publishing

Excerpt from ‘A History of sunburn’

Here is a little taste-test from the novel I am writing for NaNoWriMo, let me know what you think.

”

He sits up and takes a drag on his cigarette before butting it out on the ground. He feels distinctly unclean. He gets to his feet and nearly falls again as a wave of dizziness darkens his vision. He wishes he was in the field with her, if for no more reason than to make her feel less alone. There is a feeling growing inside him, its electric, his feet feel like they are vibrating. Still stark naked he runs through the door of the tent as hard as he can, he draws as much air into his lungs as he can and runs headlong through the camp his eyes and his airways open. There are people all over the camp going about their day and they laugh and cheer as he speeds by. Several children take up the chase, laughing and skipping as they sprint after him. In this moment he feels free, there is no resistance but the wind and his own body. The sun is sharp but he is running so hard that the wind cools him. He jumps and dodges around people and laughs wildly, the children still hot on his heels. He crests a rise and sees a dam down below, perfect. Without slowing he charges to the bank and dives headlong under the water. The cold rushes over and through him and he dives as far down as he can, burying his hands in the soft mud at the bottom. He opens his eyes and can see only murky water. Here at the bottom he stays, with only two choices, he could wait here and let his oxygen run out, to die pure and naked as the day he was born, or fight his way to the surface and continue down his dark path. Distantly he can hear people laughing cheering, it seems so far away, maybe from another time entirely. Maybe Kasey is sitting on the bank, patiently waiting to see if he will rise or fade away at the bottom of this murky pool. His chest is burning but the pain is cleansing, he waits a few more seconds before pushing his feet against the bottom and rising as fast as he can. The sun becomes clearer and he bursts through the surface spraying water up in a fountain. He is awake and the sunshine on his face feels better than anything he has ever known.”