Tuesday's Tales Picture Prompt

 Welcome to Tuesday's Tales! A place where books are born. Thank you for stopping by. This week we are writing to a picture prompt so I have taken a break from Megan's Story and am offering another clip from my Horseshoe story.

 

 

(A stranger has turned up at Hanah's old, isolated,mountain hunting lodge in the middle of winter and wants to know what she is doing in his home.)         

       What had he said about the size of his estate? 
Hanah pulled herself up on another memory.

Estate agent?

When she’d mentioned the local estate agent, the man, James, hadn’t known what she was talking about. Did that mean he knew nothing about the local town with its double and triple-story red-brick buildings, the brilliant white clapboard property so recently renovated by the locals and turned into a museum of local history. And the colourful striped awnings over the shops and art galleries, would he know them or claim ignorance of them too? And, of course both of the real estate agencies in the town, let’s not forget them, she reminded herself with a silent snort of derision.

While the trees gave welcome shade to shoppers from the summer heat, personally she disliked the clinical precision of their placing and shape and was always relieved when she returned home to the higglty-piggity of her natural surroundings.

The sound of Rosie’s voice squawking in her ear jolted her out of her reflections.

“…still there?”

“What? Yes, I’m still here, and don’t worry my guest will be leaving soon.”

“How can he, if as you say, the ravine is blocked?”

“I believe he has suitable transport.” Hanah offered, and hoped her friend wouldn’t ask for details. “I’ll ring you tomorrow,” she promised and waited long enough to hear Rosie agree before cutting the connection.  It was amazing, all things considered, that the phone lines were still working. Not prepared to follow where that thought might take her, Hanah took advantage of her guest’s confusion and eased the book out of James’ hand.

“You talk to yourself when that… that… that thing demands your attention?” While he managed to lace his words with arrogance, she identified the fear lurking in the man’s eyes.

 

Thank you for reading another snippet this week, and please hop on over to read everyone's offering for this week's Tuesday's Tales prompt.