Robyn Batch 3 - Snickerdoodles

31. Sunrise:  Snuggling into her jacket and grateful for it’s warmth in the pre-dawn September morning air, she gazed across the harbor at the edge of the horizon.  The sky was beginning to turn a delightful shade of pink as she waited for the boats to appear.

     Her uncles/family work with the fishing fleets who go out before dawn.

 

38. Touch:  The chunk of pyrite had once been rather sharp and lumpy with geode but Robyn’s habit of rubbing it when she was worried or thinking deeply had worn it into smooth lumps and blobs.

64. Fall:  School starting, the end of tourist season, and the falling of the leaves did not always coincide.  It was usually still warm when the brain was forced to think “fall” and “School” and retired couples took advantage of the fact to tour the coast. 

75. Shade:  There was one spot in the forest that Robyn considered sacred.  Off the beaten path and known to few, if any, others you had to find your way through a maze of rhododendrons, twisting and turning through their floral branches, before you could come upon the clearing.  All around were trees but in the middle was a TREE.  An ancient sequoia, it had been shaped long ago by the native peoples and as such it had many convenient sitting area and reached high, covering a large area with its canopy, shading the clearing so it was cool in the summer and relatively snow free in the winter. 

     This was my first hint of what was to become another major location for the story and a great deal of who Robyn is.  This spawned it's own huge description which I will post tomorrow.  The tree is based off of the "Octopus Tree" in northern Oregon which really was shaped by the native peoples ages ago.  I really appreciated the opportunity to visit the coast during the writing of this story.

24. Family:  ”Honey, your mom and I have something to tell you.”

Ten year old Robyn looked up at her parents.  Their tone was very serious.

“Am I going to be a sister again?”  Her tone was a bit exasperated.  She didn’t really want another little brother or sister.  She thought two was plenty!  Besides, none of her friends at school had more than two.  Except for that strange girl May Flower.  Her parents exchanged glances then her father spoke.

“Kinda.  You already are a sister.  A long time ago your mom had a baby but she couldn't take care of the baby because your mom was too young then and she wasn’t married so she gave the baby to a family that could take care of her.  That baby, your big sister, is all grown up now and would like to come visit.”

Robyn looked at her parents consideringly for a long while.  “Is she going to live with us?”

“No, she would like us to come visit her in England.  Would you like to meet her?”

“If she isn’t going to live with us.  I don’t need another sister.  I already have one.”  Then a thought struck Robyn.  “What is her name?”

“Her name is Sienna.  Would you like to see a picture of her?”

Robyn nodded.  This was most strange.  Most people got younger siblings didn’t they.  This would be something to share with Austin, she was getting an older sibling.  Maybe there was one out there for him!

      I'm working on making my characters more imperfect, which is where this came from.  Robyn now has a half sister who is seven years older than she and is a mother.  I still haven't decided quite how Sienna came into existence (though alcohol was involved) but as mentioned Robyn's mom didn't keep her, instead giving her to a local family.