The Mermaid Riot
Excerpt
Monday, 10 February 2025
The Mermaid Riot
Excerpt
A gust of stifling hot June air blew into Serena’s face as she, her mother, Eugenia Robinson, and Rosie walked home from a perfectly abysmal tea at Mrs. Braxton’s house. Since the war, visiting friends in Kingston highlighted the difficulties facing even the best families. Her mother believed that staying close to good friends was the best route to a sense of normalcy, so she persisted with worn out practices such as afternoon tea and embroidery parties. Granted, cannonballs weren’t dropping in the streets any longer, but nothing was the same. Worst of all, there was not enough sugar to be bought in a shop, and milk alone in Serena’s tea did nothing to soften the bitter taste of what she had once thought was her favorite beverage until she’d had to drink it without sugar.
The Braxton twins, Amy and Ava, were a nuisance because they constantly followed her around at school. Today they had peppered her with silly questions while she read a book, and they half-heartedly worked on matching embroidery patterns.
“Do you miss your boyfriend?”
“Did we we Tobi Doyle at church this week?”
“How are you going to get married now that you and Tobi can’t talk to each other?”
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I hope you enjoyed this snippet from the story! It’s available for purchase at most online book retailers.
https://books2read.com/u/47vApE
Be well, write well!
~Joy
I loved the details and the tone! Thank you for sharing!
Pulled me right in, Joy! Thanks for sharing!