The Tall People & Rose

I'm excited about Ethan Renoe's, The Tall People: And Other Collected Stories. Coming from the minds of 14 creatives, this collection of short stories has something for everyone - including a story by yours truly, titled Rose.

Be sure to read Ethan's post to see a list of all the writers.

I want to tell you a bit about my short story - Rose...

... Adora's abducted and forced to work in The Factory where her captors use her blood to entertain the masses and give them the ability to fly, among other things. She soon discovers she's not the only one being forced into this bizarre entertainment, and begins to plot for a way out - not only for herself, but the others too.

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This was a different story for me to write. Darker and riskier than anything I've told before, but one I found to be full of inner depths.

As the story flowed, I found myself challenged by her situation and wanted to do what I could as a creator to give justice to this character and the bigger - real life - issues it actually explores.

Adora's story became symbolic of both the truth and the lies people believe when they find themselves in domestic violence situations.

It grew from there to also explore the objectifying of women and how much it actually happens around us in every day life and from there explored the similarities between objectifying people and human trafficking.

As I wrote, I was amazed to see how many small little lessons and ideas were coming out on the page and I know it's because I had the ultimate Creator right there writing the story with me.

I hope you'll pick up a copy of The Tall People: And Other Collected Stories and read Rose. I know I learned heaps from Adora's story and I hope it will challenge, inspire and encourage those who read it too.

For now, I will leave you with a small excerpt from Rose.

The room for all it’s warm colors chills me. I blame the bright pain blossoming from my shoulder blade and the embarrassment of being so utterly exposed.

“Don’t move.” The tattooist warns, his eyes on my bare flesh.

Breathe. Keep breathing.

I’ve lost the will to turn away from the sharp needle. It’s agitated gyration skips over my skin, imprinting it with the outline of a vining flower. I thought my flesh would numb from the hours of work, but it only seems to be getting worse with every passing second.

Margaret, who stands above me, squeezes my hand. The gesture turns my focus away from the bright prickling sparks. “You’re doing great, Adora.” she smiles. “It’s almost over now.”

It scares me when she’s nice. It means there will be consequences later. She never does anything to leave a mark, but she hurts me worse than any beating ever could. Tears build at the thought and one escapes down my cheek.

“You’ll ruin your porcelain complexion, Adora.” She squeezes my hand harder. A warning. “Can’t have one of my girls looking emotional now, it’s bad for business.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the tears, and put on what I hope is a brave smile for Margaret and the man who’s wiping navy blood from my shoulder and arm.

“You’ve outdone yourself, Magic. The roses are stunning.” Margaret runs a hand across my puckered flesh. “How long before I can make use of her?”

Tune into the next stop on The Tall People Blog Tour and hear what David Alves has to say about The Tall People and his story - Sub Rosa.