Flight of the Bumblebee by Guest Blogger, Lord Brigadier Pennypacker

December 24, 2014 By Captain Maiel 1 Comment

Flight of the Bumblebee

Chapter III

A soot-propelled blast of dry air blew through the streets. Bunjo men, rag collectors, and persons of interest milled about in the drab uniforms of their poverty and woe. Some pushed decrepit, wooden carts; others pulled misshapen, canvas sacks behind them. Their movements were orchestrated in an industrial cacophony of old tin, pilfered iron, and the odd, twisted coil of brass. Clank! Clang! Scrape…shuffle—it went.

Just around the corner…

Tattered and grimy curtains did what little they could to filter the orange haze streaming in from the toxic, ochre atmosphere just outside the window.

Mick awoke in his Archibald Square flat to find everything just as he had remembered: broken furniture—old and cheap—empty whisky—old and not cheap—bottles and newspapers—older still—strewn about as if the place was a dime-store snow-globe cocktail shaken by The Brigadier’s over-zealous bartender. His head felt much the same way.

What happened? Little came to mind just then. He ached—everywhere.

The go-men made a right mess of it this time, he thought. It was always like this….the blackouts, the pain, the disorientation.

It’ll clear soon enough, he thought assuredly.

Right now, he had orders to satisfy. The Brigadier had a mission for him. Oh, The Brig. Always planning, he was.

Mick stretched out, pain cutting every joint. Slouching his shoulders, he put a hand in the right pocket of his trousers. A rumpled piece of paper, parchment quality, or something like it, chafed his fingertips.

He pulled out the playing-card sized scrap of vellum. It was The Brigadier’s stationery all right. Mick unfolded it.

Bumblebee. G7 at Vicker’s Brae, scrawled in ink along the surface.

Mick dropped his arm and the note fell to the floor.

The mission was a go. The pit of his stomach dropped, realizing what was being asked of him…..

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Mick, during the Cold War - Flight of the Bumblebee

Mick, during the Cold War. No, the other one.

If you want to continue the shenanigans, you ought to be here.

About Captain Maiel

Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, K has enjoyed more than twenty years professionally writing. K attended Morrisville State College, majoring in Biology, and then continued with English and History at the University at Albany, where she gained her Bachelor’s Degree. While attending UA, K interned with the 13th Moon Feminist Literary Magazine, bridging her interests in social movements and art. Topics of K's writing often include gender and racial disparities, and trauma. In 2014, K graduated from Empire State College (SUNY) with a Masters in Liberal Studies: screenwriting (Film Studies), the politics of film, and adaptations. During her gradute work, K was the recipient of the Foner Fellowship in Arts and Social Justice, a full scholarship.
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Published novels by K include the Civil War drama Blue Honor, the Second World War spy thriller OP-DEC:Operation Deceit, and the controversial dark fantasy, paranormal series The Trailokya Trilogy. In addition to writing novels, K does screenwriting: 8 Days in Ireland and the adaptations of her current novels. A sequel to her second novel, OP-DEC, is in the research phase, while the screen adaptation is being considered for production by film companies.
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In 2015, K. Williams became an official member of International Thriller Writers, but her greatest accomplishment thus far was becoming a mother in 2017. K continues to produce commentary and art pieces on The Blue Honor Blog, publishing twice weekly. A devoted dog mom, K created Shagbottom Theater in which her dogs star as well known literary and stage personas. K is also a visual artist, producing the ZoDuck Cartoon, painting and sketching--digitally or traditionally, as well as an accomplished Photographer. Click here to see more! Whether it's cooking, IVF and Parenting, learning a foreign language, history or dogs, you'll find something to enjoy and for which to come back.
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Excerpts of K's unedited, rough drafts and other scraps of writing can be found at: KWilliamsAuthor on deviantArt.com. You can also sample her books on Wattpad.