Angelique’s character, and more importantly, in the character of her boss. I decided it was a matter of justice – and that a world without justice would be an awful place indeed, that a little justice is, in fact, a very good thing. Who knows how many more bodies might have accumulated outside the barn had Angelique not been sent to intervene? As for the girl herself, she has a character arc to live through, and this is the very beginning of that arc, so I think – knowing the rest of the arc – that it’s perfectly fine for her to croon over accidents. 😉
That’s my story, anyhow…
Ah the depth of Angelique’s character grows! The retribution seems to fit the crime. The poor vicitms can rest in peace. A nice use of your established character.
Another wrong righted.
Rough and violent – I like it.
Scott
Mine: http://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/3797/
now I want to know, was there an event that changed her?
Hmm… This (https://waitingforaname.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/153/) was a pivotal moment, but I don’t know if anything precipitated this conversation. Thanks for giving me something to think about!
good one, something had to sate her need for vengeance to get to that point. Did she make a mistake, fallen angel so to speak.
This is a very good series.
In my head, I think I just saw her, with her knowledge of all the evil humans do, watching God work on that lump of clay and wondering why on earth (no pun intended) He bothers with us at all. It was a desire to understand His heart that led her to volunteer to be an Usher, and the close contact with humanity that eventually leads her to feel agonizing compassion for us. Does that make sense? I never saw her falling away from grace, as much as I saw her falling in love with humankind to the point that her heart breaks for us.
I guess this is one of those details I’ll have to sort through…
It does make sense. I like this explanation. I love how the characters become alive, and their backstory, and the backstories of their sires invites us to learn more.
Wow, that was cruel!! But justified too!
Love the pacing and action of this piece.
The scene just played out as I read. Real kickass dialogues too!
Love it!
Thanks, it’s was wicked fun to write! 😉 Good to see you around again!
I do not have time to list all the cool things that happened in this story. You have, for me, illustrated the illustration best of all.
Thank you, Ted. If I remember correctly, you once called Angelique “bad to the bone.” I knew better, and I think you quickly learned better, but oh, how fun it is to make her look bad! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the story!
Great character, Angelique! “…slid an ax across the ground to cushion his fall.” Nice one! ‘ax’ and ‘cushion’ sit so unnicely together! I spell ‘ax’ as ‘axe’. Ignore, if this is a British/US spelling thing.
Thanks. Axe/ax is a British/US spelling thing. I think axe is more widely used worldwide. Should have gone with that one, but oh, well… At least I didn’t ax a question. 😉
Ax away! 🙂
I too love that line that everyone else loves. Now you have a rep. 😉 I liked it. Justice is sometimes dark, but I don’t think he will be missed.
That was a just accident… But still cruel, and an ax cushion sounds like treatment.
“an ax to cushion his fall”–wonderful line.
I never imagined I’d find Angelique scary!
Well done! That line about cushioning his fall is just… nasty.
Thanks. I’ll get her back to sweet soon! And I promise, I won’t let her hurt any of my fellow Fictioneers! 🙂
Loved this. Those first two sentences fantastic – walking through rotting walls and making people squirm. Am I wrong to like this version of Angelique? I could see this playing out – you’ve drawn the scene so well.
You are no more wrong to like it than I am to have enjoyed writing it. 😉 Thanks for reading and commenting!
So wonderful, It gave me chills.
I nominated you for the Sunshine Award! The details can be found here.
Yup, I’m a fan of “to cushion his fall” as well.
Just read the continuation of this. Love them both 🙂