Rebel's Keep

Something warm and living shone in his blue eyes and seemed to deepen the reddish hues in his hair and beard. It was a warm summer day--warm for Scotland. Woolly strands of cloud drifted lazily in the rich blue overhead, the sunlight almost dancing over the heathery backs of the high moors, and flashes of light sparkled on the trailing river far below in the valley. Sheep contentedly cropped moor grass nearby; a lamb bleated fir its mother, and the remaining horses gathered on recent patrols and tethered on the slope above the crofts ... munched on oats and swished their tails at midges.

This scene from Rebel's Keep had, what I thought, a very vivid description of what the setting was like for this particular day. I liked it so much that I am going to write an imitation scene, but on a different subject.

As it, angry and ugly, stood on its green scaly feet, it looked at me with hugs fiery red eyes. It flapped its unrealistically massive wings as it flew into the air--unrealistic for a dragon its size. The dark forest green tail of muscle swung destructively in every direction possible; the buildings completely crumbling to nothingness with one crushing blow. Sparks flew and fires became more numerous for every exhale of the dragon's burning breathe. Many people disorderly rushed out of the destruction zone to the nearest safest place. Others, wounded form the falling buildings, fires, or trampling of the scurrying of the people, lay bleeding, unconscious, or dead in the streets, helpless to do anything.

Living Reed

From the epilogue of the book, Living Reed concocted by Pearl S. Buck:

"It was high noon at Pusan, on a fine autumn day, two years ago. I had traveled the length and breadth of South Korea, by motorcar, so that I could stopped when I liked. The road was often narrow and rough, the bridges over the many brooks, bombed during the war, had not yet been rebuilt, and we rattled over dry stones or splashed through water made shallow by the dry season."

I relished the descriptions in this intro. It paints a picture in my mind. When a writer can make me imagine something so vivid, I know that they are really good. Pearl, in first person, has recounted for us in this epilogue her visit to Korea after the Korean War. The Korean War took place five years after World War II, in which we fought against Germany and Japan. However in the Korean War, America fought alongside Japan and South Korea against the Russian North Korea. Interesting. I thought that this was a very profound book, and recommend it highly.

PS: The green words are the vocabulary from September or October.

Rebel's Keep

"Aye, but those were both in defense of the weak," said Angus, feeling a growing sense of conviction at what he was trying to explain. "Father's not sure that standing with Hamilton now a-laying siege to the king's garrison in Glasgow is the same as being set upon by the king's dragoons and defending the innocent against them."
"But, word is, ye patrol these hills," said Mr. Welsh. Then he reached a hand up and deliberately stroked the fallen captain's horse, following behind Angus's lead. "And, word is, ye relieve the kings men of horses."
"Aye," admitted Angus, looking sideways at the minister. He detected a smile playing at the corner of the man's mouth.
"Ye've had a weary day of it, Mr. Welsh. Would ye care to ride?"

This passage was taken from Rebel's Keep by Douglas Bond, the third book in the Crown and Covenant series. I particularly enjoyed this passage, because, Angus, who was about a 17 year old Scottish Christian, had just saved the minister's, Mr. Welsh's, life from a pursuing mounted dragoon. The dragoon had wanted to kill Mr. Welsh for preaching from the Bible, which was against the law. Angus, who was also an archer, had killed the dragoon and taken his horse, which was really Scottish. Then, Mr. Welsh asked Angus why he had killed the dragoon and took the king's horses, for Angus had done this more than once. If I had been in Mr. Welsh's place, I would not really have cared if the evil man who had been wanting to kill was dead. I would have taken his horse and rode away, out of danger. I know that Mr. Welsh had been testing Angus, but I still would not have really cared about the now dead dragoon captain and his horse.

PS: the highlights are the participle phrases.